In the irreverent spirit of A.J. Jacobs and Michael Moore, Keep the Change by Steve Dublanica is a pavement-pounding exploration of tipping, a huge but neglected part of the American economy—the hilarious and eye-opening follow-up to his smash-hit New York Times bestseller Waiter Rant. Subtitled “A Clueless Tipper’s Quest to Become the Guru of the Gratuity,” Keep the Change follows the popular blogger known as “the Waiter” from restaurant to casino to strip club and beyond as he explores what to tip and how tipping truly plays out in practice in a series of candid, funny, and sometimes uproariously cringe-inducing adventures.
Keep the Change
and over one million other books are available for Amazon Kindle. Learn more
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Browse the best books of summer including blockbusters, beach reads, and editors' picks in our Summer Reading Store. |
Book Description
--This text refers to the
Paperback
edition.
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
The concept of gratuity is the subject of this second book from the unmasked author of Waiter Rant and, like his first, has its own lad-lit charms and contrivances. Opening with a broad and light cultural history of tipping, the book then delves briefly into the tip's primary restaurant industry role before moving on to its impact in lesser known and often neglected businesses by examining their gratuity-related transactions. There's enough raw, self-deprecating autobiography to keep the anthropological enterprise comic; in addition, the author steps in the shoes of those in various industries and discloses the hidden codes of parking valets, Starbucks "tip jars," and the beauty industry. Dublanica breaks down a dizzying variety of service-related exchanges along with the inner worlds of casino dealers and sex-trade workers (in fact, there's an awful lot about Vegas) and even provides a couple of tip-helpful appendixes. (Nov.) (c)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
From Booklist
For four years Dublanica authored the blog Waiter Rant, chronicling the frustrations of an anonymous waiter working in an upscale New York restaurant. In 2008 he went public with his best-selling book, Waiter Rant, unmasking annoying foodies, bad tippers, and the bad behavior of restaurant staff. Gratuities were one of the hottest, most-talked-about subjects of that book, so Dublanica ran with it. A short history of the custom reveals that tipping was a particularly European practice that we took to new heights in the U.S. Dublanica shines light on those awkward tipping situations that we all face at one time or another: tip the parking valet when he takes your car, delivers it, or both? How much and in what fashion do you tip your hotel maid? And what about “tip creep,” those ubiquitous tip jars that are springing up in every coffee shop and fast-food restaurant these days? Dublanica offers tips on how to tip hairstylists, car-wash attendants, auto mechanics, deliverymen, and more, including the joint where tipping rules: the strip club. Valuable information is interspersed with amusing anecdotes and interviews. --David Siegfried
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images? |
More About the Author
A seminary dropout-cum-mental-health-care worker, The Waiter, Steve Dublanica, waited his first table at age thirty-one. In 2004, he started his wildly popular blog, WaiterRant.net, eventually winning the 2006 Bloggie Award for Best Writing of a Weblog. He has been interviewed by media outlets nationwide, including The Oprah Winfrey Show and Today, as a voice for many of the two million waiters in the United States. The Waiter lives in the New York metropolitan area with his joint-custody dog, Buster, and is at work on his second book.
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
18 of 20 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
"Keep the Change" offers many interesting, perhaps unique looks behind the scenes in various service industries, especially as they relate to tipping, and for this, it's a good read. However, what's lacking is a critical examination of the subject and the tenets of Dublanica's thesis that, well, you should tip all these various people exactly what they want, which you should know even if they don't tell you, and, if you don't, well, it's likely you have poor relationships in general and certainly don't understand how they work. It's quite a proposition.
Dublanica covers several, though certainly not all, service industries, including valets, bartenders, strippers, masseurs, cabbies, hotel workers, and, of course, waiters. In addition to interviews, he occasionally moonlights at these jobs, or at least observes them in their environment. Not only does this allow him to write off lap dances as research, it gives the book its meat, the many human interest stories. You'll learn about girls who serve fetishists in a sex dungeon in LA, and all the truly strange stuff in that world. You'll hear about the cab driver in Vegas and the two, totally broke kids who force him to let them off a few blocks from their destination, because otherwise their $10 won't cover both the fare and the tip. (He offers to take them anyway, but they insist). You'll learn about bathroom attendants, and why at least one of them does what she does. And, of course, you hear the Vegas stripper tales. These are what's best about the book: they let you see employees as people and understand their economic situation. Not only do you learn what role tips play in that (as well as how much they think they should get), but you're keyed in to a lot of the scams these guys run (like kickbacks from cabbies to doormen for juicy fares), as well as the myriad ways employers take a cut of the tips. It's a good education and ready entertainment.
