Going from a country where tipping isn’t common to one where it is you realize quickly that tipping is a scam. People should be paid a living wage and tipping should be something that happens from time to time as one wants, not some make or break financial decision for the worker. It creates this awful tension where it’s never enough. 5% wasn’t enough so it became 10% then 15% now 20% now 30% or even 40% and so on. How long until anything short of a 100% tip is seen as disrespectful?
Mr. Pink sees through the emotional extortion.
Absolutely relevant and hilarious timing for me because I’ve seen the following vid only yesterday:
It’s about mister Pink as the smartest guy in the room.
If you live in a backward country, the federal minimum wage for servers might be as low as $2.13 an hour.
That’s called a scam in most places.
If you don’t want to tip in a country where tipping is the norm when eating at a restaurant. Then don’t eat out, it is as simple as that.
If you want to change the laws so they get paid a living wage fine. But don’t short the worker who is just doing their job expecting to be paid. That just makes you an asshole.
Coming from a country where tipping is not the norm and knowingly refusing to tip in places where tipping is the norm also makes you an asshole.
US federal law says that if an employee’s tips fall short of minimum wage then the employer is required to pay the difference.
Do you think they signed up for minimum wage?
While I agree that you shouldn’t short the worker, it also shouldn’t be the customers responsibility to pay extra for the worker. Your argument kind of goes out the window when you look at other jobs where people also get paid minimum wage, but don’t get tips. Why should waiters/waitresses get tips when others don’t? Does the chef not deserve tips too? What about the busser?
Because that is the expectation in the US. The worker is giving you service under the expectation that you will give them a tip. They would not take the job otherwise.
Edit: Aztec, I apologize I didn’t read your full comment until after I posted so everything below this line doesn’t apply to you. But I’m leaving it up for everyone else in this thread who thinks it’s ok not to tip after being served.
If you stated in your comment that you start meals honestly by stating to the server that you don’t tip, I would accept your argument. But you didn’t and nobody does.
You could choose to express to the employer that they should pay their staff enough so you don’t have to tip. Then choose to not eat there if they don’t. But you didn’t state that in your comment.
Instead you choose to eat your meal and fuck over the person serving your food. Content to say the tip is optional and you don’t have to pay it. The server did their job and got shafted by you, they still have to pay 1 to 3 percent of your check total to the bussers and the bar.
You’re just making excuses to feel better about fucking someone over.
You could easily use this same logic (if you can’t afford the tip don’t eat out) the other way: if you can’t make enough in a tipping profession when someone doesn’t tip don’t work there.
Tipping is also highly biased, good looking people get more. There are racial aspects. The whole thing sucks.
I’m ok with tipping for performance, tipping as expectation is terrible. All of this is stupid anyway we should be taxing wealthy people and making the world a better place for all.
