Tipping Culture Is Completely Broken

[@thefinancialdiet]

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[@me0101001000]

If the business cannot pay a living wage, the business should not exist.

[@b0nitaapplebum]

One of the problems seems is small business are less and less being able to exist because of big corps / the government supporting them makes it not able to compete and give those good wages which I also would love to see

[@me0101001000]

@b0nitaapplebum and that's why we need co-ops. Ownership of the business by all employees, not some external entities. I 1000% understand that corporations are making small businesses more and more unviable. And yes, more does need to be done for these small businesses in all sectors, from grocery stores to high end tech. Consumer boycotts, grassroots movements, union organization, we need to do absolutely anything we can.

[@naomisteinhagen66]

If that was a reality you would erase millions of businesses. Cuz…. No one is being paid a living wage.

[@john2g1]

​@@b0nitaapplebum what is with this constant government blame? Sure sure sometimes corporations lobby for a regulation that is meant to gate keep. However, 99% of the time that the government "hurts small businesses" it's either: 1. Large companies have figured out a way to exploit benefits for small businesses to the point that they hurt small businesses 2. Large businesses created so much unmitigated damage that regulations had to be put in place For the second reason it is rare that some sort of "50 employees or less" exception isn't written into any new regulations or laws. For the first look at how Timu and Shien are structured so on paper they appear to be a small business. Avoiding taxes/tariffs while simultaneously moving so much product the choke out any small competition. Why make a shipping contract with a small business when you can make bank with Temu?

[@mastpg]

You're holding back the number because......

[@Zukiso]

Funny how it’s ”if you can’t afford to tip, you can’t afford to eat out”; but it’s never “if you can’t afford to pay your workers a living wage, you can’t afford to be in business”

[@greentea673]

Wdym, people often say both. If you’re still going to the business that refuses to pay their workers a living wage, then how are you any better than the owner?

[@jackywong9743]

@@greentea673 thats like saying u should not buy things that are made in China or Bangladesh because that makes u the same as the businesses who exploit the cheap labor there

[@triaxe-mmb]

​@@jackywong9743it kind of does, but the shopping of such good in places is kind of unavoidable since we make very few of those low cost high labor items in the US anymore. We do have restaurants and coffee shops that have tried to do away with tips by charging more so they can pay more...most have ended up dying as a business since all the buyer is looking at when they purchase is the cost on the menu/screen/board and forget that there is no tipping needed....

[@aarongruberg6661]

It is both. It has always been both. If you are enjoying a delicious little treat you are in an extremely privileged position. Stop acting like this is complicated and help people who are making minimum wage if you are able to. If you can’t then that’s fine but stop acting like this is so wrong that you are confronted with this choice. If tipping is really threatening your budget than you are going out multiple times per day everyday and this would probably hurt your budget even if tipping didn’t exist. If you really don’t think you should leave a tip leave the smallest option available. Every little bit adds up and lots of places pool tips so you’re not just helping the person serving you.

[@jackywong9743]

You are confusing affordability with willingness. Tipping doesnt do a bit to my budget. Not a tiny bit. I can afford to tip $100 on a $20-meal. Do I want to? Not a bit. I dont tip not because I cannot afford to. It is because I do not want to. I go to a restaurant to eat not to help someone who makes less. If I want to do charity, i would go to gofundme, not a restaurant.

[@LHS427]

Wealthy business owners love this model because you’re subsidizing their workforce costs.

[@ashleyvashley]

exactly

[@monriatitans]

Just like Walmart is being subsidized by taxpayers.

[@ItWasSaucerShaped]

i am not a wealthy business owner and i like this model because it means with my shitty income i can afford to go to a fckn restaurant so yeah, i don't mind paying $5 to subsidize the work being done because it means i get a service i otherwise wouldn't be able to access

[@aubslee]

@@ItWasSaucerShaped The fight for a living wage for restaurant workers is the same fight to raise wages for everyone. Changing the model is important because the goal is to put more money in your pocket to hopefully result in more disposable income to spend on going out.

[@laurakirwan999]

Along with strategies that include not giving enough hours etc so that employees have to rely on assistance from the state in order to live. They box employees into poverty so that the workers who work hard for employers can force these workers into getting money from the government.

