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Alex Beam

The 15 percent non-solution

There’s a price to be paid for preferring to tip only when absolutely necessary - and at a rate from a bygone era

By Alex Beam

 |  Globe Columnist  

  February 24, 2012

Everywhere I go, I get the 15 percent fisheye. It’s driving me nuts. I tip 15 percent almost everywhere. I never tip on the tax - the government didn’t deliver any services; quite the contrary - and with taxis, I deduct the tolls and various, chimerical Massport fees that appear mysteriously on digital taxi meters. I’ve learned that some people don’t tip on the alcohol portion of a restaurant bill. Heck, I’m not that cheap.

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