Just idiocy or an internal scam?

[Maxt]

Something that has been happening way to much to me it seems, is getting way to much change back at restaurants. I know many servers aren't rocket scientists, but it can't be my luck of getting the dumbest servers on the planet almost all the time.
So I get my change back and its to much, a few times I found the waitress/waiter and they almost seemed disappointed with me, a couple of times they never showed their face back to the table and I left the extra with the tip on the table.
So when a register is short at the end of the night, what happens? Is it taken out of the tips? The tips are usually split up among the servers correct? So are they thieving the register collectively and depending on the honesty of patrons to leave it as tip, then it gets fed back to the tip pool? Or I am thinking to much into it and these people just can't count?
The worst I had was at Tommy Burger where I could have left with 3 times the amount of money I had walked in with. But recently it was Boston Pizza, Denny's, Smitty's etc.. Never happens to me in the private run family restaurants for some reason.

[J-hop]

well did you look at your receipt? were there any items missing? really that is the only way this could work. As at most places the servers have to swipe to input your order, so any missing money would come back to them, they could claim you short changed them but it would be recorded that they accessed the register for change so that wouldn't work either so really the only way they could do this is if they don't input items and somehow get the kitchen to make them.

Sooner or later any "scams" people in service industry try to pull get figured out no matter how "ingenious" they think their scam is. A girl was stealing from my gf's work, it did take the manager a long time to figure out what she was doing but when the manager figured it out she had stolen over $8000, I never found out what happened to her but the cops came to the store and took her away it was pretty hilarious.

[95teetee]

never heard of a scam where they give you extra money:dunno:

[cde1966]

So when they gave you extra money back did it come in the form of a cashiers cheque then you gave the difference back in cash? If so, then yes, it's a scam the cheque will bounce and you'll be out the money. If they dealt in cash then…

[swak]

I've worked in the industry for 4+ years, and some things (not going to get into details), are just accepted by management as its something that just happens in the trade.

[Cos]

Originally posted by swak
I've worked in the industry for 4+ years, and some things (not going to get into details), are just accepted by management as its something that just happens in the trade.

So are you saying it is intentional or the management assumes that servers cant count and the tills will never balance perfectly?

[Maxt]

The receipts are correct in terms of order, but it even says change due on them usually, and the amount given back is way more that what is due. The funny thing is, is the denomination in bills is usually right but its been a shit pile of extra change in toonies and loonies.. On Friday, it was 11.00 to much in coin, which just struck me as odd..

[Maxt]

Originally posted by 95teetee
never heard of a scam where they give you extra money:dunno:
Really, half the scams out there are overpayment scams..

[Cos]

Originally posted by Maxt
The receipts are correct in terms of order, but it even says change due on them usually, and the amount given back is way more that what is due. The funny thing is, is the denomination in bills is usually right but its been a shit pile of extra change in toonies and loonies.. On Friday, it was 11.00 to much in coin, which just struck me as odd..

Maybe they expect you to go to the rippers.... or are you eating at the rippers? lol

[kaput]

.

[Maxt]

Originally posted by Cos


Maybe they expect you to go to the rippers.... or are you eating at the rippers? lol
Lol, no I haven't been to the peelers in hmm lets see 17 years.. As previous, it only seems to happen at large corporate managed/franchised eateries. Maybe though I should quit being so honest and just take the damn money...:dunno: ...

[J-hop]

Originally posted by Cos


So are you saying it is intentional or the management assumes that servers cant count and the tills will never balance perfectly?

im going to go out on a limb and say he is referring to not claiming tips.

Most servers don't understand the very simplistic concept that they have to pay taxes on tips. They also can't comprehend the fact that if the restaurant/bar/establishment they work at gets audited they will be audited as well. If they are claiming less (or none at all in some dimwit's cases) than the average tip amount over x amount of time then they will have to pay the difference as well as penalties most likely.

happened to a bar in calgary recently, and apparently it was pretty bad as the servers were not encouraged to claim their tips. Some people just don't get it I guess

[max_boost]

Most restaurants with POS terminal will have the servers holding onto the cash/receipts of every table they have served and they just tip out/settle up at the end of the night.

I really have no idea what you are talking about. Sounds crazy to be honest. :nut: :dunno:

[adidas]

Originally posted by Cos


So are you saying it is intentional or the management assumes that servers cant count and the tills will never balance perfectly?

There really is no tills at restaurants/bars/pubs other than the ones behind the bar for the bartenders to use.

All cash is kept with the server when they clear up with a table. In the end, they owe the restaurant a certain amount, tips from visa/MC/debit transactions is taken into account. So if a server gives back the wrong change to a table(more to the customer), than this is coming out of her tip(she doesnt know it, unless she realizes her mistake).

The bar/rest/pub is still getting their right amount, the server on the other hand gets shafted for her own mistake.

[95teetee]

Originally posted by Maxt

Really, half the scams out there are overpayment scams.. but the situation you describe is entirely dependent on you (the customer) giving the extra money back to the person who gave it to you.
With the integrity of the average human being nowadays, that's a pretty unreliable way to make a couple bucks:D

[Tram Common]

I'm just going to assume that OP is so amazingly handsome that bitches be paying him for the privileged of serving him.

... because honestly, I worked as a bartender for seven years and there's no scam that involves giving the customer more money than they're owed.

... or at least I never knew of one.

[Maxt]

Originally posted by 95teetee
but the situation you describe is entirely dependent on you (the customer) giving the extra money back to the person who gave it to you.
With the integrity of the average human being nowadays, that's a pretty unreliable way to make a couple bucks:D

Yeah I can see that, and thats why I thought I should post it up to see if anyone else had this happen a lot.
It's just weird with the frequency it happens, and the way the extra is paid out..And I very rarely get to eat at the same place more than once a month, my work takes me many different places.
I am going to chalk it up to the servers being unable to count, but good god, the machine tells them what to issue back..