Did you not hear the words of The Mighty Paddy!? Ye shall not MAKE REFERENCE to tips unless it is done in a humorous manner! To do so is just plain rude.

If you are going to do a button, have it made professionally. The ones you can make yourself look like crap.

I suggest designing one on www.zazzle.com and having them send it to you. $1.95/button isn't a bad price.

K. Thanks.

Should I get the standard size or the large? hmmm.

Depends where you're working.

If it's a restaurant, decorum over billboard. You should go for the smaller sizes for a restaurant because you'll be inches from the specs anyway.

If it's street, then you need the visibility of the 3" button.

Restaurant - 1.25inch
Street - 3inch

Wearing buttons is trashy.

Read my post over. If you want more money, talk to management. Sign another restaurant. Get a "real" job.

But listen, try and work with the servers. The $50 or so in tips you made that night could've been part of their mortgage, or car payment etc.

Don't forget that the servers are making like $2.30 an hour. And hopefully you're making more than $2.30 an hour.

Robert

Somewhat subjective. Whether it's trashy or "corny" depends on the persona in use and the location.

If you're working a high class restaurant, then yes a button would be improper - you should be wearing a name badge though.

If you are working a family place where there will be kids, and your persona is more kid based (which it should be for that venue) a button wouldn't be off base.

If you are a balloon sculptor or face painter, buttons are part of the uniform.

The "trashiness" of buttons depends entirely on where you are.


"A bikini is improper for a state dinner, and a tux is equally improper for a pool party."

On a secondary note: I should mention that I agree with most of Robert's post.

Tips offered should be redirected to the servers. If not redirected entirely, split 50/50. Tips often supply 60-75% of a waitress' income. They need it worse than you do.

Second, no tip jars. People ignore them, some (though few) servers will steal money from yours, looks like you're begging. Do not confuse a tip-jar with a "hat-pass". There are inherent differences between the two.

No it doesn't.

"I take tips" in English translates to "I don't believe in myself enough to get paid for this. So I'm going to make a balloon for your kid and do a trick for you. And this button will hopefully guilt you into giving me a dollar."

Either you are good enough to get paid, or you're not.

And I speak from experience. My first restaurant was a "tips only" and I thought I was hot stuff for pulling that off. Turns out I only pissed the servers off because I was taking money away from them.

I never wore a tip button though.

Again - tip buttons = trashy. Not for any professional.

Robert

I never said that an "I take tips" button wasn't bad, in fact I believe I specifically said that it WAS bad.

I said that
1) Buttons themselves where not inherently "bad".
2) A button that reads "Suggested tip $1,275.23" is funny, and hence acceptable SOMETIMES - provided it fits the setting of the location and persona of the performer.
3) Buttons of any kind are unacceptable in many places.
4) Change your uniform to fit the setting (that's what the last line was about).

I speak from experience as well (though I'm sure not as much). My first restaurant job was for tips as well, and I'm sure I pissed off my share of servers - though none spoke up.
I'm not saying you should take their tips (as I said before, you should at least split 50/50 if not 0/100). I am saying that a "Suggested tip $1,275.23" button is funny and has it's proper place.

here is a PRACTICAL way to gain tips

- when doing tricks that involve money make jokes like..

"oh, oh, thank you, 20 is a perfect tip"

- when you DO recieve a tip, make a deal about saying "thank you, thank you, this is much appreciated" so that others tables will notice that you recieve tips, but don't act like a jerk about it, make it subtle

- just make it known that you do accept tips

- i do not reccomend a button, because they make you seem like you're begging for money

- let your audience feel like your main goal is to entertain and your reward is their entertainment THEN the money

Robert and I are on a couple of boards together and we just agree to disagree on the subject of tipping. Before I start my arguement let me mention that Robert has a new DVD coming out on busking and working festivals, go to his site, look at the trailer and BUY IT!!!! It's EXCELLENT, like all of his stuff!!

Now to the subject. I have been working restaurants for 10 years now, I have NEVER, nor will I ever, do a tips only gig. I have always been paid by the restaurant plus my tips. I do have a button saying "SUGESSTED TIP $2435.80" this has always gotten a laugh. The reason for the amount is very simple, there are no 1's in it because I don't want people to think in $1 amounts. The .80 is in case the lowest bill someone has is a 10 or a 20, then they give me change.

I have also never had the servers think I was taking tips away from them, in fact all the general managers that I work for have told me that the servers LOVE it when I am there because the SERVERS TIPS ARE LARGER. The reason is that the customers want to be entertained, especially those with kids, so when I come to the table and start the magic, the kids are quiet, the kids at the surrounding tables are quiet and everybody is happy. A happy customer is a bigger tipper.

Robert can refuse to take tips, but I have made as much as $200 for a 3 hour gig on a Saturday night and close to the same on Fridays. Plus less during the week obviously. And YES I do report my tips on my taxes, plus I file quarterly like every other business in the United States. Do I report 100% of my tips? Well I am tired and may answer that a a later post.

I kind of have a small "theory" on buttons and tips.
When I get a chance I will try to put it down.

In this topic, and of course in this post.

I have read all the others... its rather quite interesting and educational.

this happens all the time, ill see ballon makers or magicians preform at a table for a minute or 2and you never know if you can tip them..usually we throw them a tip or so, but sometimes they said "oh im not allowed to accept that"

i think you should indirectly say tips are welcome, or joke about it, but make it clear they "can" tip you.

The best way to get a tip is to be so good at what you do that they will give you a tip even if you say no. The most common problem you will have with tipping is that a lot of people don't know whether they should tip you or not. So all you have to do, is let them know that you do accept tips. The best way I have found to do this is to work with the staff. When I show up, I give one waiter $10 so he can constantly go up to the table I'm performing at and give me the money. From the perspective of the people at the table, they see a waiter coming up to me and saying, "Hey my table loved you, here is the tip they left you." This indirectly lets the people know I accept tips and I prefer bigger tips:). Works like a charm.

It's legal to pay somebody $2.30 an hour?
That's ridiculous, I work at McDonald's and get more than that .