** What determines a job as tip-worthy? {Two sub questions implied, below)

Part 1.) What sort of employment makes it socially acceptable / expected that patrons tip?

Part 2.) What level of staff service determines a tip, i.e. is a tip ever simply an automatic – an obligation as ‘Waiter’ suggests?

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For the better part of my young ’30-something’ life I have been in the broad umbrella of the ‘service industry.’ Perhaps better stated, the ‘hospitality industry.’

Working the range from small franchise hotels to large corporate run resort properties, to my currently employed position as an independent contractor who is more IT centered than guest service oriented – I often think about tipping as a larger social practice.

Do we tip out of appreciation? Out of joy? Out of obligation? Out of guilt?

I eagerly await the day when I too can pick up my very own copy of Steve’s book (as many bloggers have,) but even then – what do ‘the rest of us’ (yes, want to know what Steve’s thoughts are as well – of course – I mean, he’s been on Oprah after all – he, he) think about tipping and why tipping a restaurant server and a coffee barista are expected and acceptable – but not the friendly front desk staff at a hotel who decided not to charge you RACK, and ‘throw you a bone.’ The front desk staff are stressed by Joe and Jane Public – they are equally poorly paid (okay, perhaps not quite ‘equally’ – not as paltry a sum as some wait staff) as some others in the service industry.

My wife has a point, why do I sometimes automatically tip? Why do I sometimes extend a tip to an obviously poor service performance? Also, she too wonders why I try and tip those atypical labor posts – such as front desk staff at hotels? I ask myself, and now ask you. Thoughts?

As for CEO compensation, I agree that it’s often excessive. The problem is that boards of directors court these guys like they’re sports stars, often with little or no consideration of their actual ability.

@Damian & Charlotte (13-15),
I’ve written about the benefits of the current system before, and regularly refer back to that when commenting here.

G@24 said “The unemploed here get a living wage. That’s the way the US should be as well: everyone should have, a s a minimum, food, shelter, clothing, health care and daycare for their kids if they work as well as merit based college for their kids.”

Sorry, no. What you’re suggesting is that I have the right to demand these things from you. Why do I have the right to demand food from the farmers, shelter from the builders, clothing from the textile workers, health care from the doctors, and daycare from the providers, even when I do not do ANYTHING in return?

What’s more, when you pay people not to work, you get a lot more people who are willing to do it.

One of the things I liked about working for tips was that I was paid exactly what my patrons thought I deserved.

Informed@52,
I also don’t like the auto bailout. I remember when Lee Iacocca first went to DC with his hand out, and thinking at the time, “giving him money he hasn’t earned is bad policy. If Chrysler can’t make it, it should fail.” But nooooo, the UAW wasn’t going to tolerate that, so neither would their Democrat friends in Congress and the White House. Lo and behold, we again have the Democrats in charge of both the legislature and the executive, so the UAW’s meal ticket(s) will have their losses covered by the taxpayer.