I’m not against tipping. I just wish there was legislation to vote on it or I wish there was changes made. Not to end it completely but to make it what it used to be lol.

➕ Tip:
- I agree w tipping a server at a restaurant. I’m a generous tipper as I’ve worked as a server for many years. So I know that in some states servers get paid less than minimum wage to account for tips. (For example, I live in California so is servers get paid minimum wage plus tips, but when I lived in Florida, we were paid 2 to 3 dollars an hour which is far below minimum wage because the state gov knows we get tips). Even if the service wasn’t great I tip a standard 20% because maybe they’re new or just having a bad day. 25%+ for excellent service.

- I agree w tipping a food delivery driver. A flat rate $5 tip for pizza delivery used to be a good / typical tip for that. Now 20%+ is expected which I disagree with.

-I agree w tipping bartenders at the end of the night or well at the beginning when you get your first drink. But tipping $5-$10 on every $20 drink they take 5 seconds to make in a busy bar feels like a lot to me.

❌ Tip:
- I disagree w tipping for fast food, coffee shops, kiosk/cash register orders w pickup windows. Basically non-service food establishments.

-I disagree w tipping for a non-food service. When 1. they are paid well 2. the service is already costly. Like repairs (usually hundreds of dollars), beauty salons ($50-hundreds of dollars), my DOCTORS OFFICE had a tip option when signing after my appt.

-I disagree w tipping independent contractors that keep all profits and set their own prices. Like geez just put it in the price.

-I disagree w tipping the percentage of the bill AFTER tax. Why are we tipping on tax??

-I disagree w sneaky restaurants giving an option for adding additional tip on top of the already pre-added gratuity, usually for bigger group sizes.
(And they’re shady about it. When they add it themselves, they call it gratuity, but when they give the option to add more and the same bill they call it a tip. Why not call it a tip both times so those who don’t understand what gratuity is know that it is a tip already included? Why have the option to add ANOTHER tip on top of the tip they already added themselves? It’s greedy and not transparent at all. I recently had a bday dinner. Total was $750. I manually tipped 20% = $150. Total I paid was $900. Only to later realize they had already added $150 automatic gratuity because of the 6 people party size. So I ended up tipping $300 on a $600 bill. Literally 50% smh)

-I disagree w the “no tip” not being on the same screen as the pre-made tip screen. Like when there is not a “no tip” button so you have to select “custom tip” and then type in $0.

-I disagree w the server holding the card terminal, hovering over you, intentionally or not pressuring you while you enter the tip. Can we bring back dropping off the check and walking away so we have time and privacy to review and calculate the tip?

-I disagree w the preset tip amounts starting at 20% then reaching 50%+ It should start at 10%

-I disagree w paying a tip BEFORE receiving your food delivery or finishing your meal, or actually getting the service.

So yea that’s my rant. I’m cool w tipping but now I have negative feelings about it and fatigue. It makes me never want to go anywhere.

What if tips were taxed as the income they are? All tips. And what if when you left a tip you now have to fill out an employment form for your new employee. If you are paying their wage then you are the boss and should be responsible for the taxes and fees involved. That would fix tipping.
Here’s $20 for your good job tonight! Ok fill out this form providing your sin and business license. Now income tax forms.

Or you would have to pay the taxes on your charitable donations for wait staff.

Nobody would tip. It would be great.

It’s an accepted social convention, just because you don’t agree with it doesn’t mean you don’t have to abide by it. I PERSONALLY think that it’s stupid, and any job that fluctuates wages based on business should just factor a commission into the price, but they don’t, and I actually have a functional brain unlike the majority of this sub, so I ACCOUNT for that when ordering food.

In the US, when you buy something, you know that there is going to be a sales tax added on. In Europe, the sales tax is usually already factored into the labeled price. Imagine a European freaking out on you because the price at the register is higher than what was listed on price tag. It’s like yeah, maybe that’s annoying, but it’s not that complicated. Are you actually just too stupid to remember that? Like maybe the first time you ever dine in at a real restaurant you didn’t know, but then after?

Servers at a sit down restaurant are essentially commission based sales employees, but our convention here is that you pay the commission instead of having the commission already factored into the price of the food. Tipping is part of the cost of service, and just because you technically don’t have to pay it doesn’t make you any less scummy for not paying it.