[@pablozky21]

You could say the US has reached a tipping point

[@UndeadGirlCyber]

Pun appreciated.

[@FloridaTrini]

Very underrated comment. Well done.

[@2ndlife-ql1hc]

and interesting to know that 2% of customers never pay tips😢

[@randomsarcasm2022]

You're super cute.

[@googlyeyeballs444]

knee slapper

[@_princesski]

i remember back in the day when a 20% tip was considered extremely generous and reserved for only when the service was the best of the best

[@AshenVictor]

Yeah, cost of living went up and minimum wages didn't, so tipped service staff need the customer to cover more of it. But people want to kid themselves that the real price of food is lower than it is so those service staff won't get real wages because it would show up in the sticker price.

[@elenakh5561]

⁠​⁠@@AshenVictorthe service staff need the OWNER to cover more of it

[@DireDandelion]

​​@@AshenVictor Tipping is a percentage, so the cost of the food/service increasing means that the more historical 15% is also still more money. Expecting an extra 5%-7% on top of the 15% and consumer already paying more is just ridiculous.

[@DuckyB]

@@AshenVictorThe minimum wage in my State is $16.66 and in my city $20.76 so your blanket statement that the minimum wage has not increased is not true in all instances. Also employers in my state may not use a “tip credit” or reduce the wages of waiters by the amount of tips they receive. Not meaning to be snarky just saying what is true in the communities you are familiar with is not true in all places.

[@heidiheidi0]

Back in the day? That was like pre-Covid

[@stephanie1460]

My husband and I recently went to a restaurant and when were handed the bill, the waiter informed us that there was an automatic 20% tip added to the bill. While that was the amount that we would have tipped, we were taken aback by the fact that the restaurant thought that was appropriate. Upon reviewing their menu closer, we found the fine print that indicated that a 20% tip would be added to all bills, no matter the size. I’m all for restaurant staff making a living wage, but that was not the way to do it. A mandatory tip is not a tip. Just raise the prices of the food by 20% and then pay the staff appropriately!

[@ADWebTV]

They should have just called it a service fee instead of a tip.

[@TheAmazingOne]

I think adding an automatic tip is fine as long as it’s clear that they’re going to add it. It’s basically the same as raising the menu prices and telling people that tips aren’t expected. But if they just directly raised the menu prices then people would irrationally think the food is more expensive compared to a restaurant where tips are expected. And also people would be inherently a bit uncomfortable with the idea that they really don’t need to tip. Adding an automatic service fee (or automatic tip, whatever you want to call it) works better within the current system where most restaurants expect tips

[@heartofthewild680]

What was the name of the restaurant?

[@reasonitician]

California *almost* banned those hidden fees entirely. Until Scott Wiener put a carve in the law for restaurants.

[@DoraFauszt]

We see this in Europe come up more often as "service fees" on the bill, usually around 10-15%.

[@global2829]

The "no tax on tips" proposals are a big step in the wrong direction. Creating a special class of tax-free income will just encourage more of the practice, rather than what we need, which is less prevalent tipping.

[@moxxibekk]

It discourages moving up in the company too. I think it was the Show Parenthood, one of the characters was a bar tender, and wanted to take on a management position. Her boss told her flat out she would be great for the promotion, but to keep in mind that even with the pay bump, she would be making less because she wouldn't earn tips or overtime anymore. So she decided not to (she needed the money to support her and her kids)

[@global2829]

@@moxxibekk In high school I was working in a restaurant as a buser/dishwasher. We got tipped out every night by the waitstaff. I could have moved to the kitchen (which I would've preferred) but stuck with the dishwashing since I didn't want to take the paycut.

[@TheAshleydelmar]

As someone who lives in Europe, this is bizzare. I didn't tip when I lived in Canada either. This a exploitative on both sides and it won't stop unless people (consumers) fight back.

[@Anastasiamitchell21]

As European would completely agree!

