Using coins for tips...

[Pennybug]

I've seen a lots of comments on other threads about individuals using uncommon coins for tips or buying stuff. Morsecode had made reference to using some Ikes, Sacajaweas, and presidential dollars to buy some coffee and doughnuts. (personally... I LOVE IT... but...) Here is the question...

As far as buying stuff at a chain store... who cares what they think (IMHO). It's cash... deal with it. They only have to keep them in a cash drawer till the end of the day. However, when going to a mom and pops type place or leaving them as tips (somewhere where the person receiving them may/will keep them for a while)... do you think that others see this as insulting, classy and unique, could care less, or what?

Anyone out there used to be a waiter/waitress before your coin collecting days that may shed some light on this? I ultimately suppose it depends on the individual your leaving it for. Me... I see it as kinda classy. For example... Morsecode's use of those coins... while funny to most of us... is kinda sadly serious. MOST people have NO IDEA what PM's are or even less about other non-conventional forms of US currency (and have NO will or interest in saving ANY of their money). Not to mention their lack of knowledge in the history that is shown on some of these coins. I also see it as classy because MorseC. had to not only earn the money to get those coins, but to go out and find those coins (although I'm guessing he didn't have to look to hard... maybe for the Ike though). So to me... for him to leave those coins vs. leaving just a few simple dollars... is... well... pretty cool to me. Plus... as was pointed out... they may actually save them... so you're encouraging them to save money as well. I dunno...

I know I know... most of the rest of the world sees us already as freaks anyways. I mean... tellers still look at me like I"m trying to score cash to buy drugs or something every time a buy a box of pennies. I'm still AMAZED at how oblivious my dump bank is! There's one or two in there that are on to me... but the others seem to think I have a piggy bank at home the size of a swimming pool or something. There a GREAT bank to dump on really (FYI... it's Wachovia)! I'd make them my pickup if they sold halves here. I have one teller there who will hand me BOXES of wrappers for coins! NEVER have I seen a bank do that before. Anyhow... sorry for going on...

[shinnosuke]

Tips are never required at Jack In The Box, which is the only place I eat at away from home...

Once again I am learning from this site. It's a good idea with the right server. I guess several rolls of zincolns would not be a good idea.

I once paid a dentist who ripped me off with $325 in pennies. Had to order them special from the bank. I insisted on counting them all with his office staff, but they said it wouldn't be necessary. That was 1987. I wish I had all those pennies now.

[PennyBoy]

This all depends on how you are tipping. Say you go out to eat and you want to tip your server $5. Would you tip with $5 FV in unique coins or would you tip with a coin that has a melt value of about $5; say a 1932-1964 Washington Quarter? Your answer will decide my .02 copper cents.

[68Camaro]

I don't think you should *expect* gratitude from a server if you tip them a silver quarter, just because it has a melt of $5. That value, which is real, isn't legal tender. It's like tipping someone a live chicken. Sure, it has value, but it's a bit difficult for most people to deal with.

However, using presidental coins, which I started doing again in early Jan, is fine, to me, at least at lower end restuarants.

However, be aware that there are some weird rules in place by some restaurants that I wasn't aware of until my daughter worked as a server. My younger daughter was working as a server at Ruby Tuesday a couple of years ago, before she graduated, and they reward the better servers with better hours and better tables based in part on tip percentage. I see the point in that. However - get this - the tip percentage they use is only based on electronic tips! Any cash tips don't count (at least there). She was frequently getting cash tips, some of them large, which were good in the short term, but they didn't count them toward her score, and so the managers gave her hours and tables that got worse and worse over time until she finally got tired of it and found a better job elsewhere. So I now at least have an appreciation for why servers may give me strange looks when I give a cash tip.

[Pennybug]

I don't think you should *expect* gratitude from a server if you tip them a silver quarter, just because it has a melt of $5. That value, which is real, isn't legal tender. It's like tipping someone a live chicken. Sure, it has value, but it's a bit difficult for most people to deal with.

However, using presidental coins, which I started doing again in early Jan, is fine, to me, at least at lower end restuarants.

However, be aware that there are some weird rules in place by some restaurants that I wasn't aware of until my daughter worked as a server. My younger daughter was working as a server at Ruby Tuesday a couple of years ago, before she graduated, and they reward the better servers with better hours and better tables based in part on tip percentage. I see the point in that. However - get this - the tip percentage they use is only based on electronic tips! Any cash tips don't count (at least there). She was frequently getting cash tips, some of them large, which were good in the short term, but they didn't count them toward her score, and so the managers gave her hours and tables that got worse and worse over time until she finally got tired of it and found a better job elsewhere. So I now at least have an appreciation for why servers may give me strange looks when I give a cash tip.

WOW! Never heard that before! What is this world coming to? Oh wait... I already know the answer!...

I've always made it a point to leave a cash tip. I was never a waiter or anything... but I always figured that they would appreciate cold hard cash better than electronic funds. Now I see where they may be against that. I'm still going the cash route though when possible. If for nothing more than to give the employees some fodder to "train" their management staff with after learning this. I cant'... actually I can... believe that a restaurant would do that to people! That seems so... discriminatory. "Promoting" people based on HOW they receive a tip? I can see using percentages of tip vs. the total bill maybe...

