Ellenwheels stated: I waitressed many years and it is hard work. If your server gave you better than average service, why not throw in a few bucks if you feel it is warranted?

I think you'll find that most people who work at different occupations feel they work hard--why is your particular work so different?

I remember years ago, my mother use to say that she could not understand why the sales clerks at department store were never tipped. I'm sure this is way before your time, but way back in the first half of the last century, women used to wear girdles whale bones, laces etc and had to be fitted. I remember waiting for my mother to get out of the dressing room all tuckered out after an ordeal of finding the proper fitting girdle and bra and the sales lady that was with her all that time trying to satisfy my mothers wants and needs. Now that was hard work.

Be it manual labor or mental labor, work is work and if done properly, it's also hard work.

I don't want to discuss my personal tipping policy but I feel that it is not my responsibilty to pay the wages for someone not in my employment. I feel that the employers of service providing business should up their prices and pay there employees a sufficient wage so they don't have to prostitute themselves in order to subsidize their minimum wage. Needless to say this will never come about but I'm pretty sure that many service industry people would go along with this thought when they reach retirment age and are dependedent on Social Security as a supplementary income which is paid out in direct proportion to the amount paid in by ones employer and himself.