[@_oaktree_]

Agreed, as a Canadian. We don't have a sub-minimum ("tipped minimum") wage here anymore, at least in Ontario. I still tip for table service these days, and even then only because people literally will shame you if you don't. But I don't tip for anything BUT table service at a restaurant, and even then I will tip only 15%. And now I'm wondering if I should even be doing that for anything but exceptional service - all the employees are supposed to be making at least minimum wage.

[@tatianaliane1624]

As a Canadian who travels, I’m finding it more and more confusing to go to Europe and other places if they are heavily visited by American tourists. In the last decade there’s become a sudden expectation of tipping to an American level in spaces where that never used to exist. Tourist areas are now a mix of American culture and the country’s culture and it’s really hard to navigate.

[@TheAshleydelmar]

@@tatianaliane1624 As someone who lives here, please don't tip. We don't want the American tipping culture to ruin things for us here. Especially in places like Eastern Europe where people's wages are very low, American style tipping is starting to make things unsustainable for local people. Please don't tip when you come here.

[@squareenixffost]

I totally agree since is ridiculous for tipping culture to even be invented

[@mayormccheese6171]

In Australia NO ONE tips. Aussies would rather see the business close. if you need tips to survive you are being exploited, and you should not allow that business to get away with it.

[@TheAshleydelmar]

Same with Europeans. Especially Eastern Europeans, we would rather see businesses close than have to tip.

[@minaimo]

I've seen it in some place (e.g. uber eats) and I flat out refuse on principle

[@namedrop721]

Yeah so like can I come stay on your couch? 😂

[@maple4633]

Same with NZ. When I worked at a bar, I made $26 an hour (USD15), and we weren't allowed to accept anything other than cash tips. The occasional coins I got from tourists meant I could pay for my laundromat... lol

[@Asharra12]

Yep! And this is pretty universal from what I've heard among Australians. We hate it and never pay on principle. From what I've seen, there was a bit of a push for in during the pandemic, but fewer places seem to be doing that here now.

[@belac4979]

Tipping culture is really strange for me as a Brazilian. Just recently a video went viral, about a restaurant that was charging a 10% tip, and a group of customers were refusing to pay it. There was a big tumult, and the clients called the police. Not only the clients were able to leave without paying, the police asked them to press charges against the restaurant. Turns out that's illegal here, and the owner may face up to 1 year in prison

[@perlamedrano3637]

Tipping Fatigue is real and we the customer should not be blamed for it

[@tatianaliane1624]

Especially with the cost of living being what it is. Ok I can get behind “don’t go out and dine if you can’t tip.” That’s a luxury. But don’t get fast food, coffee, or any of the other things that include a tipping option now?? I often don’t even know it’s coming. There was one time there was a tip option somewhere I didn’t see it coming and the worker there told me that the workers don’t even get the tips - it wasn’t an industry that’s typically considered a tipping industry (it was like an electronics store), so there was no regulatory requirement. The store had started leaving the option for tipping on their machines and people had started leaving them, and the store just swallowed the extra profit. You were just literally choosing to pay a higher price for the hell of it.

[@john2g1]

I think there's a huge part of this that you guys are missing and it's modern point of sale (POS) services. For a while it was easier than ever to open up a food truck, coffee shop, "limo" or any other service because of the proliferation of Clover and Square. These are a disruption to NCR and the other big POS companies that I can't think of. Eventually more traditional businesses made the switch to Clover/Square because they were more affordable. Funny thing though. These new POS companies equipment is affordable or free. Their operation fees are affordable or free. So how do they exist? They take a tiny percentage of each POS. A $100 sale is now a $120 sale if you tip. That's a 20% higher profit for the POS company. The tip screen went from being something that you could activate or printed out on the receipt... To something that was active by default... To something that can't be removed even if you edit your settings.

[@PareliusC]

As a barista I would agree with you if customers would just ask for what was on the menu. I often have customers who expect me to remember their drinks, who I have to work with them to figure out what they want, who ask for special drinks, who ask why they cant have the wasted shot for free, or the leftover steamed milk for free.

[@john2g1]

@@PareliusC Agreed. If I ask for extra, or do anything beyond the basic menu I tip.

