Tipping is a social practice that critics say is outdated and should be banned.
There is even an online campaign website (bantipping.com) where all those who oppose the practice can log on and have a moan.
“Tired of dealing with snooty waiters, crappy service, antiquated social customs and peer pressure to perform one of the most nonsensical social graces our society has?” the site says.
Then this is the place for you.
Tipping has become a hot debate in America where the practice is worth $40 billion a year. This is the land of the free and the brave, except when it comes to skimping on the gratuity because this is also the land where employers are only obliged to pay waiters $2.13 (£1.37) an hour.
They need the tips. And they may chase after you if you don’t oblige.
I learned the hard lesson of tipping correctly in Paris in the Swinging 1960s when my girlfriend and I had lunch and ended up having a stand up row with the waiter.
I had left 10% but he insisted 15% was the norm. I discovered it is never a good idea to argue with a French waiter. Mind you, the other diners enjoyed it. I paid.
America is the place to learn about tipping because it really is a way of life. A recent survey there showed that blondes get more tips, which I suppose should come as no surprise. Other subtle practices that increase the tip for a server include touching the customer on the shoulder when presenting the bill, crouching near the table to chat (especially if it’s a blonde) and drawing a smiley face on the bill (but only for waitresses, not waiters).
I can vouch for the accuracy of the above. The last time we were on the West Coast visiting relatives our table of six was served by a very attractive blonde with low décolletage. She laughed and joked, she touched shoulders, she crouched. She got a good tip.
How much to tip? Between 10% and 15% and it should be remembered you are tipping for the service, not the quality of the food. The practice is not confined to restaurants. Tips may be expected by hotel staff, taxi drivers and hairdressers.
Unfortunately, when it comes to tipping, Brits do not have a great reputation. A recent survey asked 10 different nationalities if they tipped on holiday. Germans came top (69%) with Americans second (57%). Then came Russians, Brazilians, French and the Brits with 39%.
For those who don’t like tipping, either at home or on holiday, there is a solution. They can always go to a country that either doesn’t allow it, where it isn’t normal practice or where it is considered an insult.
Take your pick from India, China, Korea, Taiwan and Japan.
Historian George Redmonds was interested in the recent column about the Temperance Society and the Band of Hope.
The Society was started in 1832 by working men in Preston. They signed the pledge never again to drink alcohol. This was at a time when drink really was the curse of the working classes. Life and survival was so hard that men, women – and children – would resort to alcohol in search of a brief period of oblivion.
Which is why in 1847 a Leeds cleric formed a junior section called the Band of Hope with the aim of educating children on the evils of drink. Youngsters were recruited from the age of six. They had weekly meetings, formed choirs and were taken on trips to the seaside.
Temperance rallies were massive. Nine thousand marched in a Huddersfield Whit procession in 1907, including many Band of Hope choirs.
By 1935 the Temperance movement reached its height with three million members. But the war and changing social habits caused it to almost collapse.
The Band of Hope still survives as Hope UK and remains concerned with children’s welfare in regard to alcohol, tobacco and illegal drug use. It’s good to know an organisation with such a history is still around. But it’s a sad reflection on society that we need it.
George says: “I collect any item with a local history link and recently acquired a small metal shield – nicely done – which had probably been worn as a watch-chain fob.”
On the front are the words “Band of Hope” and “Winners of Challenge Shield.”
“On the reverse is the name G W Dyson and the date 1893. I know nothing about the circumstances but wonder if some of your other readers may?”
Is this somebody’s grandad or great-grandad? Can anyone help?
The south coast has lots of them but Blackpool is barren.
Deckchairs seem to have gone into permanent hibernation at the Lancashire resort, according to readers.
Mike Shaw, of Linthwaite, said there were lots available when he and his wife Shirley visited Eastbourne and Brighton. You paid a fee of £3 whether you sat in one for an hour or all day.
“Perhaps it’s a north-south divide,” he said. “I wonder if they are still popular in the south because the weather is usually warmer down there?”
Now Mrs K Birt, of Berry Brow, confirms that the weather is probably a deciding factor.
“On a recent visit I asked a taxi driver why there weren’t any deckchairs. He said no-one could afford the price Blackpool Council was asking. As Blackpool was known for bad weather he said people would be out of pocket.”
No-one wants to sit in a deckchair in the rain or when a Force 10 is blowing in off the Irish Sea.
Hence, no more deckchairs.
