Quote Originally Posted by GoldfishMan View Post
The way I see it, we use the term "tip" in punting very loosely and not in the general sense of the word.

I don't even consider the money that I give to MLs as a real "tip". It's just payment for her services, that's it. If I don't pay that money, I don't get the service at all. That's not the definition of a "tip", is it?

On the other hand, when you tip a waiter, that's a real tip because it's just money you pay "for nothing more". Whether or not you paid the tip, that waiter would've served you regardless.

So there's really no point in comparing the tip that we give to MLs, to any other instances of tipping. It's just not the same thing.
Definitions:
1. Service Charge: a fee paid for the labor involved in delivering a service. Mandatory.
Examples: the money you pay your barber for a haircut; the money you pay your mechanic for changing your oil (not the oil itself, but the labor involved in changing it); the money you pay the repairman to fix your a/c (not the parts, but his labor)

2. Tip: a gratuity, given as a gift. Optional.
Examples: In the food industry, derived from To Insure Promptness, given to a waitress. The extra money given to your barber, perhaps acknowledging the hot towel he put on your face before shaving (or to just shut you up). But it's optional, NOT mandatory.

So, the money I pay the ML for the NHJ, BJ, FS, is a service charge for services rendered. And even if she's said, "up to you", what I pay is a service charge for a given service. What ever it is, it's a mandatory payment, a fee OWED.

If a restaurant automatically applies a tip, say a certain percentage of the bill, then it's NOT a tip and IS listed on the receipt as a Service Charge.

I never tip. My tip is return BUSINESS. It's a TRANSACTIONAL BUSINESS, services provided for agreed upon fees. I don't tip my mechanic. I do tip my barber if for no other reason that he always strops the straight razor before my shave (and that I see him quarterly, not monthly, but still have no trouble booking an appointment).

There are exceptions. Just today, I gave a tip to a long time regular. In ADDITION to the agreed upon SERVICE CHARGE for certain supplied services, I also added a tip, a GIFT, of an optional amount, apologizing I didn't have a red envelope to put it in (and also because it would be the last time I saw her for some time. DEROStion is approaching).

Summary:
The fee that you pay the ML for the extras is NOT a tip but a service charge. If you add anything as a gift over and above the service charges, that's a tip. Walk out of a shop without providing a tip, no problem. Walk out without paying the service charge... see how far you get.

Quote Originally Posted by PELTERS View Post
If 5 were true, Mrs Palmer would be all the companionship necessary. The reason for this conversation is because of the priceless quality involved in the encounter.
If it were priceless, then who could afford? As proven above, what you pay is a service charge for a physical transaction, agreed upon by both parties.

Priceless: Having incalculable monetary, intellectual, or spiritual worth
Not for me. I can ALWAYS calculate what HER experience that day is worth to me. It's the basic Go/No-Go decision.