Tips going rate is supposed to be 15-20%.

[TheStatutoryApe]

Do the majority of people just not tip much? I mean... i think that its insane not to tip ... but do other people?

When I worked at the coffee house I got cheap skates all the time. Most people don't tip becuase it's just coffee with a few people here and there dropping in the 15-20 cents that they got for change. Alot of people will come in and order 3-5 drinks at four or five dollars a piece along with pasteries and what not and leave no tip what so ever. I had one lady who came in every day and would get just a small cup of coffee. The thing was that she would put us through hell just for her one small cup of joe. It had to have been brewed within the last ten minutes or she wanted us to brew a new pot just so her cup would be fresh. Then if the creamers and milk weren't ice cold she would ask for a cup with ice in it to pour the cream over before adding it to her coffee and then leave the cup sitting out on the counter with creamer spilt on the counter RIGHT NEXT To a pile of napkins and the hole in the counter where you throw your trash. She never tipped a penny even if I had everything she wanted just the way she wanted it waiting for her when she got to the counter.
ummmm.. I'll shut up now.

 

[honestrosewater]

I was a server when I was 16. We were paid $2.15 an hour (this was only 6 years ago) and certainly relied on tips. Getting stiffed was rare. Most people were reasonable, some were generous. It usually averaged out to a little over $2 per table, and you would serve about 20 tables on a typical night. So no one where I worked was getting rich. If people actually tipped 20%, we probably would have averaged $4-6 per table. The largest tip I ever earned was $80 - but it was from a party of 40. There's also side work to do, so you aren't earning tips the whole time you're working.
I tip according to my minimums or the amount of time and work, not the amount of the bill. I tip for delivery and coffee to go too, but just because I know they'll appreciate it, not so much because I think they've earned it. I've noticed that people who have worked for tips usually tip well.