[@justletmesleep_]

Tried to order a custom cake, and the google form had a MANDATORY tip% question. Like the cake hasn't even been made yet. Plus, the business owner is setting the cake price. Why does this call for a tip? I could hit the 'other' option and put $0 but then I'm nervous they'll make a bad cake. So I'm just not buying the cake there :/

[@_oaktree_]

I saw that at a hair salon recently - I had to input my credit card in order to make an appointment online, and it wanted to force me to pre-select a tip. I just didn't make the appointment at all and I will never patronize that business now.

[@stenomaestro]

That is really shady. I’m a very generous tipper, but definitely not before the service has even been rendered!

[@justletmesleep_]

@@stenomaestro same! I would absolutely tip *after* I got the cake but not before I've even seen or tasted it.

[@snowwhitecupcakes272]

I experience this as well. There are many places I no longer go to because just to make an appointment you need to tip. Exact same scenario as the cake example. People in my neighborhood are tipping their pest control people. I just want to know how much something costs. My friend paid $10,000 to a small company to move her belongings. She was then expected to tip. Tip what? 20% on $10k?

[@ashleysartattack5600]

@@_oaktree_they strted doing that at one of my favorite restaurants in DC and I was also taken aback. I called them jist to make sure it wasn’t a scam. But they said it was true. They said there’s even a $35 cancellation fee now! And apparently it didnt go over well because now they dont even take reservations anymore. 😂

[@AloBlossom]

I’d rather businesses increase the price of goods and services and completely remove service fees & tips.

[@Moonlightkitteh101]

I've increasingly avoided grabbing food, stopping for coffee, etc. over the years. I tell myself it's because Im financially responsible, but honestly half the reason is to avoid the moral awkwardness of tipping

[@lmshanyfelt]

Same. It makes me anxious. I hate everything about it, so my family eats out less than we otherwise would.

[@studiofiftyflora]

I wear sunglasses to pick up my smoothie which I order ahead of time online as to not have to awkwardly not tip in their face. Sometimes I tip though.

[@michaelvo-chau6337]

My wildest experience was when we were told we were told there’s an ADDITIONAL 15% added to our check at a restaurant to pay for their staff’s healthcare. Like WHY burden your customer with this?

[@Chikitew]

@@michaelvo-chau6337 I mean, it probably would have been baked into the prices at the restaurant regardless. Not defending the owner, but customers are always “burdened” by price markups in general to generate a profit. If anything, that business is just being a little too transparent.

[@MissNoechen]

Thing is, in theory, the customer pays for all of the staffs healthcare, wages etc. In Europe however, it just means the menu items have that included in their price. I think it's weird to not have it be part of the thing's price - I wouldn't pay an extra fee on my home goods for employee healthcare, I'd rather just have slightly more expensive price for the thing itself!

[@chelsea7229]

We’re all so tired. It’s been difficult and guilt-inducing, but I’ve learned to say no over the past few years and it’s been good for my mental health. I still tip at sit down restaurants but anyone else- baristas, ice cream shop, smoothie place, casual restaurant where I order at the till- my answer is “no.” I’m paying for the product and not the service. My breaking point was when my local SELF SERVE yogurt place started asking on the screen and I realized there was no end in sight, and I just needed to start saying ‘no.’ 🤷‍♀️

[@dweebcentric]

Same about the self-serve place!

[@nimravus01]

I feel the same way. I too had a breaking point at being asked to tip at self service just like the froyo thing.

[@FezUsocrazy]

I treat coffee places with the same rule as bars: If i see you making the drink, $1 tip per drink. Otherwise I don't tip unless its a sit-down place

[@tatianaliane1624]

I feel like it further enforces the class divide too. “Don’t do __ unless you can afford to tip.” So now poorer people aren’t supposed to grab a frozen yogurt or fast food burrito?

[@Chikitew]

@@tatianaliane1624that argument has hardly ever been used to justify the fast food/self-serve tipping prompt. Realistically it’s only been applied to sit-down restaurants and delivery services.

[@emahase7284]

I found it interesting when I went to Japan because tipping is considered an insult. As a European, I tip only at sit down restaurants and when the service is good. The US really needs a tipping (and unionising) revolution.