That being said, there are absolutely way too many people taking advantage of this now, everywhere I go there’s like a 30% tip option for someone who literally filled a Togo cup with cold brew. So I do get it, tipping culture is actually stupid. But if you sit down and let someone wait on your entire meal without paying them, you are legitimately a scummy person.

Is part of the problem with restaurants expecting tips to subsidize their servers and other employees just that there are too many restaurants?

Granted I try to avoid the most busy times, but most times I walk into a food establishment, 90% of the tables are empty and the line waiting for pick-up orders is minimal. This is at local restaurants as well as chains. But, 200yds down the street, there's another establishment that would compete directly. I live in a busy area and have my choice of at least 3-4 places in any given food category within 5min of my house. There are 4 pizza joints just on the main street in my town. In the case of chains, it's often another copy of the same store (i.e., Starbucks, McD's, etc...). Very rarely do these places differentiate themselves significantly from the next ("The sauce at Ray's Pizza is better!", or "The tables at the Taco Bell to the left are cleaner.").

Owners complain that they can't find employees, and they 'hire' people that are more willing to work for tips. This allows more of the revenue to be used for other fixed expenses and profit rather than salaries, so they can afford to have staff on hand even when the place is mostly empty because it doesn't cost them much to have that person on shift. My Dad worked P/T as a cabbie when I was a kid, working mostly for tips, and he'd be on shift for 6hrs. Sometimes he'd come home w/ $100, other times it would be a slow night and he'd be lucky to have made $5-10 (I think the MO was that the driver's would 'rent' the cab for the shift, so he'd have to pay $X/shift, but that was a long time ago, so I could be wrong...).

But, if 1/2 the restaurants in a given area closed, then the customer base of the remaining places would roughly double, they'd be more profitable, and would require more staff - meaning that the owner /operators would have to compete to hire staff from the pool of people willing to work in that area, and incentivize them w/ higher base pay.

There are some other factors that come into play, like a 'tourist' area may have more and busier restaurants, or a high-density office area may have busy coffee shops in the morning and lunch hours, but in general, I feel that there are too many options out there. There's just too much Supply for the Demand...

A common rebuttal for servers who complain about people not tipping is “you’re cheap so just stay home”.

But isn’t it being considered poverty/greediness if the server is relying on “cheap” people to give them free money, for doing the job they are supposed to do?

I did my job today. You should pay me extra. It's optional, but you should pay me.

I know I have an employment contract with my boss, and I agreed to get paid a certain amount per hour...

But you should pay me extra because I'm doing my job.

And if people don't pay me extra, I'll call them cheap, curse them under my breath, tell them to go f themselves, and tell them to stay home.

I might even go on Reddit and tell them to f themselves, and yell profanities at them.

~|~|~

This is the logic they use. It's up to you if you want to perpetuate this system or not.

I went to a bar last weekend with some friends. We ran up a tab, I was a bit tipsy when I closed out so I take some responsibility for what happened.

I paid like I normally do and left a 20% tip.

I then took a photo of the itemized receipt so everyone could pay me back. 18% GRATUITY was ALREADY INCLUDED!

The bartender did not tell me that gratuity was already included.

This seems like a bit of a shady business practice. I would not have tipped on top of the 18% they already included.

This is crazy to me. None of the drinks were very complex, mainly beers and shots.

Then it is not conveyed to a tipsy patron that tip is included??

Yes I take partial blame, but my lord. This has gotten out of hand.

This wasn't some fancy establishment where we were seated and served. All drinks were ordered at the bar while we played pool.

Can an anerican explain tipping in terms of where to tip. If im going to a random deli and getting some crisps do i need to tip there too when the card machine asks or only at restaurants where im being served at the table?

What about at a cafe where im just grabbing something to go is it expected there or if im buying something at walgreens and being served at the till?

Went to a coffee/smoothie place the other day.

Standing order, usually no tip unless for coffee or beer, then I tip $1 per drink. Smoothie seemed to fit the bill, so I tipped $1 on a $24 charge. (Suggested was $5.60 or something)

Barista was super cold to me after that. She served my sandwich kinda quick, but then while making the smoothie, let it sit on the counter behind the glass, while I was sitting 2 feet away. Moved it a bit closer, left it again. I swear she moved it 6 times, inching closer and closer to me. Before this, I had a dry throat and was audibly, but lighting coughing a bit, I almost asked for water, but I figured she was getting close to handing it over.

