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BGonline.org Forums
Tipping etiquette...
Posted By: Stick In Response To: Tipping etiquette... (Justin N.)
Date: Tuesday, 6 December 2011, at 11:34 a.m.
I was trying to wait for others to post before adding my two cents worth but for some reason nobody is speaking up. My 6am boredom can wait no longer.
Some facts from my pov:
- Never should anyone be expected to tip at an ABT tournament.
- Tipping is always encouraged and I'm sure greatly appreciated by TD/staff. (and others)
- Most(?) players don't even think about tipping whether they cash or not.
When I first started going to ABT events tipping never once crossed my mind. Not until I saw Ray Fogerlund tip the staff at some random tournament did I even think about it and wonder if more people did it or if I was expected to do it.
I doubt TDs make enough to compensate them for the amount of work they do. It varies from tourney to tourney of course, not only how much they make but how much effort and planning goes into each individual tournament. Nobody is making any real cash from these though. If they were there would be more people running tournaments or the people that run tournaments would run more than just the 1 or 2 that the run every year.
It's ridiculous to expect all players to tip any amount, 'even if it's only $5'. If you're going to implement something that redonkulous just make the rake higher, same difference.
Given that there's so little money in backgammon and players themselves incur a lot of expenses to get to and be involved in these tournaments I don't expect anyone to tip. Sure, the TD and staff probably aren't making much money but the people who travel to these tournaments for the most part are probably losing money overall. It seems harsh to expect a tip from someone who even won this weekend or that weekend when in reality they're still way down on overall ABT backgammon expenses.
A side note on my personal thoughts ... I hate tipping in the US. It has become so overblown I feel like everywhere I go there's some sort of tip jar or hand or someone asking me to donate to this or give to that. I remember when it all started back with pizza delivery. Growing up you ordered a pizza, it was delivered in 30 minutes, end of story. Now you get your pizza when you get it, there's a service fee (for gas) on top of your regular price, and you're expected to tip the delivery guy something.
I am a solid tipper, ask any bartender in town. I was a bartender for a couple of years right after college and appreciate good service. Even when I get poor service in a restaurant or bar I can't bring myself to tip less than 15% because I know the shit days that someone can have. I'm still unnerved by how the tip jar has appeared in one form or another all over the place.
To sum it up, I encourage everyone who wants to to tip the TD/staff at ABT events to do so, the more the better but any amount will be appreciated. Another option is to take the staff out to dinner one night and pay for their meals. To expect it out of anyone though is way over the top.
Stick
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