The book runs into trouble when Dublanica generalizes to make larger points. It's not that they're all invalid (though some certainly have their problems), it's that he never makes much critical evaluation of them, by which I mean weighing arguments for and against. For example, what's the justification for these tip amounts? Why should we just give workers whatever they say? Furthermore, how on earth can a service worker be justifiably annoyed at people who tip poorly, or not at all, when the expectations are rarely advertised, even though that's how everything else in our economy works? A good or service is usually offered at a set price, and people make up their minds whether or not to engage in the deal based what's right there in black and white--except tipping. Who wouldn't expect patrons to sometimes be annoyed or cheap when somebody wants to add something extra on at the end of a transaction, sometimes unexpectedly, and when they might not even know how much? Or when they receive the consequences of their ignorance in the form of suddenly bad service (or sometimes much worse)?
A couple of specific examples come to mind. When a porter relates how a lady insisted he not touch her bags, ostensibly to avoid having to tip, she's called cheap, but two breaths later, we learn how this guy has put bags in the wrong cabs out of revenge. Still, Dublanica doesn't question whether the lady may have had a similar experience before, or whether, frankly, she might be able bodied enough to do it herself and save some of her own green, which she may even have made as tips. Don't people have the right to choose how they spend? Then we get the $13 miracle example, where a lady is berating the car wash guys for missing a few spots. OK, it sounds like she was unduly agitated, but shouldn't she expect a good job be done for the stated price? That's different from whether she tips or treats these guys well. Maybe $13 is a lot to her, or maybe she's just mean. Either way, Dublanica should poke at that more than he does. There is the card dealer who calls his job a profession and the tip a recognition thereof. He clearly implies he deserves it whether he's done well or not. Uh, no. Doctors, lawyers, and engineers are professionals. This guy doesn't even have to shuffle. It's not to say his humanity or his job are unworthy, but there's little examination here of what he does that specifically deserves a tip, or how a patron would tell if he's done it well or poorly. In this or any case, simply being paid poorly by your boss isn't necessarily a reason. There's also the example of hotel housekeepers. If hotel rooms cost more than $100 a night, shouldn't a well kept room be part of the deal? Many people expect that it is. If many housekeepers make precious little and sometimes get their tips stolen by management (again, why should people tip if that might happen?), is the answer just that all patrons tip, or is it maybe that, say, the workers unionize to get a slice of that $100+ that should easily cover a decent wage for them? Obviously, there will be no agreement any time soon on when, where, how, why, and whom we should tip, but explorations of these topics would have made this work more enlightening and useful. As it is, the book is very one-sided.
Lastly, Dublanica concludes by telling us that tipping is all about relationships. If you tip well, you can empathize with people and, probably, you have much deeper, more meaningful relationships too. He cites his cigar shop buddies, who are all egalitarian, tip well, and purportedly have many friends and play well with others. He also gives the major example of his mechanic, whom he tipped regularly, who rewarded him by fixing his car immediately when he needed it. (There are plenty of other examples throughout the book of such rewards). Supposedly, he had built this relationship that really paid off at a crucial time. This thesis is pretty striking, though. Another way of looking at this is that you're buying your relationship--which, as a purely economic relationship, may be a worthwhile transaction, but Dublanica wants to say more, that tipping is a sign of interpersonal empathy, a necessity for any relationship. Not necessarily. Tipping a lot may be from empathy sometimes (even the general empathy that people work for money), but not always. And, does tipping less show the opposite? There can be empathy without agreement. Tipping Dublanica's way more likely is just an indication of knowing how to get things from people, of economic street savvy. More importantly, the values behind the quid-pro-quo at the heart of tipping transfer poorly to non-economic relationships. Some would argue that the best, most meaningful relationships involve no money at their core; that the best people will help you without any consideration of reward, monetary or otherwise. Many will say the paragons of virtue are those who help complete strangers for free, maybe without being asked. As it is, his thesis sounds shallow and, unfortunately, colors the book as another advertisement of that stereotypical American attitude: that the value of people is simply their utility. The foreigners (like those cheap Canadians and Europeans, maybe) who might nod at this would miss out on the large swaths of our population who strive to value people intrinsically, regardless of what they could give in return. Ignored would be those who believe that you should do your job well, do things right the first time, and state the price for a service upfront, all simply because that's the right thing to do, instead of relying on implied expectations and capricious rewards and punishments for those who do and don't comply. Likewise, many Americans think the solution to inadequate earnings is self-betterment, or efforts to change the corrupt practices of employers. Of course, life isn't so simple; working people often have few options, but "Keep the Change" doesn't explore these issues at all. While Dublanica frequently shows how employers stiff their workers and expect them to rely on tips (which they often pilfer), he implies that the solution is for people to get with the program and tip right (i.e., how he says) anyway, not that anyone should work to change things. This implication enables the corrupt employers. What does it say about our relationships that we avoid the more fundamental problems of corruption and lack of transparency and instead insist that everyone get with the (screwed up) program?
