Servers like it, customers like it, business owners like it, clearly we must get rid of it
Yea, so weird. Why is the assumption that we must get rid of it? Why not make the Europeans adopt tipping for a change?
Why Tipping Is Impossible to Get Rid of in America
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Re: Why Tipping Is Impossible to Get Rid of in America
#12Make no mistake, tipping continues in America because most Americans like the system. If you don't like to tip, there are plenty of restaurants where tipping isn't expected; specifically those where you carry the food yourself from the counter to your table. If enough people hated tipping, restaurants that don't have tipping would eventually out-compete those that do. They may yet do so, but presently most of the public seems okay with tipping.
Anecdotally, the culture gap between America and Europe when it comes to obligatory tipping is wider than the issue of tipping. Americans seem to generally value superficial pleasantness more than Europeans do. If a waitress in America is having a bad day, people still expect her to put on a pleasant face for the customers, while in Europe people seem to think it normal that a waitress having a bad day would treat other people in a natural fashion, clip and surly. For my part, I prefer the American culture and try my best to reciprocate. If I'm having a bad day, I try to remain superficially pleasant when interacting with waitresses, or anybody else. My bad day shouldn't become somebody else's bad day.
Tipping is not necessary for that sort of culture, but I do think it helps to reward it, and washes out those waitresses that can't manage it.
Re: Why Tipping Is Impossible to Get Rid of in America
#13You think restaurants are bad... you should see services like UberEats and DoorDash drivers.
I have had orders cancelled by the driver because they found something that tipped higher despite me tipping $7 for something down the street less than 1 mile from my house. I have also tipped $20 only for instructions to be ignored where I put my gate code, unit# and ask for it to just be dropped off at my door step but the driver is so lazy they leave the food on the ground outside the gate on the street.
Re: Why Tipping Is Impossible to Get Rid of in America
#14The odd thing is how specific to restaurants it is, and only a handful of other industries. You dont tip in any other context. If you want the deluxe experience you order the deluxe option. To me this seems wrong. If tipping were so great then why isn't it universal? What is special about restaurants? Taxis/Uber/Lyft want tips. Same with barbers/salons/spas. I know that the gray market is a big factor. Untaxed cash t…
Cash is needed for a free society as it's one of the last ways you can actually have transactions without being mercilessly tracked by large businesses and governments. Getting rid of tipping is another step closer to "cashless societies" that I absolutely never want to take.
Re: Why Tipping Is Impossible to Get Rid of in America
#15Servers like it, customers like it, business owners like it, clearly we must get rid of it
Customers, on average, do not like it. And of the ones who do, a portion of them like it because they can deny people the tip. So they like tipping essentially because they don't.
Anyone telling you that customers "enjoy the agency" is selling you a line of bullshit. Servers will sell you that. Restaurateurs will sell you that. Customers will not.
Re: Why Tipping Is Impossible to Get Rid of in America
#16Servers like it, customers like it, business owners like it, clearly we must get rid of it
Servers like it because it gives them more money, but so would paying them properly. Business owners like it because they save money on not paying their employees good wages. Customers do not like it because it's, essentially, a hidden fee. If I had bad service, I should not be obligated to tip. But society has decided that I owe a 15-25% service fee to my waiter even if the service sucked.
Re: Why Tipping Is Impossible to Get Rid of in America
#17The odd thing is how specific to restaurants it is, and only a handful of other industries. You dont tip in any other context. If you want the deluxe experience you order the deluxe option. To me this seems wrong. If tipping were so great then why isn't it universal? What is special about restaurants? Taxis/Uber/Lyft want tips. Same with barbers/salons/spas. I know that the gray market is a big factor. Untaxed cash t…
Tips are taxed, and probably more likely to be electronic these days rather than cash.
Re: Why Tipping Is Impossible to Get Rid of in America
#18I never really understood why tipping is not considered a bribe (which is why a lot of Asian countries has banned tipping during corruption reforms).
Re: Why Tipping Is Impossible to Get Rid of in America
#19I don't even know what tips are for anymore. Everyone wants a tip. What does it mean? I'm already paying for the product.
I tend to tip high when I do - but recently I've just been questioning it since the tip request has gone up even more.
Re: Why Tipping Is Impossible to Get Rid of in America
#20...in America.
Tipping is the standard in America and other 3rd world countries. The rest of the world should just get used to it and stop complaining.