Time to vent!

No links, no politics, no newsworthy-news. I'm just gonna complain. Since I've been working a lot more lately, it's hard not to have to let it go.
First of all, if you can't AFFORD to tip, go to McDonald's. Do not go somewhere that you will receive sit-down service in a quick and timely manner if you won't be able to tip your server 15-20%. No matter what you may think, pretty much everything that goes on during a meal, everything your server does and says is in anticipation of getting a good tip. If your server doesn't smile, refill, hustle and hurry, they're not that stressed for money. If your server always smiles, says 'yes, maam, no maam, thank you very much', refills before you ask, offers dessert, promptly brings you everything you need, etc, that means they do need the money, they do put all of their energy into giving good service, they do pride themselves on their work. When you get a server like that, 20% (or more) is completely appropriate. It says, "Hey, I noticed you did a good job, thanks for taking such good care of us!"
Today was a little slow, so when I saw 3 women and 10 girls come in, I didn't mind taking them in my section. Now, I AM NOT a racist person at all, but I am not the only person of the opinion that black women are not good tippers. I've even heard other black servers make that comment before. I do not want to stereotype, either, so when I saw this group, I said to myself, "I'm not going to judge them before I serve them, I'm sure they'll tip fine." Well, sadly, the stereotype was right. Not only that, but it's just a group thing, too. Any group more than 6 requires quite a bit more work than normal. I gave them outstanding service. I can say that for sure. They were my only table at the time, they did not need anything that I hadn't already gotten them. $75 worth of food netted me a whopping $5 tip. That's not even 10%!! Now, money is money, and right now we need it real bad at my house but more than that, for me, personally, I think I somehow take that as an insult to my service. Sometimes if I get a poor tip, I think, "what did I do wrong?" I consider my spiritual gift to be service. I consider myself to be a really good server. So I guess it kinda hurts sometimes when I think I did a really good job and then didn't get rewarded for it, you know?
Second of all, if you put a whole lot of effort into making excuses, that doesn't excuse you from tipping. If you're aware that you feel you should apologize for something, tip like it. Don't sit there and say, "I'm sorry I'm so needy, but can I have..... or I'm sorry we're coming in at 8:55.... or I'm sorry, I've changed my mind again..." if you notice you've sent me back and forth, and back and forth, pay me for it. I don't think that's too much to ask. (Of course I don't, I'm a server.) You may think, well, Shannon, that's your job. You're right, it is, but c'mon, you already know if you're gonna want Ranch with your fries, or extra crackers for your soup, tell me ahead of time so I can get it all at once.
I think it should be mandate law that everyone upon completion of HS or college should serve at least 1 year in a customer-service type job. People who have never waited on anyone else, whether in a restarant, mall store, gas station, or anywhere, do not have a full appreciation for those that wait on them.
Ok, I feel better.... I think I'm done for now.
Have a great weekend!