[@cultmecca]

Make tipping an insult everywhere

[@Pit31415]

Not exactly an insult, more like they feel undeserving of tips for simply doing their jobs. It works for Japan because virtually everyone thinks similarly on social norms

[@Asharra12]

​@Pit31415 I mean, it's considered an insult to many people here in Australia too. No one will call you out, but you'll get major side eye if you do it in public.

[@jjcika7504]

I hate services that ask for a tip before you get the service... I don't usually use doordash but when I have i felt like if I don't tip then I will be at risk of having bad service, instead of a tip being a reward for good service. I just want it to be gone altogether

[@_princesski]

this is very true. doordash/ubereats drivers can see if you left a tip in the app and decide whether or not they accept your order based on that

[@wendisparadeofperfumes5034]

I feel like Doordash is a different situation. You're basically bidding on a service. People pick what jobs to take based on what people are willing to pay. These people aren't actually employees at all.

[@HumbleWooper]

@@wendisparadeofperfumes5034 Very true, most places in the USA we're classed as "independent contractors" so they don't have to offer us the same benefits, protections, etc as they would if we were employees. I get a 1099 from my company at tax time, rather than a W-2.

[@upup_and_away]

As a customer, you dont "tip" delivery drivers. You are paying them for their services. They make even less than waiters and bartenders. Doordashers make $3 per delivery without a tip There have been times where I spent over an hour picking up an order and delivering it. And I was tipped $2. I made $5 for over an hour of work, and was not reimbursed anything for the gas or wear on my car. So basically I lost money working for someone else.

[@tn8824]

It doesn't even matter if you give a generous tip on food delivery apps. The service is spotty on ALL of them. So over paying as much in delivery charges, fees, and tip as the cost of the meal. I wish restaurants still had their own delivery drivers like they used to.

[@Fabdanc]

I hate to be the person who says this, I am not responsible for keeping your cafe/restaurant afloat. If you had a bad business plan, struggling to keep your business open, you are surviving by keeping food prices low, and expecting the consumer to tip your workers so you can pay less and stay open... You probably shouldn't be in business. I think we need to have scrutiny on business owners, of all sizes, on their expectation that they have a right to operate. In other countries, you may have cafe/restaurant owners who are the same class as their workers. Whereas in the US, a restaurant owner/cafe owner has an expectation amongst their business owning colleagues to be making a high level of profit -- you gotta be rich, or what are you doing?

[@elenakalliste]

You’re 100% correct, but the argument only works if people boycott the business. A lot of people use this logic to avoid tipping, but still patronize the businesses they claim to have an issue with. But that’s just hypocrisy, to still want the service but not want to pay for it.

[@Fabdanc]

@elenakalliste agreed and good call-out on my comment! It is certainly a vicious cycle that is difficult to break.

[@maetherabbit9999]

If your business model requires tips to pay your employees, your business model sucks. Other countries make business owners pay a fair wage and we all cope just fine.

[@Kay-jk3zj]

I feel like all the tips I leave in a week would add up to one meal I could have purchased additionally that week. Also the way the cashier hawk watches the register once it asks you for a tip is crazy

[@bamafencer12]

Yes and the guilt is there. I was at Qdoba one night and it even ask for a tip. A fast casual dump at best. I was guilted into a 10% tip.

[@Dinglebearry]

I have zero guilt doing 0% for fast food service. 90% of the time the service and food is ass anyway

[@tatyanala9777]

As a restaurant server, it is so frustrating to go to a counter type of place and be prompted to tip 15-18% when I literally saw the cashier for 2 seconds. Where as I will do a full service at a table and it is also the same 15-18% options!

[@t.c.3393]

Where I live, the options are 20%, 22% and 25%. 🫤

[@SquirrellyShenanigans]

@@t.c.3393 yeah if I see that I automatically give 10% get out of here with that nonsense. tipping is OPTIONAL. people seem to forget that fact.

[@Author.Noelle.Alexandria]

I was promted for a 20%-25%-30% tip for putting a bag of trail mix on the counter. Like…why is the cashier supposed to get $3-$4 for something they didn’t touch?

