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Can'o'worms on a Friday: What do we think about tipping and the tipping culture? (kbin.social)

submitted 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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Me? Life would certainly be simpler without it. I am also not sure I'm loving the "tip creep" that cashless payment systems are introducing. But I don't hate it. It just sort of is what it is, part of the American landscape. It affects the type of service we receive and the type of personality that will thrive in a tough job. Now that said, fuck any business who doesn't augment to the local minimum wage if necessary, and double fuck any that steals tips, like the very popular barbecue chain near my house.

My wife was a server in high school and all through college, and she said it was a better job because the tips meant that performance would be (on aggregate) rewarded, and for her at least, it made her effective hourly wage much better than it was when she worked, for instance, retail. She also had a sense that her wage was higher than the restaurant would have been willing to pay in a tipless paradigm. She had regulars she was genuinely fond of, and she felt like she could tell the difference between an asshole and somebody who lacked knowledge or just needed to stretch the budget for that special meal.

I suspect I'll always feel more comfortable in the American system, but in time I've realized that's a wjrii issue, not a Europe issue. Once I grew up a little and wrapped my head around the different dining culture I've encountered in Europe (and the sort of "split the difference" one in Canada), I was able to relax and enjoy the slower pace, and feel less awkward about actively requesting more water or the check when I was ready. I do still tip 15% and feel like I'm getting a bargain, lol.

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[–] Izzy 5 points 1 year ago (1 children)

No service no tip. Realistically this is pretty much only going to mean tipping at restaurants. I'm not going to tip a computer at a counter because someone handed me something. Ideally we would get rid of tipping at restaurants too, but that is more of an ingrained problem.

[–] Digester 4 points 1 year ago

I find it very satisfying whenever I'm promoted with the debit machine (they always expect you to use a card) and I hand over cash instead. I tell them I don't need a receipt, gave the cash and leave as they put the money into the register while trying to figure out how much tip they're getting. I always make sure the cash I hand over is visibly enough (if the total is $18, I give a $20) then leave.

This way I skip the passive aggressive terminal with the minimum tip already on screen and I avoid the akward interaction with the worker when I manually enter a tip below what they expect.

[–] Koopa_Khan 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Tipping has gotten out of hand in this country. Guys at stadium cash registers want tips now. Like no, fuck off and pay your damn employees a liveable wage so they don’t rely on tips or go out of business.

[–] themeatbridge 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Tipping culture is fine as long as the gratuity is gratuitous. Every person working full time should earn a wage that allows them to support themselves and their family, no exceptions.

[–] focusforte 1 points 1 year ago

I hate tipping culture. I feel like tipping should be something given or offered as a bonus, as an extra. Thank you. Not something that is a standard part of the transaction.

I would much rather the business just be honest and up front with the cost of the product or services. Unfortunately though, oftentimes the businesses do not pay their employees a fair wage and tipping is an expectation to make up the difference. In some states there are exceptions to the minimum wage law that allows you to pay an employee who is in a tipped position lower than minimum wage. I think that should be banned.

So the reality is that I do participate in tipping culture because not tipping only punishes the employee, not the person who's actually responsible.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 1 year ago

It's a great, organic system that's a win for everyone:

Laborers get paid better in general, get pay that automatically adjusts for inflation, get paid more on days when they work harder
Restauranteurs pay less in labor and get a sales force that's more motivated to both sell and to provide quality service
Patrons get better service and can choose how much they pay for it

For the pro-labor crowd, I'll also point out that this is a system where laborers can sell their labor to consumers without a managerial middleman taking a cut.

Basically, we've got one industry where we've figured out how to pay a living wage, and we shouldn't fuck with that.