Pennyboy... good point... but there's NO WAY I'd consider leaving them any silver! Probably 90% of people would get mad because you only left a quarter (due to their ignorance or oversight) and it would end up in a parking meter somewhere. Besides this... I also agree with 68Camaro too on why not to leave silver. I would only leave medium rare coins (as I call them) that I had obtained at face value and that "should" be accepted anywhere as US currency. Another example on top of coins would be two dollar bills.... although you don't see those enough anymore to really use.

[68Camaro]

Yeah - don't get me started on this. It really ticked me off for her. She was good, and people liked her. I think a lot of people (like you, and me, previously) actually gave her cash tips on purpose because they thought they were doing her a favor. Little did they know they were actually doing her in...

[AdamsSamoa]

I love to tip with halfs and dollar coins

[Know Common Cents]

I live close to a couple of larger retirement communities. Seems that many residents had been saving Ike dollars and now realize there's little or no demand for them in circulated condition. My friendly banker alerts me when there's an ample supply available. (I can get them at face value.) The other day I bought 106. Many looked like they once resided in a slot machine and were heavily marked. There were a few that would make the MS60+ grade with minimal marks that I saved just cuz............

The battered ones become tip money. They do attract attention whether at a restaurant or casino. Interesting that after awhile, people almost expect me to leave them some Ikes. Best to keep them guessing, but I do believe they're more attentive with the thought of getting something unusual.

[PennyBoy]

I was either misunderstood or I misspoke. My last post wasn't a statement, but rather a question because I didn't fully understand the OP's question. Now that I do, I will give my opinion. I've worked in restaurants and bars for over 10 years. In those 10+ years I can count on one hand how many people I've worked with that care about unique coins. At the end of the day they just use them or cash them in, from what I have encountered. If anything I would use the coins just as a means to get rid of them, not because I would feel that I'm doing anyone a favor.

In regard to the problem with Camaro's daughter, I have never heard of that scenario. Nor have I ever met a person in the hospitality industry that prefers electronic tips over cash. The reason being is that electronic tips leave a paper trail and therefore are then required of the employee to be claimed at the end of the year. IMHO, I feel Ruby Tuesday didn't implement that rule to "reward" their employees but rather so that they don't have to allocate tips at the end of the year. Here in California there is an 8% allocation rule that is placed on the employer. If all the employee's claimed tips do not equal 8% of the establishments gross sales subject to tipping, they are responsible for allocating the difference. So really, Ruby Tuesday was doing that for their own good, not the employees. I would have reported them to the EDD, here in California. Not sure what you guys have there. Even if your daughter no longer works there, it may not be too late.

[68Camaro]

In regard to the problem with Camaro's daughter, I have never heard of that scenario. Nor have I ever met a person in the hospitality industry that prefers electronic tips over cash. The reason being is that electronic tips leave a paper trail and therefore are then required of the employee to be claimed at the end of the year. IMHO, I feel Ruby Tuesday didn't implement that rule to "reward" their employees but rather so that they don't have to allocate tips at the end of the year. Here in California there is an 8% allocation rule that is placed on the employer. If all the employee's claimed tips do not equal 8% of the establishments gross sales subject to tipping, they are responsible for allocating the difference. So really, Ruby Tuesday was doing that for their own good, not the employees. I would have reported them to the EDD, here in California. Not sure what you guys have there. Even if your daughter no longer works there, it may not be too late.

No question that, other things being equal, servers would prefer cash. But the newer trends in the hospitality industry are very tightly controlling, more so than you may appreciate. The Orlando area may be leading this, because of the high concentration of industry leaders in the area, but don't be surprised if this comes to you in time. The 8% rule is no longer of any importance around here for these types of places. At RT, she was expected to generate 20% in traceable tips. (And you all thought 15% was still the tip rule? Nope.) If she dropped into the teens, she would be put on watch, and counseled... This happened once when she dropped to 19.7 because of a higher percent of cash tips one day. (The other factor was server percentage sales for high-return items like alcohol and specials.)

This was all about push-push-push for sales and server performance, nothing to do with taxes.

[PennyBoy]

In regard to the problem with Camaro's daughter, I have never heard of that scenario. Nor have I ever met a person in the hospitality industry that prefers electronic tips over cash. The reason being is that electronic tips leave a paper trail and therefore are then required of the employee to be claimed at the end of the year. IMHO, I feel Ruby Tuesday didn't implement that rule to "reward" their employees but rather so that they don't have to allocate tips at the end of the year. Here in California there is an 8% allocation rule that is placed on the employer. If all the employee's claimed tips do not equal 8% of the establishments gross sales subject to tipping, they are responsible for allocating the difference. So really, Ruby Tuesday was doing that for their own good, not the employees. I would have reported them to the EDD, here in California. Not sure what you guys have there. Even if your daughter no longer works there, it may not be too late.