[@backpain4ever505]

As the consumer, we don’t know what happens to the tips we leave or if the servers are making a wage plus tips or what that wage is. They want us to think 25-30% is the new norm but that is an outrageous amount of money. also, the suggested tips on the receipt includes the tax in the total, and we don’t have to tip on tax. I usually just get take out now and one reason why is because of the expectation of huge tips.

[@amysuarez2456]

One of my first jobs as a kid was in a Chinese buffet. I only got paid in tips and even then, if the customer tipped at the tip jar, that money wasn't mine because "your tips get left at the table". Also I'm pretty sure my tips were getting stolen by my boss because I was only allowed to put the money in a specific place. I am and have been VERY paranoid when it comes to tipping.

[@trotterjt82]

Yes, they break out three tip options (here it's usually 18%, 20%, 22%) but it's on the total with tax, not the subtotal. No way am I including a tip on tax.

[@perthfanny3017]

​@@trotterjt82it feels scammy. If you tip 20% on the total including tax, you're actually tipping more than 20% 😬

[@Author.Noelle.Alexandria]

My now-former favorite takeout place now adds 22% gratuity to takeout. I’m already in a state with the highest minimum and the tipped wage was entirely abolished. I don’t go there anymore.

[@jjcika7504]

Also "if you can't afford to tip, you can't afford to go out" is great and true from a personal finance point, but if those people who tip 5-10 percent or whatever dont go out then what? The restaurant loses business and the waiter loses out on the little tip they may have received. Unless the place is always packed, its not a good perspective for the business i think Like, the below minimum wage worker isnt going to get tip money if the person stays home either... lol. I don't think these businesses OR the tipped employees would actually like if a large swath of their customer base started making the wise financial decision to not go out to eat. Such as the money saving advice of tipping 18 instead of 20. In this video she makes the point that it will translate to a few thousand dollars in loss to the waiter if customers did this. So what would happen if it went from 20 to 0? Idk, i think "dont go out if you cant afford to tip" is more of a frustrated refrain from underpaid people directing their frustration at whats in front of them instead of seeing what theyre saying as against their best interest anyway. Its just a distraction to keep the frustration angled horizontally instead of up. From my perspective, its not a call to action telling people to stay home when they're tight on funds. Its an attempt to guilt people to go out and pay more anyway.

[@branthlysauveur359]

Yes it is a guilt tripping mechanism. Service workers are directing their anger toward the wrong people.

[@dweejaltorado9825]

I think people actually started following that advice and stopped going out and then restaurants were like "Wait, no not like that!" I used to go out to eat with my friends every weekend (I pack my lunch for work during the weekdays). Now it's maybe once or twice a month at the most or we just do little potlucks instead.

[@nervousbreakdown711]

I’ll never forget when my mother would talk about how hard it was to work as a waitress through college until she worked at a fancy restaurant and got really good tips. I made a comment about how everyone should just be paid a living wage instead of relying on tips. She said she didn’t like that because she made good money at fancy dining. I asked what the other waiters were supposed to do. She said they should get better jobs. If that’s not the American mentality, I don’t know what is.

[@jackywong9743]

She only liked it becase she got tips. The whole point is pro-tipper would say "if u dont tip then they dont make any money" and my counter-argument is "then go find a job that pays better"

[@benitiful]

1: The server isnt "screwed over by the customer" for not tipping, they are screwed by their employer and a government that enables exploitation of employees. 2: To say "that money doesn't exist... the business model is designed on tipping... the solution is not that simple..." is ludicrous. Outside of America most people in developed countries make a livable wage in the service industry. Don't complicate it more than it needs to be. It's like America and guns.. you can look around and see many successful examples of the opposite, but these politicians are so corrupted by lobbying that people can't see the solution right in front of them.

[@Author.Noelle.Alexandria]

I’m in a state where the tipped wage is entirely eliminated. The costs in restaurants isn’t that much higher at all than it is in states that allow tipping. I’m also in the state with the highest minimum. It’s still very doable, though we are still expected to tip 25%-30%.