So, in conclusion, do read this book if you want some good human interest stories and a look inside many service jobs, especially for how workers want to be (and actually are) tipped. Look elsewhere for a balanced discussion of the practice.
P.S. For full disclosure, I've worked in front-line service jobs, for very low pay, though not for tips. Many people close to me have worked such jobs, too, often for tips. I've seen more than one side of tipping.
Dublanica covers several, though certainly not all, service industries, including valets, bartenders, strippers, masseurs, cabbies, hotel workers, and, of course, waiters. In addition to interviews, he occasionally moonlights at these jobs, or at least observes them in their environment. Not only does this allow him to write off lap dances as research, it gives the book its meat, the many human interest stories. You'll learn about girls who serve fetishists in a sex dungeon in LA, and all the truly strange stuff in that world. You'll hear about the cab driver in Vegas and the two, totally broke kids who force him to let them off a few blocks from their destination, because otherwise their $10 won't cover both the fare and the tip. (He offers to take them anyway, but they insist). You'll learn about bathroom attendants, and why at least one of them does what she does. And, of course, you hear the Vegas stripper tales. These are what's best about the book: they let you see employees as people and understand their economic situation. Not only do you learn what role tips play in that (as well as how much they think they should get), but you're keyed in to a lot of the scams these guys run (like kickbacks from cabbies to doormen for juicy fares), as well as the myriad ways employers take a cut of the tips. It's a good education and ready entertainment.
The book runs into trouble when Dublanica generalizes to make larger points. It's not that they're all invalid (though some certainly have their problems), it's that he never makes much critical evaluation of them, by which I mean weighing arguments for and against. For example, what's the justification for these tip amounts? Why should we just give workers whatever they say? Furthermore, how on earth can a service worker be justifiably annoyed at people who tip poorly, or not at all, when the expectations are rarely advertised, even though that's how everything else in our economy works? A good or service is usually offered at a set price, and people make up their minds whether or not to engage in the deal based what's right there in black and white--except tipping. Who wouldn't expect patrons to sometimes be annoyed or cheap when somebody wants to add something extra on at the end of a transaction, sometimes unexpectedly, and when they might not even know how much? Or when they receive the consequences of their ignorance in the form of suddenly bad service (or sometimes much worse)?
A couple of specific examples come to mind. When a porter relates how a lady insisted he not touch her bags, ostensibly to avoid having to tip, she's called cheap, but two breaths later, we learn how this guy has put bags in the wrong cabs out of revenge. Still, Dublanica doesn't question whether the lady may have had a similar experience before, or whether, frankly, she might be able bodied enough to do it herself and save some of her own green, which she may even have made as tips. Don't people have the right to choose how they spend? Then we get the $13 miracle example, where a lady is berating the car wash guys for missing a few spots. OK, it sounds like she was unduly agitated, but shouldn't she expect a good job be done for the stated price? That's different from whether she tips or treats these guys well. Maybe $13 is a lot to her, or maybe she's just mean. Either way, Dublanica should poke at that more than he does. There is the card dealer who calls his job a profession and the tip a recognition thereof. He clearly implies he deserves it whether he's done well or not. Uh, no. Doctors, lawyers, and engineers are professionals. This guy doesn't even have to shuffle. It's not to say his humanity or his job are unworthy, but there's little examination here of what he does that specifically deserves a tip, or how a patron would tell if he's done it well or poorly. In this or any case, simply being paid poorly by your boss isn't necessarily a reason. There's also the example of hotel housekeepers. If hotel rooms cost more than $100 a night, shouldn't a well kept room be part of the deal? Many people expect that it is. If many housekeepers make precious little and sometimes get their tips stolen by management (again, why should people tip if that might happen?), is the answer just that all patrons tip, or is it maybe that, say, the workers unionize to get a slice of that $100+ that should easily cover a decent wage for them? Obviously, there will be no agreement any time soon on when, where, how, why, and whom we should tip, but explorations of these topics would have made this work more enlightening and useful. As it is, the book is very one-sided.
