Question

Read the article "Getting and Making a Tip" (pp. 295 in Readings in Sociology). What are some of the strategies that waitresses employ to earn a bigger tip? What are some ways in which waitresses can gain a tip from those who traditionally do not tip? What does it mean for a waitress to get a poor tip? Which of the three sociological perspectives (structural functionalist, conflict theory, symbolic interactionism) would best be used to analyze this environment. Why ? For those of you who have been employed in the service industry (not necessarily limited to waiters,can be medical staff, sales, etc.), do any of these strategies seem familiar? Give examples.

Answer 1

For any services in the service industry, professionals needs to act with the help of symbolic interactionalism because amongst the three sociological perspectives structural functionalists will not work properly because job roles though are defined but services which needs to be provided are not pre defined and its more customised with the customers. all the customers are not same and different customers have different behaviours so the industry professionals needs to act accordingly.

Here, in this case of waitresses , for getting more and more tips first she has to watch the customers pattern for a moment and have to understand that what type of services those customers are seeking for. Some customers needs guidances as they are confused , some are pre determined with what they will do and some are in between, means they will take suggestions and then think and decide. So wrong approaches to these three types of customers may hamper the waitresses performances and thus the tips and vice versa too. Thats the matter symbolic interactions would be the best strategy to act in the service industry. Apart from these things , personal grooming matters incase of waitresses.