Why are we suppose to tip someone who has all ready agreed to terms and is being compensated for their efforts by their employer? I'm there to buy pants, not personally support their employees.
I tip when someone goes above and beyond, not just because they showed up and smiled.
When you buy pants at Costco, Wal mart, target, hell even abercrombie or another normal brand it's business as usual. No personal service, no need to even consider a tip.
I walked into a high end clothing store a few weeks ago; every pair of jeans I saw was over $100. I imagine it was similar to the one op mentioned. The cheapest shirt I saw was $80. I was with my brother and his wife, who was looking for a specific shoe, which she finally found for $240.
The bitch was all over me, very helpfull, friendly, and she did her job well. I wanted to see what a pair of $130 jeans looked/felt like on. They were nice, but not worth $90 more than the nautica jeans I had on. Anyway, I'm a terrible size, and odd build. I don't have much of an ass. Thirty length seems a bit short on me, and 32 length a bit long. When you get clean you start eating a lot, so I've gained a few pounds, I'm up to a size 38 waist.
So I have an odd ball length, a large waist size, and very little ass. A lot of jeans can look bad on me.
The bitch put about 20 minutes into helping me find the best fitting cut there for my body shape. She knew her stuff, which style had the least ass, she even found a 31 length... Anyway, I ended up being handed the best fitting pair of jeans I have ever tried on, and they looked really good.
I didn't buy them because I couldnt afford to drop, with taxes, a Franklin and a Grant for jeans.
But that girl was so friendly, she either wanted to taste my baby gravy, or she just did her job exceedingly well. So I gave her a Lincoln. She wasn't even all that pretty.
The bell hop knows he has to carry your bags, the waiter knows he needs to keep your drink full and bring you food, the cab driver knows he has to take you where you ask to be taken; society tips these people as a matter of course, not really giving much thought about the possibility that this person might not deserve a tip.
So you,re right, only tip when the service you receive is above what you expect, but dont limit that to the places where a tip is customary. A waiter knows your going to tip him, it's just a question of amount; a reall opportunity for a brown noser. That dude who helps you find that item at the grocery store (instead of just saying aisle 6), the guy who gets your car super clean while your getting your oil changed, of the hooker who cleans the spooge off you wanker after your done, using her mouth; all the heretofore mentioned workers deserve a tip...