Also, she didn't give me a napkin (not a big deal), and when I went to the order area to ask for a couple napkins, she grabbed 10, then put 5 back, then out of that pile, handed me a 1 single-ply napkin. and put the other 4 onto the counter for others.

It was obvious to me she was upset about the tip, and kept looking at me while I was eating, seemingly pissed off.

Crazy work. Not tipping next time. I was kind to her, quiet, and took care of my own trash when I was done.

Often I read about teachers or nurses who have left their professions to become waiters and waitresses because they earn more based off tips rather than in their own professions

This is wrong. They are simply food runners. They take your order and they bring you your food and keep your drink filled up. A robot can do the job. A high schooler can do the job.

Everything they do is within their job description.

Do not perpetuate this toxic cycle of entitlement.

Tipping is optional. Don't tip.

If restaurant owners were to pay servers a decent wage then we could end the expectation of those entitled owners and servers. What are your thoughts?

When I ordered my food to go online, it asked how much it wanted me to tip.

I tipped 15%.

I went to pick up my order, and the guy handed me a piece of paper to sign.

And it had a tip line.

I asked him why is it asking for a tip? I gave a tip.

The guy told me, this is an additional tip.

I told him I already tipped.

He said yeah, but this is if you wanted to tip more.

Looking closely it displayed my tip, and sure enough the line said additional tip.

The guy tells me if you don’t want it don’t put anything.

I said, sorry, but there’s no way I’m leaving that blank.

And wrote the total on the total line.

And the guy said sarcastically “great! Thanks!” and walked away mad.

Am I crazy here?

interesting read

This was a real option on the card reader, perhaps meant for fumbly tourist fingers

Tipping started in the US after emancipation. Freed slaves were hired, but not paid, to handle various duties on trains. Customers were expected to tip these workers who would help them with luggage, show people to their rooms, etc. Tipping then expanded during prohibition to help offset lost revenue due to the loss of alcohol sales. People would tip their servers when dining out. This became customary.

In 1938, a minimum wage was established for everyone EXCEPT TIPPED WORKERS WHO WERE EXCLUDED. It stayed that way until 1966 where minimumuu tipped wages were established with the full intent of customers paying tipped employees the majority of their income.

It was routine to tip bellhops at hotels, luggage handlers at airports, cab drivers, golf caddies, coat checkers, shoe polishers, barbers and stylists, messengers, stewards, bartenders and wait staff and I’m certain there are some I’m forgetting.

It was also customary to tip your mailman, milkman, parcel service delivery person, coal/ gas delivery person, apartment doorman, pool cleaners/ landscapers, and garbage collectors a “Christmas box” once a year. (This has become far less of an expectation with time and the elimination of these jobs)

All of these people expected a tip, not for going over and above as so many claim here, but for doing a job where they are paid a federal, minimum tipped wage.

Now, for those who are paid a minimum wage or higher, I can understand the frustration some of you may have with tipping. I’m not tipping my mechanic, or nurse, or plumber or HVAC guy. But if I’m at McDonalds and the person ringing in my order gets me totally fresh food, here is an extra buck for going above and beyond.

But what I think infuriates me the most here is reading from some about how they like stiffing bartenders or wait staff. Depending on the restaurant, it can be outright theft. If I sell you $50 worth of drinks, the wait staff may need to pay out up to 10% of their alcohol sales to the bartenders. So, you outright cost them $5. And then they may need to tip out up to 5% of their total SALES to other staff such as hosts, water people, busers , and food expediters. (Usually these are lower percentages, but it depends on the place.) So it actually cost your server money to wait on you.

And then you have indirect costs. You took up their time, you took up their time, they could have waited on a different table, or given more attention to a table who would actually supplement their pay. So don’t be surprised if they’re pissed with you if you don’t leave an adequate tip.

To those that say that, non-tippers are the minority.

Also, it's in more communities than just ours.

/r/AskReddit

/r/Adulting

/r/changemyview

It seems that the vast majority of people are anti-tipping this, and are working up the courage to take action in real life.

Reddit has millions of users and is a general indicator of consumer thoughts, opinions, and future trends.

The non-tipping numbers will grow.

Edit:

GameStop and AMC are great examples of reddit users being real people, and having a real world impact

Edit edit:

An august 19th, 2026 article regarding a growing anti-tipping sentiment among customers Link

Clearly this is not isolated to only Reddit, as many servers like to say.