Lastly, Dublanica concludes by telling us that tipping is all about relationships. If you tip well, you can empathize with people and, probably, you have much deeper, more meaningful relationships too. He cites his cigar shop buddies, who are all egalitarian, tip well, and purportedly have many friends and play well with others. He also gives the major example of his mechanic, whom he tipped regularly, who rewarded him by fixing his car immediately when he needed it. (There are plenty of other examples throughout the book of such rewards). Supposedly, he had built this relationship that really paid off at a crucial time. This thesis is pretty striking, though. Another way of looking at this is that you're buying your relationship--which, as a purely economic relationship, may be a worthwhile transaction, but Dublanica wants to say more, that tipping is a sign of interpersonal empathy, a necessity for any relationship. Not necessarily. Tipping a lot may be from empathy sometimes (even the general empathy that people work for money), but not always. And, does tipping less show the opposite? There can be empathy without agreement. Tipping Dublanica's way more likely is just an indication of knowing how to get things from people, of economic street savvy. More importantly, the values behind the quid-pro-quo at the heart of tipping transfer poorly to non-economic relationships. Some would argue that the best, most meaningful relationships involve no money at their core; that the best people will help you without any consideration of reward, monetary or otherwise. Many will say the paragons of virtue are those who help complete strangers for free, maybe without being asked. As it is, his thesis sounds shallow and, unfortunately, colors the book as another advertisement of that stereotypical American attitude: that the value of people is simply their utility. The foreigners (like those cheap Canadians and Europeans, maybe) who might nod at this would miss out on the large swaths of our population who strive to value people intrinsically, regardless of what they could give in return. Ignored would be those who believe that you should do your job well, do things right the first time, and state the price for a service upfront, all simply because that's the right thing to do, instead of relying on implied expectations and capricious rewards and punishments for those who do and don't comply. Likewise, many Americans think the solution to inadequate earnings is self-betterment, or efforts to change the corrupt practices of employers. Of course, life isn't so simple; working people often have few options, but "Keep the Change" doesn't explore these issues at all. While Dublanica frequently shows how employers stiff their workers and expect them to rely on tips (which they often pilfer), he implies that the solution is for people to get with the program and tip right (i.e., how he says) anyway, not that anyone should work to change things. This implication enables the corrupt employers. What does it say about our relationships that we avoid the more fundamental problems of corruption and lack of transparency and instead insist that everyone get with the (screwed up) program?
So, in conclusion, do read this book if you want some good human interest stories and a look inside many service jobs, especially for how workers want to be (and actually are) tipped. Look elsewhere for a balanced discussion of the practice.
P.S. For full disclosure, I've worked in front-line service jobs, for very low pay, though not for tips. Many people close to me have worked such jobs, too, often for tips. I've seen more than one side of tipping.
20 of 23 people found the following review helpful
By Tina
Format:Hardcover
I fell in love with this author's first book and thought it was hilarious. It is always truly amazing to me to see just how "the real" work actually operates and I love getting all these "hush" "hush" inside secrets about trades that I know nothing about - such as the waitress/waiter profession.
In Keep the Change, the author tackles a similar subject, but with a wider view - instead of it being about (mostly) his own experiences, he broadens his horizons to include the world of tipping in general with some interesting anecdotes that are quite engrossing.
In fact, that is what I truly enjoy reading when I find myself with this type of book and, unfortunately, at times, the author manages to make his book sound more like some kind of dissertation paper on the subject matter - instead of relying on a good old formula that worked so well in the first book.
Where the first book made me feel like a voyeur, privy to some great stories, this second one makes me feel as though I am reading a research paper. This is not to say that there aren't some great tidbits, but overall, I have to admit to being a bit disappointed with this one.
In Keep the Change, the author tackles a similar subject, but with a wider view - instead of it being about (mostly) his own experiences, he broadens his horizons to include the world of tipping in general with some interesting anecdotes that are quite engrossing.
In fact, that is what I truly enjoy reading when I find myself with this type of book and, unfortunately, at times, the author manages to make his book sound more like some kind of dissertation paper on the subject matter - instead of relying on a good old formula that worked so well in the first book.
Where the first book made me feel like a voyeur, privy to some great stories, this second one makes me feel as though I am reading a research paper. This is not to say that there aren't some great tidbits, but overall, I have to admit to being a bit disappointed with this one.
