Hey

I have recently obtained a job in a restaurant.

I am not getting paid though and I am busking for tips. This is usually how it works here in Southern Africa.

I know I should normally do effects with money to spark the interest in tipping, but at the moment I am not 100% with my Bill Switch and I don't have a Pen thru Bill.

So are there any other ways to ask for tips without using money?

Thanks

Kyle

You could wear a button that says " I accept tips".

Well, not having performed in South Africa, I can't address some of the local social mores there, but there are a few things that come in handy to get the money on the table -

Do tricks with borrowed currency. Pen Thru Anything or Tim Wenk's Misled are great examples. Cash Ladder from the Dan Harlan rubber band videos is also quite strong, Vernon's Impromptu Cups and Balls using water glasses wrapped in newspaper and rolled up currency also works.

Once the money is on the table, you can mention, as an aside, that "this trick always makes the audience throw money at me - sometimes just to make me go away, sometimes because they really like the trick!" Grin and wink at them on this, it makes it less of a plea and more of an inside joke, but they often get the message.

If you have a good relationship with the wait staff, have one of them come up to you and hand you some money (you give it to them to do this with before hand) and say, "this is from that last table you worked. They wanted to express their appreciation."

When someone sees that it is okay to tip, they are more willing to do so themselves.

Just don't be a jerk about it and try and shame them into tipping or stare them down or the like as recommended in some of the books out there. Those tactics will get you fired in a New York minute!

Kind regards,

Lee Darrow, C.Ht.

Somebody on another site said that they wore a pin that had a digital flashing thing that said I work for tips

That is a neat idea, I guess that you are talking about the Laser Card? It's neat but a little on the expensive side...

http://www.masterofillusions.ca/THE%20LASER%20CARD.htm

There is a section in Darren Brown's book, "Pure Effect" that has some great linguistic tools that help to get the idea and perhaps even the desire into the spectator's mind, to tip the magician. I was a bit sckeptical until it started woring for me.

Warmly,
Brandon Cross

K-B-G,
Not living in South Africa it's hard to answer this question. Personally, I feel wearing a button that says "I work for tips" is tacky in any country. If you put a card tent on each table that says "If you've enjoyed the entertainment, although not mandatory, you may show your appreciation by tipping the magician". There are numerous ways to word this so the patrons don't feel pressured to tip.

Hi K_B_G,

Another idea would be to do a floating bill at the end of your session at the table.

Do a few of your favorite effects and then ask for the largest bill they have available. The stock line being "The larger the bill, the funnier the trick". This should help increase your tips. Even if you are not offered that large bill, after they see it float, chances are they will give you something.

Good luck with this and do your best to learn the bill switch as well. These two effects have made me more tip money than any other effect.

Jeff Ezell

Hey Everyone,

Yesterday was my first gig. I wasn't doing any effects with money so that wasn't working out. Although I am learning a few like the BillSwitch and Bill vanish into Card Case etc.

I made a badge with my name on saying (PERFORMING FOR TIPS-THANKS). I got good reactions and made a few nice tips. Thanks for the help.

Kyle

The best pin I have seen but do not use is, "Tips are accepted, but not required!!" It works pretty well from what I hear.

If you must, I suppose Michael Ammar's (?) strategy is the most subtle, yet effective. Do something like "tearing a $2 into two $1" as an opener, with the line "Someone at the last table gave me this, have you ever seen one before?"

You can also consider John Carney's "Logical Bill trick" but I'd be hesitant to change the bill to a hundred at the end, since it implies that you may be carrying more money than anyone at the table!

This just occurred to me: "Hi, I'd like to amaze you for a little while. There's no obligation on your part, the last table tipped me so much that I can afford to work here for free." Then, at the end, tell them, "That's just about worked that one off. If you enjoyed the magic, thank the folks over there, or pass on the favor to the folks at the next table."

I don't know, too subtle? How's about walking up to a table of women and saying "The guys at the table over there asked me to show you a mystery" and then later, ask them to return the favor. Slip in the idea that you'll need a tip to do it.

Place a cup on top of the table with a "Thank you" note when you arrive. Then start your performance. Have a few dollars already inside of the cup.

You can also do other money trick besides the bill switch.

Gemini Money, where 4 bills (the biggest you can get) are placed in the deck by the spectators and they find the 4 aces.

I know a magician who did card on ceiling as his closer, and always asked for money to do the trick, the more money the better the trick... then the deck what thrown at the ceiling and the deck would come down leaving the card and the money tacked to the ceiling!!!

Good Luck!

You might also reference David Stone's lecture notes, "Table Hopping."

Take special note of his 'guest book' approach.
It gets $5s and $10s for me almost 95% of the time.

Killer.

Robert Bloor

Different strokes for different folks, but I never work for tips and politely explain that it's not necessary if a tip is offered. If the individual insists, I accept it and thank him because to do otherwise would be rude.

If I worked for tips, I'd probably say something subtle like, "Give me some money or I'll do another card trick."

"Hi, I'd like to amaze you for a little while. There's no obligation on your part, the last table tipped me so much that I can afford to work here for free."

That line is priceless.

I would do it without second line, truth be told. All I want to do is let them know that tipping is OK, not that they need to. I feel like hustling for tips at a restaurant helps you go home with a few extra dollars right there, but gets you fewer private gigs (where the actual monetary reward is).

Good eve K_B_G,

Tipping in restaurants is a tricky business. I don't know how things are in South Africa, but let me give you a little insider on certain aspects of money.

Many people believe money to be dirty! Many people in America know that a bill has been through the hands of countless other people and has germs, dirt, etc and doing tricks with money may make certain restaurant people cringe (It sounds silly, but its happened to many magicians I know).

Also, some think its rude to borrow their money and then ask for tips because they'll feel you're trying to make them feel obligated to give you the money you used. That's never a good thing.

Also, a pin that says "Tips Graciously Accepted" or "Tips Accepted, Not Required. Thank You" don't have to be tacky if made and used correctly. I know a beautiful one a friend hand made out of thin wood and it looks beautiful. The idea of table folds can also work but can be costly if you have to keep replacing them for one reason or another.

Tips are a personal issue. In any case, I hope you succeed in your restaurant endeavor.

I can't speak for South Africa, but I go with the approach of asking for a salary. I explain to my boss that I don't hustle for tips. Harry Lorayne said that working for salary rather than tips really helped him, because he came across as a professional rather than a hustler. (And I don't mean to offend those who work for tips.) Yes, I accept tips, but I view them as gravy, rather than my purpose at a table.

I know one magician who had a tip cup with "Thank You" printed on it and a few bills in it. The cup was attached to his portable table.

Personally, I think that begging for tips places you in a weak position. There is a local guy who performs in a ratty outfit and approaches people, "Hey give me some money and I'll show you a trick." He comes acoss as a desperate hustler, a scam artist, especially since his "skills" are atrocious. This is an extreme example, but as you move away from depending on tips, I think you are in a more powerful position.