But the Tips Are Huge!

Cidu Bill on Nov 27th 2008

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Filed in Between Friends, Bill Bickel, CIDU, comic strips, comics, humor | 13 responses so far

13 Responses to “But the Tips Are Huge!”

  1. Lihtox Nov 27th 2008 at 12:52 am 1

    Two possibilities:
    1. The character is berating her(?)self for being such a pushover; the last line is sarcastic.
    2. Leave a big tip, and maybe next time they’ll remember you and treat you better.

    Given the person’s expression, 1 is way more likely.

  2. dd Nov 27th 2008 at 01:31 am 2

    I do this. I feel bad for “causing” a problem and don’t want to be the cause of pissy waiters for the rest of the day and don’t want spit in my food the next time I get served there, so I leave a bigger than normal tip. FEAR THE WAITSTAFF.

  3. Antaeus Feldspar Nov 27th 2008 at 10:48 am 3

    3. The character really is a pushover, and even though he/she can rationally say “no, I’m the offended party here”, inwardly he/she reacts to the fact that he/she has angered the waiter with feelings of guilt, which he/she is trying to assuage by leaving a big tip.

  4. Bleu Mune Nov 27th 2008 at 10:56 am 4

    Speaking as a card-carrying female… this is, unfortunately, the kind of attitude I was raised to have (by my otherwise very assertive mother). You can’t imagine how apologetic I am when I have to return food because it was rotten! I’m a very forceful person in most situations in the world and sometimes I can really get my dander up and stand up for myself in a situation like this, but, unfortunately, I would generally probably do the same.

  5. David A. Rooney Nov 27th 2008 at 12:48 pm 5

    dd has it right - Just remember Brad Pitt’s line in “Fight Club” when they have the chief of police bound and gagged on the hotel kitchen floor: “We are the ones who clean your homes, pick up your garbage, and guard you while you sleep. Do not f**k with us.” There is a fine line between service and servitude - make them feel the latter at your peril.

  6. Tim Nov 27th 2008 at 01:25 pm 6

    Ive seen this strategy suggested before as intending to confuse the hell out of the staff. I don’t quite get it.

    I really don’t get leaving one for future treatment, though - plenty of people fail to tip at all for no reason, or behave terribly, they’re not going to remember you tipping small for bad service. And I’m not likely to go back to this place anyway.

  7. Andrew Nov 27th 2008 at 05:39 pm 7

    I thought the contradiction was intended to question what the wait staff intended to gain by intimidating a picky customer.

  8. Rainey Nov 27th 2008 at 06:29 pm 8

    Maybe “tip” in this case means “instruction” instead of “gratuity”.

  9. Nicole Nov 27th 2008 at 11:10 pm 9

    The entire waitstaff is talking about her, saying what a lousy customer she is. She is leaving the really big tip in the hope it will change their minds.

  10. Charlene Nov 28th 2008 at 02:46 am 10

    Wait staff are known to deliberately pick on and intimidate women dining alone, because women a) are trained from birth not to be combative (and to confuse “combative” with “assertive”), and usually recognize that even warranted assertiveness will get you spit or worse in your next sandwich.

  11. Cliff Nov 28th 2008 at 02:40 pm 11

    Interesting I only realized the character was female after reading the comics. The drawing style reminded me of old school FBoFW and read as kind of genderless. The face especially in the last scene could easily be mistaken for a male.

    I read it sort of as sarcasm or ‘tip’ as in advice for next time. I think it is ludicrous to tip good for bad service. Unless it is obvious and otherwise good waiter is being troubled by something else. On the other hand the tip is for the waitstaff and not the chef so the waiter shouldn’t be penalized for mess ups from the kitchen. I would tip more in that situation, if the waiter was a good waiter despite working for a bad resteraunt.

  12. Rainey Nov 28th 2008 at 07:42 pm 12

    Charlene, I don’t know what time period you grew up in but I am in my 30’s and these days (judging by my experience) it seems that the women are actually more agressive than the men.

  13. Dan Nov 29th 2008 at 11:08 pm 13

    I can understand how she’s a pushover and she’ll leave a tip just to placate the waitstaff, but… wouldn’t it be a little late by then? They’re apparently pissed at her now for her sending back the order twice, so if they’re gonna spit in her food, it’d be now, not next time. And if she’s had to send it back twice - legitimately - then why would she ever return anyway? Oy.

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