Bitcoin Forum

I did this as bit of fun last night. I asked the bar staff if they would like the tip in mBTC. Within a few minutes there was a group of five or so people learning about bitcoins. One of the bar tenders had a samsung, the other an iphone. I downloaded mycelium on to the samsung and sent her the tip and then she split it with the other bar tender by sending to some iphone app I had never heard of. People were suitably impressed and it's probably not a bad way to spread the message. It didn't hurt that during the discussion the price rose a few points.

Yeah, why not? It's a good and positive way to spread bitcoin! :)

you just tipped them $10000, jerk!!  don't u realize you need to HOARD HOARD HOARD your bitcoins, or else you'll be left penniless with only $150,000,000,000 in the bank, wishing u had that extra $10,000!!!

that's great

This is a great way to garner attention to bitcoins and spread the acceptance of bitcoins as a form  of payment. It did not cost the bartenders anything and they ended up getting free currency as a result. They might actually consider it being adopted in the bar. Thank god the value did not drop during the discussion though, that might have soured the whole incident a bit.

My gf is a waitress and in school, and if someone tipped her in bitcoins i would be furious, she has no way to use that. Its bullshit you try and push what you use on other people, forcibly. It's no different than going to another country and forcing them to take your currency and not use the local currency. Its a bunch of crap. If you can pay for the meal in fiat, pay for the service in it. Don't leave someone hanging on bitcoin because you think you're clever, you are only fucking them over. People pay for their lives in fiat, her university sure is hell not going to take bitcoin, nor should she or anyone else without their chosing. They dont need some shit they cant use making it more complex. Use legal tender.

The emphasis is my own.  I happen to think that it is pretty neat that they were so interested.  Though this probably won't make them hardcore "converts", it'll certainly get the word out :P.

it's a tip, it's free money, be happy about it.

also, there are schools that do in fact accept bitcoin asa tution fee, your argument is invalid. (also, her WAGES should cover her expenses, not her TIPS)

Most waiter's / waitress' gets paid bellow min wage and their tips are used to compensate. Unless they work in one of those fancy restaurants where you pay 40 dollars for a salad, this is most likely the case.

Servers in the United States work for tips, the wage is like $2.50 an hour, the rest of the income is ALL tips.

>guaranteed replies

"My gf is a waitress and in school, and if someone tipped her in bitcoins i would be furious, she has no way to use that."

The fact that they can't easily spend it is an advantage imo. Also, one of them is studying economics. If the price/value does keep rising, they'll be really happy. I offered to take back the coins anytime in exchange for USD. I advised them to read up about it and hang a "we accept bitcoins as tips" sign. I also made sure to tell them this thing could crash and burn. I think I was being fairly responsible but it's probably risky sending bitcoins to anyone after a few beers. :)

Are you an attractive woman? Because i can't see any other way for your story to be true.
Also the waiters appear to have to much time to spare to start learning about bitcoin while they work..

"Are you an attractive woman? Because i can't see any other way for your story to be true."

It's a true story. And although I'm incredibly handsome and charming : )  I'm not a woman. I will say though that they are both pretty hot. It's a very upmarket bar and I know them well. I tipped them $30 because they comped me most of the drinks. Still not a bad tip for five beers. I used to give christmas tips in silver eagle coins so this seemed like a natural extension. Back in March, I suggested that a girl at work buy her kid a bitcoin for his birthday present. BTC were about $33 back then. Her husband was similarly "furious" that she would waste their money on something you can't hold in your hands.

The average bar worker doesn't make enough to be playing the stock market or investing in PMs. I gave all the standard warnings and disclaimers but you can tell that the average person is taken by the concept.

My girlfriend would scream Hell Yess and come home all proud saying she earned bitcoins today...

No need for that, the people behind the bar usually have a pretty good sense of what money is worth. Especially the ones who have been behind the bar longer. Well bar people and time, that just depends where you are and at what time. If its near closing time its understandable that they have less to do.

"Also the waiters appear to have to much time to spare to start learning about bitcoin while they work.."

It was nearly closing time. And the remaining customers were just as interested as the bar staff, so I don't think they minded the temporary lull in service. The average bartender loves to talk and educate, whether it's about football or current affairs. This just adds a little twist and I'll probably do it again the next time I go out.

if i had a lot of coins, i'd do this. and i'd remind them of the stories of people who had bitcoins, but lost track of them.. and ended up losing millions of dollars because, at the time, they thought it wasnt' worth much.

Are you guys kidding me? I 'll go into a bar and ask waiters to tip them in bitcoins and everyone will start downloading apps and educating themselves about bitcoin...  ::)
Don't try this if you don't have tits.

As a guy that has worked in a kitchen at a restaurant for years, I can say that all of my Waiters and Bartenders would be thrilled to receive Bitcoins as a tip. They have heard me talk about it back when it was only worth $3. Now it's worth $1k~, and they are hearing about it in the news every other day.

so you would be furius at bitcoin, yet acceptable that her employer can get away with only paying her $2.50!
tell her to get a different job.

as for bitcoin. when she was given the tip it was worth X, by the time she got home it was worth X+, and then by locating someone on localbitcoins to cash out the next day at a price preferable to her its worth X++

name me a fiat that can increase in price just by holding it on your phone for a few hours.

and as for FIAT tips if i gave someone $5 that waitress would not take home $5, she would end up having her manager request her to share it between the other staff and the manager. giving her maybe $1, maybe less depending on how many other employees there were.

so again if your GF is a waitress, dont argue that she received bitcoins as a tip. argue that she is in a dead-end job that does not offer fair value for the time she gives to that business.

Well who's fault is this? The customer, the restaurant owner, or the one accepting a job with less than minimum wage?

Common , lets not see advantages in every aspect of bitcoin.
Most waitress work for the minimum wage and they badly need those money that they receive as tips.
And now , you are asking those guys and girls to wait till they get around 100$ in tips then search for somebody on localbitcoins that is willing to exchange them , at a rate that is obvious much lower..
BAD IDEA.
If you want to tip them in mbtc , send them as an extra tip.
Don't force people to embrace your ideas. That's not what bitcoin was suppose to be.

yeah, i think that's the american system.. whether we get good service or bad, we are expected to tip our server.. i think it was an idea by the restaurants to create these rules so they can nickle and dime their employees. fuck them.

Yep.

My $.02.

:)