Dearest Oprah,
I wanted to drop a line in response to the recent comment about how it's okay to tip 10% these days due to the economic downturn. I'm a waitress and I'm struggling just like everybody else. Last summer my average tip percentage was around 18%. It's now down to around 10% and in the state of North Carolina for a waitress, minimum wage is $2.13. Without the kindness of strangers...I'm nothing. I'm not destitute, but I'm not okay either. I was a little shocked and VERY offended by the message that you sent out to millions that tipping less is not just justified but suggested. And thanks to "The Oprah Effect", people listen.
Our services are no different than before, we are working just as hard, if not harder and with more hours to compensate. Being a waitress is so difficult sometimes. You have to open yourself up to complete strangers and treat them with the utmost respect, even if you're treated like dirt. It is at times...a THANKLESS, degrading job. I'm a happy and outgoing person, I love what I do! Patting a bad tipper on the shoulder and saying "It's O.K." because they can't "afford' it is not a good enough excuse. It's unacceptable really. Simply buying groceries and staying home is more financially responsable than dining out. Don't you think?
We work with our hands. We work long, we work hard, and we work for YOU. Any of you that have ever eaten out. But it's not just about you, it's about our families and the quality of our own lives. People need to change the way they look at those things. A "Do unto others as you would have done unto you" kind of thing. Saving money is necessary and being financially cautious is great! But let's not kid ourselves...dining out is a luxury these days and if you are dining out and not tipping because of your financial situation, then you can't afford it. Your problem becomes our problem. People need to take stock in that and start paying it forward. Most of the time the difference between a bad and reasonable tip are just a couple of dollars. You can't tell me you'll go hungry, have your car repossessed or file for bankruptcy because your tipping 20% instead of 10%.
If your paying $8 for a burger at a restaurant instead of $4 at a drive-thru (or $1.98 a lb. at the grocery store) then saving money shouldn't be your "easy out." Over time sure things will get better but from where I'm sitting, 20% is almost a testimony of kindness these days... because it's so rare! So thanks to all you faithful 20%-ers out there, keep doing what you do! You make the luxuries of OUR lives possible, because everyone deserves something nice sometimes.
