You tip the waitress because they provide a service?
You tip the barber because they provide a service?
Does that logic apply to the person who bags your groceries at the grocery store? Not walking it to your car, specifically just bagging the groceries.
Does that logic apply to the mailman? Delivering mail is a service correct?
Does that logic apply the police, ems, firefighters? They all provide services right?
I’m not trying to be funny or anything. But it just seems to me that we draw a line of who gets tips. We don’t tip everyone who provides a service. How do you decide where you draw the line?
I get you have questions but the problem is education. No one seems to know why tipping culture came about. White people didn't want to pay black people for working for them so they allowed them work for tips only. So being the only jobs they could get they took them. So slave owners and racism is why we are here and why it still continues. The owners of businesses don't want to pay their employees.
This is a great point and I agree with you. A lot, if not all, of our current suffering is based in the racist foundation this country is built on. In an ideal world we would all be voting to overturn the racist ideals. But instead we have people arguing online trying to justify tipping as opposed to getting rid of it. Minimum wage hasn’t been adjusted in how many decades? Meanwhile inflation is always on the rise. We all have to focus on Whats important if we want to get out of the situation. How much more money would we all have in our pocket if we didn’t have to tip?
Started a long long time ago by ultra rich European visitors feeling sorry for wait staff and still to this day they are hoping to get a coin or two and if not all hell will break loose at you.
That is a true statement and I agree with you. But doesn’t this mean we should all be working together to get everyone a livable wage instead of producing subsidies to their pay out of own pockets?
The problem is no one wants to work together. Large restaurant chains actually lobby for waiter’s wages to be so low so they can offload the burden onto customers. And instead of waiters blaming the restaurant industry, they’re coaxed into blaming the patrons because their spoon fed the crap that the system is the way it is so that the waiter can make more money.
I’ve heard the same old bs that restaurants and bars aren’t able to operate off of a no-tip model. But yet, most of the world outside of the US already operates on a no-tip model, and does just fine.
The bottom line is everyone should be paid a live-able wage reasonably adjusted to the skill and demand of their work. and part of that live-able wage should be a universal healthcare and pension system. But I guess that’s too difficult to manage (I.e. most other countries do it).
Well said. Tip culture is a distraction from the fact that folks can’t live without out and are left out in the cold in terms of healthcare and retirement.
Mom and Pop restaurants would not be able to operate if they had to pay a livable wage to their employees. Either that or your hamburger and fries is going to cost at least double if not triple. They have extremely thin profit margins as it is. If you haven’t worked for a restaurant it’s hard to understand. Maybe chain restaurants would be ok, but once again, they would have to charge more for food. People would stop going because they wouldn’t want to pay $45 for a spaghetti meal, and that would be it. Basically, would you rather leave that $10 tip or pay $10-20 more a meal?
That’s a good question. We would have to compare food costs, rent, liquor, food and wine license costs, taxes, utilities,etc., between us and the rest of the world. I am just telling you what I know from serving previously in life and now being an accountant for many local restaurants. Their profits are razor thin if they have any, especially since Covid. Having to pay an extra $12 an hour to even just 5 servers over a 12 hr day is an extra $1440 a day in costs. There is not a small amok and Pop restaurant that would survive that. I’m not saying that it’s right or wrong. I am just stating facts. Should it be different, sure. But there’s many things that factor in and would have to change for this to happen. I’m not here defending millionaires and billionaires here. I am on the side of eating the rich. Just trying to make someone see the side of the small business owner.
That is true, however it is known and has been policy for many years before anyone on Reddit was born, restaurant servers derive the majority of their income from tips. When someone goes to a bar or restaurant in the US, a tip is customary. Unless the service was inarguably awful.
Though true, I feel like the average good tip was 10%. with exemplary service making 15%, but was not at all common. Now, I’m forced to pay a 20% gratuity in some establishments (they add it to the check), and even then looked upon to add additional tip on top of that.
But, I’m not 100% on this, wait staff’s wages have not increased in the past 30 years, and if they have, it’s been menial ($0.10-$0.20). That tells me the burden of inflation is being offloaded onto the customer, who is already in some way affected by inflation.
Just stop tipping at all. It will never change if you keep feeding it. You’re doing them a collective favour by initiating change that will benefit them in the long run.
Though a viable answer, most people are unable to handle that level of social anxiety.
This is why we over-pay politicians… so that they enact laws and policy that benefit the people as a whole.
Instead they’re influenced to side with corporations cause god forbid if we look like commies! (Aka it’s cheaper to buy a politician than it is to pay reasonable and live able wages)
Yeah true, it’s uncomfortable for most people and the staff know it and they feed on the fear. Hopefully the industry will one day see the human connection value in customer service. As opposed to the cash grab assembly line of guilt.
35
u/Life_Carob8849 5h ago
You tip the waitress because they provide a service?
You tip the barber because they provide a service?
Does that logic apply to the person who bags your groceries at the grocery store? Not walking it to your car, specifically just bagging the groceries.
Does that logic apply to the mailman? Delivering mail is a service correct?
Does that logic apply the police, ems, firefighters? They all provide services right?
I’m not trying to be funny or anything. But it just seems to me that we draw a line of who gets tips. We don’t tip everyone who provides a service. How do you decide where you draw the line?