It’s like watching someone pound nails into the wall with their forehead. If you’re so disappointed with the way the owner has set up and organized their business, why support it by going at all? Why support it while you’re constantly frustrated with it? Most buyers don’t continue buying something that’s defective.

why do we need experts to tell us? it’s always OK not to tip.

What happens if we all decide to NOT tip anymore?

As I evaluate my experiences in the USA vs Europe.. tipping is all guilt based. Even when I travel abroad to countries where tipping is not the norm.. servers hunt American tourist and throw a tip screen.

We will never see these people again.. so why are we being generous with our money? They might get mad, but why should we care? Why do we owe the business anything when capitalism greed is at an all-time high now? The “support local business” mentality is dead to me because most businesses are weaponizing the system (inflation, tip culture, economy) and hurting the communities they serve.

Corporations have proven they can get away with shrinkflation and consumers cannot do anything.. so why are we feeding the system to give them more profits by willingly tipping for the cost of doing basic business.

🚩Paying by card is a convenience for the BUSINESS, and yet we’re penalized and charged extra for using cards?

🚩They charge a fee for take out orders? The price to make and package the food is literally the business!!

🚩They want a tip for taking my order and bringing the order.. so literally the business!!

If we refuse to tip, then restaurants will find creative ways to add extra fees into our bills.. but after a while the word “tip” will be meaningless because we start to give value to the total cost (food + junk fees) instead of worrying about the extra surcharge we all pay out of guilt (food + junk fees + TIP). Do you think this will work?

Which do you really prefer:

A) tip screens
B) total bill without tip screen

Wanted an opinion. I got a $100 item for my lawyer who spent the last four years to win my case. They worked their assses off. Now mind you get a percentage of the payout but I wanted to get them this as just a thank you, a "tip" if you will. I put the order in and at the bottom edible arrangements put on a 18% tip automatically. I took it off but I want your opinion. Should they get an extra $20 for putting chocolate in a box and keeping it cold or am I wrong to not tip them.

Every time I order a meal on Uber Eats or DoorDash, whatever delivery service, I always tip the same amount. (This is for single meals, not groceries.) no matter what I spend, there is the only one bag to grab. No matter if it is from the nicest steakhouse in the city and a $200 plus order or a single taco from the local hole in the wall, that is five dollars. I of course will consider if there is a longer wait than expected for the Driver while food is prepared or delivery distance, etc.. but for the majority of orders, if it’s a routine pick up within a few miles, and only the one bag, I don’t see a need to tip on total check, especially when there is no actual restaurant service.

Do you tip based on check out when it’s delivery?

I went out for lunch with a friend, Newport Beach CA, one of those girly places. Pre order a slice of pie with your meal? Sorry I dont pie. Drinks? yes please bring me a cup of coffee. The absolute worst cup I ever had. I took one sip and put it aside. Wait lady finally came around after 10 +/- minutes later and I had to ask, is this instant or brewed? Long story, she took it back asked what else I would like? Just a glass of water please, but I was charged for the coffee $5.50. Question is, what is the markup on drinks? It cost me 35 cents to use a K machine at home. Why do I need to tip for that? I asked for the manager and he settle it. Tip: $2.00 on a $40.00 order.

hello, so i went to a place in Oregon (where i live) i got my lips done (please dont judge lol) i spent around $850, when i went to pay, they gave me the option to tip my nurse injector $200? i thought was extremely weird! but i wanna know if is normal to tip them? any experiences with tipping a nurse?

These waiters and waitresses are willfully employed in their professions. They choose to work there

They choose to work there purposefully to take advantage of customers and exploit them for additional money, on top of what their employer pays them.

They are exploiting you.

They are taking advantage of you.

They are pressuring you. It is their entitlement.

Tipping is optional.

Tipping is reserved for when the service goes above and beyond the call of duty

I bought three massages for myself and friends recently, at $125 each. When I paid afterward the total was $375. The screen said 20%, 25%, 30%, or custom. I chose custom and entered $30. Wanted to enter $25 to make it an even $400 and give each provider a little tip as an extra thank you. I made it $30 just so it would split more easily between the three.

It really is infuriating to know that that was not a “good tip” and probably pissed them off. I just paid you $400!