8 of 9 people found the following review helpful
By C. VanDoren
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
His first book was really enjoyable, an inside look at a professional waiter.
This book is an entertaining look at the tipping across many professions. Some of the information was useful on people that I didn't think much about tipping, and some background on how some professions get paid coming and going. The author still has an entertaining writing style, and some humorous stories. The HUGE difference it is isn't his knowledge, it is asking others what they should be tipped. What do you think a bartender / masseuse / doorman is going to say when asked about tipping??? "Yes, I think you should tip people in my profession every time and you should tip them a LOT."
This is not rocket science. There is very little challenging the opinion that you should tip your Blackjack dealer, housekeeper, doorman x amount. I think some of the guidelines are crap. I don't need to tip 5 times as much on a $100 bottle of wine as a $20 bottle. I don't tip my masseuse except at Christmas (a double payment then). She is the owner and my "tip" is being a regular customer. I don't feel the need to tip my housekeeper in my hotel unless I am staying with the family for a few days. If I followed all the advice on everyone I should tip, I would have empty pockets at every turn when I am on vacation. I would prefer a more critical "pro and con" look at each category of tipping.
This book is an entertaining look at the tipping across many professions. Some of the information was useful on people that I didn't think much about tipping, and some background on how some professions get paid coming and going. The author still has an entertaining writing style, and some humorous stories. The HUGE difference it is isn't his knowledge, it is asking others what they should be tipped. What do you think a bartender / masseuse / doorman is going to say when asked about tipping??? "Yes, I think you should tip people in my profession every time and you should tip them a LOT."
This is not rocket science. There is very little challenging the opinion that you should tip your Blackjack dealer, housekeeper, doorman x amount. I think some of the guidelines are crap. I don't need to tip 5 times as much on a $100 bottle of wine as a $20 bottle. I don't tip my masseuse except at Christmas (a double payment then). She is the owner and my "tip" is being a regular customer. I don't feel the need to tip my housekeeper in my hotel unless I am staying with the family for a few days. If I followed all the advice on everyone I should tip, I would have empty pockets at every turn when I am on vacation. I would prefer a more critical "pro and con" look at each category of tipping.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
Honest, Helpful Read
Great book, I enjoyed the first one, Waiter Rant. There are great stories, weaved within tips on tipping. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Cynthia A. Johnson
5.0 out of 5 stars
Has vastly improved our travel experience
As I said in the subject line, this book vastly improved our travel experiences. We were good tippers before with wait staff and hotel cleaning staff, but there were many things to... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Musing
5.0 out of 5 stars
Enjoyable Read With Some Humor
I read this author's previous book, Waiter Rant: Thanks for the Tip--Confessions of a Cynical Waiter (P.S.) and I enjoyed that. Read more
Published 1 month ago by R. Toro
5.0 out of 5 stars
tips on tipping
I really enjoyed this book. It not only explains a LOT about tipping, it was a very good read! I dine out for lunch quite a bit with two friends. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Amy D
3.0 out of 5 stars
Somewhat Helpful
First off, he's wrong about flight attendants. I am one, and we do take tips for alcoholic beverages. It's not necessary, but appreciated. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Skye Goddess
5.0 out of 5 stars
Steve Dublanica does it again
I have been reading Waiterrant.net for years, so I had to buy this book. I read Waiter Rant and I loved it, though it did seem to be a bit of a re-hash of some of his stories from... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Landon Orr
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent Transaction
The item was just as described and shipped on time. Recommended seller would buy from again without hesitation. Thank you!
Published 3 months ago by Nick Scalf
3.0 out of 5 stars
library book-----------the guru of gratuity
KEEP THE CHANGE-Steve Dublancia-2010--306pgs.
KEEP THE CHANGE IS A FUN AND ENLIGHTING QUEST
THAT WILL CHANGE THE WAY WE THINK AND TIP. Read more
KEEP THE CHANGE IS A FUN AND ENLIGHTING QUEST
THAT WILL CHANGE THE WAY WE THINK AND TIP. Read more
Published 3 months ago by BbP
4.0 out of 5 stars
If you liked Waiter Rant, you'll probably like this.
This book is everything you could possibly want to know about tipping, and a lot more. Not just "in this situation, tip this much." Mr. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Rick Meredith
4.0 out of 5 stars
Tips on Tipping
An interesting read.
I felt like I had this on my wishlist forever and finally bought it for brain candy for two recent trips. Read more
I felt like I had this on my wishlist forever and finally bought it for brain candy for two recent trips. Read more
Published 5 months ago by TravellingCari
