On Splitting The Bill (Part 1)

Humans, members of the species Homo sapiens, are social animals. Even the loners, such as myself, have the need for social contact. As a result of this, there will arise many occasions where one finds himself or herself out with a large group. For teenagers large groups present no problem. The group would simply meet somewhere outside and stay in that location, each typically drinking a cheap 40 oz. of malt liquor that was self-bought. But for adults, the location of choice will most certainly involve money. There are a few problems with this and the main problem is one that I will now address.

A large group at a table will inevitably receive a single bill for everyone. At this point a decision must be made concerning the method for splitting the bill. There are basically two main ways to divide a bill. One option is to divide the bill by the number of people present, each paying an equal amount. Another option is to have each individual pay for what they ordered. Although this method is theoretically the most fair, I will venture to say that this results in a shortage at least 95% of the time (probably more).

There are two possible reasons for the shortage: one is malicious and the other is innocent. Given the ever-declining mathematical abilities of the general population, it seems quite possible that individuals do miscalculate what they owe and therefore give less. While a mathematical error can easily explain a shortage, unfortunately it cannot explain why almost every mathematical error results in a lower amount than is necessary. For if the cause was truly an honest mistake, would not the error result in a shortage only half the time and an overage the other half? Sadly, logic reinforces my cynicism and we must explore a more deliberate explanation.

The phenomenon of social loafing is well-known whereby one or more members involved in a group project fail to contribute, knowing full well that the others in the group will work harder to pick up the slack. The phenomenon of shortchanging the bill seems analagous to social loafing in my opinion. An individual, or perhaps a few individuals, will deliberately fail to give the full amount of what is owed knowing that the other members will kick in extra money to cover the bill.

In fact, this phenomenon happens so often that those who cover the shortage get used to paying extra. I recall two separate occasions where I was out with a group and each member was someone like me (i.e. a schmuck that gives extra money). On both occasions the end result was that there was too much money, and money was given back to everyone to avoid giving the server a tip of 80% or more. Events such as this are extremely rare, and two times out of a large number of group events through the years is a small and negligible percentage. Therefore, when out with a large group it is highly probable that someone will not kick in enough money.

Next week I will discuss further issues with splitting the bill. Until then, pay what you owe!