No question that, other things being equal, servers would prefer cash. But the newer trends in the hospitality industry are very tightly controlling, more so than you may appreciate. The Orlando area may be leading this, because of the high concentration of industry leaders in the area, but don't be surprised if this comes to you in time. The 8% rule is no longer of any importance around here for these types of places. At RT, she was expected to generate 20% in traceable tips. (And you all thought 15% was still the tip rule? Nope.) If she dropped into the teens, she would be put on watch, and counseled... This happened once when she dropped to 19.7 because of a higher percent of cash tips one day. (The other factor was server percentage sales for high-return items like alcohol and specials.)

This was all about push-push-push for sales and server performance, nothing to do with taxes.

Well if that's the case, they're only getting away with illegal conduct because the employees are allowing it.

[Verbane]

This all depends on how you are tipping. Say you go out to eat and you want to tip your server $5. Would you tip with $5 FV in unique coins or would you tip with a coin that has a melt value of about $5; say a 1932-1964 Washington Quarter? Your answer will decide my .02 copper cents.

The "general public" won't understand a silver tip, unless you stick around to explain it to them, then they have to unload it to pay the rent. On the other hand, pay the tip with a couple $2 bills and 2 halves, the "tippee" may be more likely to do some research, my thoughts...

Concerning electronic tipping, if we're out as a family, in town or traveling, we only do Family Diner/Mom&Pop restaurants. No as much of a concern with electronic tips there.

[AdamsSamoa]

Just last night I was at a bar I hang out at..... the bartender told me that she was sorting. The change she had stored from tips to turn in... she said she was thinking of me when she came across a half.... she was like that's from john. I asked her if she cashed them in.... she said no..... I keep them. I told her they were only woth .50 cents.....she said she didn't care..... she likes em. Or she likes me????

[Pennybug]

Just last night I was at a bar I hang out at..... the bartender told me that she was sorting. The change she had stored from tips to turn in... she said she was thinking of me when she came across a half.... she was like that's from john. I asked her if she cashed them in.... she said no..... I keep them. I told her they were only woth .50 cents.....she said she didn't care..... she likes em. Or she likes me????

I'd suggest of you want to really impress her (just for fun... or to see if it goes anywhere ) I'd start tipping her with some other stuff... like Ikes or Susan B's or something. If you're really interested... I'd even go so far as to buy some bi centennial Ikes on e-bay or something. Just a thought... If your going to leave her haves... leave her bicentennials and then explain to her the difference between those and all the rest of them. I'd also explain to her the diff between 1960's halves and their silver content as well.

[jasmatk]

When i was 18 I delivered pizza and some one paid a $20 order with 26 worth of susan Bs so 6 in sb for me but when you cash out at the end of the night they count down you keep the balance so 26 SBs for me I thought it was a cool tip but I also like coins

[blackrabbit]

I have been counter stamping coins and using them as tips. Usually searched half dollars. I put little messages like "no war" and have stamps with a bunch of different symbols on them so I decorate them when bored. People seem to really like them and I have got really good feedback from cashiers. I got caught in the act at a pizza joint and the cashier said that all the workers were wondering who was leaving them and thought they were really cool. I have also used 50 trillion Dollar Zimbabwe notes or an occasional Lakota Copper. I figure I am teaching about inflation with the Zimbabwe notes and giving them a little thrill when they try to figure out what it is worth. (but I only paid 30 cents for em when I bought a stack a while ago).

[kagarise]

well my gf works as a waitress at a pizza place and theres this little old man that comes in once a week gets a few slices and chats with the waitresses.

well around christmas time he overheard her calling the coin shop down the street looking for a morgan to get me for christmas well when he went to leave he left her a morgan as a tip.

since then every time he comes in he leaves her $1-2 face in 90% as her tip

[fb101]

Another cash only tipper bites the dust.............. (me)
Also thought it was a favor.............

[68Camaro]

That's very cool. Good for him; someone that listens and is thoughtful.

(For fb101- I think cash tipping is best for most places, but maybe not the semi-industrial mid-scale chains. The truly elegant places shouldn't care, and the lower end places shouldn't care, and the mom/pop places shouldn't care.)

[OtusLotus]

I used to work in restaurants for over 4 yrs... and I hated the day when i got all my tips in change, and would just turn them in to my manager when I had to pay them for by food bill for the night..

It never made any sense to me to have any coins at the beginning of my shift, and I usually rounded out the customers bill to the closest round number I could..

As for claiming tips on the time card, I always claimed just enough so that my server pay (still $2.13 per hour) + my tips = minimum wage.

[Sheikh_yer_Bu'Tay]

The restaurant that gave preferential treatment for electronic purchases and electronic tips was just plain stupid! On cash purchases there is no card fee, so the restaurant makes more money! Doh! Same thing with the wait staff. You have to report e-tips. Cash tips go into you pocket. In fact, I know of several waitresses who work at certain places just to avoid e-tips. They want cash.

I often pay with half dollars. I have never had a waiter/waitress complain. Most are avid coin collectors/ sorters.

After reading the Secret Service considers restaurants are the #1 place for identity theft... I will never pay for a meal on a card again.