Has anyone ever used $1 dollar coins for tipping?
When I'm in Canada as that's all they have is $1 coins - no bills. In fact no $2 bills, just coins, too. Wonder if the US will ever go that way. Nice with the Euros, too, in coins at the lower denominations.
TRhe US treasury would love to, but there is no support for it. We love our greenbacks too much. The acceptance of the Susan B. Anthony and the current $1 coins (or lack thereof) should be proof of that.
Coins cost less to make and last MUCH longer.
I do love the Canadian "looney" and "twoney". Much easier to deal with.
JUST DO IT. (Sorry, hate to shout)
Whatcha going to do, tip $5 because you haven't got a one?
Honestly--I originally liked the idea of a dollar coin. Now, though, I'm with those who are opposed (and I even have a stack of 25 Sacajawea dollar coins sitting six inches from my mouse!). I HATE CHANGE. All change I receive goes out of my pocket and in a jar at home. Once a year, I take the jar in to the bank and get a couple hundred bucks out of it--hardly enough to really waste my time hauling it around in my pockets. If I had dollar coins, though, I would probably end up with thousands of dollars in change! (Maybe that wouldn't be such a bad idea...forced savings and all...) And I would STILL hate hauling it around in my pockets, finding a place to put it every night and remembering to grab it the next morning.
As it is, I abhor having to carry any kind of cash around (I use my mileage-earning credit cards for everything possible, and often, if a place doesn't take them, I'll rather skip buying there than having to go to an ATM [especially finding one affiliated with my credit union so I don't get charged a withdrawal fee]). Hauling $20s, $10s, $5s and even $1s is hard enough...hauling a pocket full of heavy coins would be even worse.
As far as tipping with cash: I'm rarely in a position where that's necessary. At restaurants, I tip on my credit card, and I'm never in other situations where I need to tip. When I travel, I generally don't stay in places with bellhops (thus negating the need to tip them) and don't use taxis (preferring public transportation or rental cars...and some taxis in NYC are nice enough now to have a credit card swiper in the cab itself that you can put the fare and tip on!).
I prefer to think of a tip as a sales commission...but one that
I get to decide the amount of. If the person sells himself or herself well to me, then I am happy to reward them with a commission in the form of a tip. Actually, most of the time, I'm quite
happy to write an amount on my charge slip in the tip column, because if I've received good service, which I usually do, I feel good to reward the person for their hard work. I'm also not naturally stingy and have often been called generous, and so giving to others always makes me feel good, so that probably comes into play, too. Therefore, the whole concept of stingy tipping and tipping with a bad attitude is somewhat foreign to me.
I think
this article, which I think has been mentioned before, does the subject well. I've enclosed some applicable excerpts:
The best tip about tipping in the US is to tip.
It is a reality of life over here.
Sure, it is un-Australian.
But you're not in Australia!
Leaving a couple of coins with the bill and heading for the exit is not appropriate if the service was OK.
When in Rome eat spaghetti. When in the US tip.
Aussies often argue they should not they have to make up for America's crappy wages. It is a fair argument. There is a simple way to protest. Don't visit the US.
But, you will find generally the level of service will be higher in the US than Australia because your servers are working for their tips. If you avoid tourist trap restaurants, the food is cheaper.
And this one, somewhat applicable for this discussion!:
There's a reason why the US has kept its $US1 notes while the rest of the world has moved on to $1 coins. Make sure you have plenty in your wallet or purse. If you find you are in the hotel lobby and you only have $20 notes, that is not an excuse. Don't be shy. Don't shrug your shoulders and say you only have big notes. Ask the porter if he has change. They'll gladly provide it. Or go to the front desk and they will break big notes. Have your dollar notes in a separate pocket.
And on top of that, it's not like you're being forced to spend more money, because the food is often cheaper here as well. So the net result is that you're spending the same--you're just in control!
Oh, and
here is the reputation that foreigners who don't tip are leaving with Americans:
I work at a restaurant as a server in California and am disgusted with the foreigners who demand excellent service, then leave a measly $2.00 tip on a $100.00 check total. I don't care what country you're from. When you're in the U.S., you tip 15-20% for good service. That's the way it is.
Now, there are valid points to be made by those who are not in favor of tipping, such as the person posting two posts below the one in the above link who makes a reasoned argument (and one I wouldn't necessarily disagree with if the system in America were changed), but as much as you might disagree with the culture, it's part of the experience and you have no right to do it with "disgust." Southeast Asian culture isn't easy to get used to (you're constantly having to fight from getting lied to, ripped off, scammed, and taken advantage of), but it's part and parcel of the experience.