The student media organization of California State University Northridge

Daily Sundial

The student media organization of California State University Northridge

Daily Sundial

The student media organization of California State University Northridge

Daily Sundial

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The Art of Tipping

Waitress+takes+customers+order
Waitress Marleigh Fiedler of Balistreri’s Italian/American Ristorante takes an order for pizza from Seth Collins of Lexington, Ky., in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Tuesday, July 16, 2013. Collins gave the waitress a 500-dollar tip. (Michael Sears/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel/MCT)

When you have a full semester load, work, and possibly have an internship, sometimes finding the time or energy to do things yourself can be tedious when there are services for almost everything nowadays.

Going out for dinner or getting your hair done at the salon is, for the most part, nicer than doing either by yourself. All you need to do is pay the tab and tip accordingly, easy as that, right?

“I’ve gotten into the habit of just automatically giving a 20% tip, unless the service was really bad,” said Wendy Gonzales, 23, a Psychology major.

Gonzales has worked in the food industry and has an understanding of just how crucial tipping can be for servers.

“A lot of people live off of their tips so that’s something I like to keep in mind,” Gonzales said.

Zaida Diaz, 22, Journalism and Communication studies major, always tips when she goes out.

“The better the service, the more inclined I’ll be to leave a better tip,” Diaz said.

Once you find yourself halfway down your receipt, you might be confused as to how much a ‘good’ tip may be. How much of the issue on tipping is related to the service given and how much of it has to do with college students not knowing how to tip properly?

“I think some students do know how to tip, but there are also some that really don’t,” said Marleny Osorio, 20, a Creative Writing major.

With the help of apps, leaving a gratuity for whomever provided a service to you can be a whole lot easier than trying to figure out calculations on your own.

Tab is an easy app and its free. Just take a picture of the receipt, select the items ordered, and let the calculating begin.

The app calculates the total, determines the item and price on the receipt, then adds in the tax and tip proportionally. This is very helpful, especially when dining with a group of friends and everyone wants to split the bill separately. If you shared a plate with someone, don’t worry. Tab can also split an item multiple ways.

Another app that makes tipping easy is one called Bravo. This app isn’t just for dining, but for services you’ve been provided.

Just search for the artist or service professional by their name. Then, choose to enter your own amount you’d like to give or select one from the suggested tip amounts. After confirming the tip, it gets deposited into the service provider’s account.

There’s no longer a need to stress over how much to leave as a thank you; those days are over.

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