Anonymous Dec 2, 2012 at 5:28 pm

Comments

1
That sucks! Just goes to show that just because they are on IFC doesn't mean they're not just as fucked up as the rest of mainstream media. Greedy too from the looks of it.
2
I saw a tip jar at the convenience store when I went in to buy a Gatorade the other day. Seriously?
3
Next season Portlandia will feature a wacky skit about tip jars in Portland coffee shops...
4
If you were an angry-looking peon, would you have done differently?

In any case, on behalf of all non-dessert-shop-employees I'm sorry that Fred (Armstrong?) let you down.
5
wtf? Now you're supposed to tip someone who rings you up at the register? I'm with Steve Buscemi, this tipping shit is for the birds. I think I'll watch season 3 now after hearing how they crushed your twee dreams.
6
Portland has more cupcake shops than banks.

(There you go, Portlandia... A whole episode, practically written for you. Please send me a check.)
7
What, exactly, distinguishes a service job that deserves a tip from one that doesn't?
8
Nowadays any broke indie bum working any generic shitty job will try to guilt you into tipping them. Unless you just served me an awesome dinner or lunch, or took my bags from the valet to my hotel room, you aren't getting shit.
9
Umm, dessert shops have really fancy-pants desserts that take a lot of time and talent and work to create. And often (though not always), small shops split tips for all staff (so you're not just tipping "someone who rings you up at the register"). Want fancy-ass cakes and artisan coffee? Then TIP YOUR FOOD CREATORS, or make it your damn self.
10
Those fancy pants desserts are expensive as fuck. The markup should be (and in fact is) enough to pay your wages. Anyone arguing that making an espresso is the same as waiting tables in terms of the amount of work and abuse from customers clearly hasn't ever had a REAL food service position.
11
Also, bitching about how few tips you've made to people who have to deal with customers but get no tips should automatically get you slapped in the face.
12
Wait, was this a catering order that someone came to pick up? That seems like a different tip expectation than if someone came in, ordered food, and consumed it on premises.
13
ERN: You get right at what I don't understand. When I go into a dessert shop, the items typically have a price associated with them. I always thought that the price of an item was supposed to reflect the cost of creating that item (including labor), plus some margin of profit. Is that wrong? I agree that the items take a lot of "time and talent and work to create." But, isn't that supposed to be reflected in the price of the item itself? They should be the ones telling me how much their time is worth, not me telling them. I don't have any idea how difficult it is to bake a cake (or to make a super-special coffee), so I will almost always under- or over-pay them. Why shouldn't we just expect them to be upfront with their costs from the beginning? Why would they ask me to decide how much their time and skill is worth?
14
So the guy (probably an unpaid intern), didn't tip you for poking a couple buttons on the register? And Fred Armisen didn't personally come down there to suck your dick/ go down on you either?

The horror.
15
The folks working there don't make any extra when the desserts are marked up. They're WORKERS. (Unless they're the owner, but this IA makes me think they're not...and if they are, they're probably only scraping by because oh-my-god-how-many-restaurants-does-one-city-need?) And no, just because our minimum wage is above the federal level does not mean that's enough for someone to live on--the liveable wage for Portland is calculated at $9.47/hour, and that's only if you work full time and live alone with no kids.

Portlandia (oops, was I not supposed to give that away?) producers should instruct their peons to tip. For fuck's sake, they must be making a profit off that terrible show, right? That's especially true for a large catering order--that means they made a special order that took extra time and energy for the bakers--not just a couple cuts of cake or pie in the display cases. I think some people are still confused and think tips ONLY go to the servers--not true, you're tipping the folks who make your food.

I stand by my comment: If you can't afford a tip, cook at home! (And yes, I've worked in food service jobs of one form or another most of my adult life. The one now doesn't get tips. But I sure as hell tip every time I eat or drink out, unless the service is truly shitty.)
16
So it's up to the end consumer to personally make up for deficient wages all along the supply chain? By your logic, is there anyone who shouldn't get a tip? Also, if this is all about fixing wage deficiencies, should poor people have to tip their baker, or are they not entitled to purchase baked goods for the posted price?
17
You DO realize that the whole concept of tipping is a holdover from when waiters and waitresses worked for tips alone? Tons of people work far shittier and harder jobs for just as much - or even slightly less - pay and would probably kill for the small tips you are bitching about. But their jobs are not associated with a vestigial compensation system, so they "just" get paid their hourly rate for the work they do, like most non-entitled people.
18
IA and ERN make not tipping people (non-waitstaff, that is) extremely easy. Agree with others- tipping implies service, not product quality. You didn't do fucking anything.

Raise your price if your product is so excellent. It will still sell, and you'll get your service industry living wage you dream about.
19
Ha.. HAA.. HAAA!!!
So, T.V. stars or average joes.. You're too uppity to tip the person who just spent a span of 8 hrs meticulously building, frosting, custom designing, and perfecting a cake for you just because when you pay, they happen to ALSO be ringing you up at the cash register? Because their shitty boss at their shitty job isnt only paying them minimum wage, but is also short staffing the fuck out of the store so one person has to run the entire shop all day by themselves.. DONT EVER GO OUT FOR ANY MANNER OF FOOD OR BEVERAGE IF YOU CANT AFFORD/ARE TOO GODDAMN GOOD TO TIP YOUR SERVER. FUCKING PERIOD.
Obviously none of these commenters have ever lifted a finger working in the service industry. You would all fucking starve if it wasnt for us.
20
Can't tell if troll or just super entitled/retarded.
21
and.., earlier, Fred Armisen DID come back to apologize AND go down on me! At least, He said he was Fred Armisen.. Older, portly fellow? Balding a little? Kinda smelled like swisher and the Safeway bottle return? Honestly idk, I've still not watched the show.
22
I think you got it backwards, blowjob. You should be thanking us for going out to dinner and buying fancy coffees instead of staying home and doing these mundane tasks ourselves, otherwise YOU would be the one staving from lack of employment.

"Ha.. HAA.. HAAA!!!"
23
Is the average sale of $7.90 for one cupcake?
24
Tips are expected in some industries but even then optional, with bad (or no appreciable) service going un-tipped. You gonna change that by force of IA whining, or the above threats for customers to "stay at home"? That sounds effective...
25
God, I think that guy just called me "retarted" You guys spend wayy too much time on here. LAST WORD LAST WORD!!!!
26
Which is worse, spending "wayy too much time on here" or taking the time to create an account for the sole purpose of defending the practice of arbitrary gratuities?
27
So when someone (very slowly) makes me a sandwich at the new seasons deli, they should get tipped, right? And the person who baked the loaf of bread I buy there should also get tipped, as should the person who spent 8 hours stocking shelves. Yeah, that totally makes sense.

So, at what point do I get tipped for my shitty customer service job? Just cause I don't get a chance to spit in your food, doesn't mean you work harder than me.

And yeah, I've had many a crap food service job. I left the industry not because of the lack of tips, but because people in food service are CONSTANTLY COMPLAINING ABOUT PETTY FUCKING CRAP.
28
OMG, this tipping thing is just ridiculous. It's a tip, an extra, a bonus. Maybe your co-worker sucked. Maybe the desserts sucked. Maybe this peon had a very strict budget and would have gotten into trouble if she went one dime over dessert budget. Don't expect an extra. That's shitty.
29
Aww, and I bet you have all kinds of student loans to pay off, too. From your stint at Dessert College.

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