> I hate the whole concept of tipping as promoted in the USA.Of all the ways people choose to spend their money, tipping is a strange one to hate. It is not like Taylor Swift pointlessly flying around the world to the detriment of the environment, and thus everyone. It seems pretty foolish, I get that, but fools and their money are to be easily parted. What is the harm in their foolish fun?
> I see it as a way that owners can avoid paying the relevant taxes for employing their staff
Assuming staff will be paid more. That is unlikely in a lot of cases.
Granted, if you are in one of the states that allows tip credits that would be more true given that they would be legally required to move up to minimum wage irrespective of tips, but many states require that staff be paid at least the full minimum wage already and tipping is still just as common in those places.
It is not like McDonalds is paying their staff more without tips (above excepted). Like the death of manufacturing saw an end to high paying manufacturing jobs, the end of tipping would see an end to the $50/hr. waitress. It wouldn't be supplanted.
> why just waiting staff?
You can tip whomever you want — or not tip at all. But in most cases only the business is liable, so it is the only entity you need to please. When alcohol is involved, however, the server becomes liable, so it is in your interest to grease those wheels else get cut off. It is not like anyone tips the waiting staff at McDonald's. It traditionally has only been a custom where alcohol is found for that reason.
But it wasn't long before people realized that they enjoy it! It gives them the thrill of "sticking it to the man", or "helping out the little guy", or in some cases "Look at me. I can pay you more than your own boss can! Aren't I great?". In fact, they liked it so much they have started tipping in other places.
> I'm in the UK, so we mainly have service charges added to the bill to take the place of tips which is a much better system.
That sounds like a tip by another name. How is that a better system? It seems exactly the same (except the customer can't easily opt out of it). Many places in the US do that too (oft known as an auto-gratuity), especially for large parties in restaurants, for what it is worth.
> I also like the Japanese culture of non-tipping and that they may get offended by customers leaving tips.
Whereas on the other side of the pond the opposite is true. I picked up some shifts as a server a while back for what is a long story, but suffice to say money wasn't my motivation. I was collecting a developer's paycheck at the same time, meaning, as I am sure you can math, I was making way more than 99% of the people I was serving, so I felt pretty strange and pathetic taking their "pity money", so I tried rejecting them.
That didn't end well. Customers started getting quite upset with me. In one case I bypassed the tip screen on the credit card machine and the customer not fully paying attention didn't notice and walked out without tipping. Five minutes later he comes stomping back in and gave me an earful about not taking his tip while shoving cash in my face.
I used to think like you, but once I actually experienced it, it became abundantly clear that the customers are there to tip in the kind of establishment that is built on that type of business. It is part of the experience.
Those sitting at home staring at a screen might not understand the appeal, but they aren't the customer.