[@MissNoechen]

On very principle, within the current system, number 2 is technically right. In other countries, wages are just priced into the price of menu items, just like rent and utilities for the physical restaurant are Since that is currently not done in the US, the money currently doesn't exist. However, it could, by slightly raising menu prices. It's not that difficult to achieve

[@dweejaltorado9825]

It's exhausting because we as the customer are blamed for everything. If we don't tip, it's socially negative and we are perceived as cheap. If we don't go out to eat, then we get blamed for not supporting the industry. Yet they want to reduce portions, raise prices, and ask us to tip at least 20% minimum. I lost a lot of sympathy over restaurants closing down. The greed is insane.

[@lebaronmarcus]

Wage theft is so common in the US, and so rarely talked about. Thanks for educating your viewers about how tipping culture leads to wage theft. I'll highlight an aspect you touched on: rising tips with a stagnant minimum wage is part of "the great risk shift" of the past 25 years, where we've shifted from reliable wages and variable corporate profits to reliable corporate profits and variable wages

[@X3N14]

American tipping culture is crazy. Employers should pay workers a livable wage, not the customers. Tips should be a gratuity. The entire world has figured out how to do this except the USA. With the coming economic downturn, tipping is going to go down even more. “If you can’t afford to tip, don’t go out” is about to be a harsh reality for a lot of people with the rising cost of food. I’d rather restaurants raise prices and workers have a decent salary than continue this weird cycle.

[@jimgeneva2464]

Why can’t workers use low paying jobs as part of the natural ladder towards success? Low paying jobs are at the bottom of the ladder for a reason.

[@Author.Noelle.Alexandria]

The rest of the world also figured out that more guns leads to more gun violence, and that socialized healthcare lowers prices while enabling more people to see doctors. Americans know this, but like having control over others.

[@ketameanii]

the minimum wage had way more purchasing power in 2009. Prices have adjusted for inflation (or greedflation) since then. Why shouldn’t wages increase then?

[@kouleeofficial]

A lot of waiters and waitress’ are against getting paid around $18-$20 an hour too, because they know that they can make more in one day that a lot of people make in a few days. But they won’t ever admit that.

[@Sundji]

And that sucks because it's such a small proportion of them. The majority of them don't make a livable wage and the ones that do probably have some sort of privilege that increases their tips. They're pretty, they don't have a foreign accent etc.

[@PasCorrect]

They shouldn't worry! In Ontario, we did away with the lower servers' minimum wage in 2022. Yet restaurants continue to ask for 18-25% tips, for literally no reason.

[@Author.Noelle.Alexandria]

@@Sundji Depends on where you are. I’m in a state that abolished the tipped wage entirely, and we have the highest minimum. Servers are well known to be one of the best paid jobs because 25%-30% is expected on menu prices that already built in at least minimum wage and benefits.

[@katfayegarrett3872]

They are admitting it here in Michigan

[@teenindustry]

I thought 20 was generous

[@erima4270]

This! I was taught 10% was the norm for "regular" restaurants, 15% for standout service and 20% for fancy restaurants. 20% being the norm is really getting out of control.

[@2FINE4YOUBABYGIRL]

Same it’s kinda crazy that 20 percent is regular

[@SquirrellyShenanigans]

20% is generous stop letting people make us feel like we are stingy.

[@Dinglebearry]

It is. I rarely tip 20%

[@Author.Noelle.Alexandria]

20% is the bare minimum now, and I’m seeing 22%, and at a few places, the options are 25%-30%-35%, and the numbers are big so those behind you can see.

[@verablack3137]

I just stopped using tipped services for the most part, if I see the little add tip screen I just don’t go there again.

[@perthfanny3017]

Are you still able to do things? I went on a 10 day trip to CA and we went to plenty of food and coffee places. We often did takeout or ordered standing up at a counter. I think there was only one time when we were not asked for a tip on a screen. It was at Chick FIL A.

[@verablack3137]

@@perthfanny3017 I would consider vacation an exception, but outside of rare special circumstances like that, I really don't really see the need to pay lots of money, and then be asked to pay a variable amount of money on top of it. It would be kinda nice when I am out running errands to get a coffee, but not only do they want $8 for a caramel macchiato but they also want a tip on top of it? Even if I can afford that, I cannot accept that, so I run my errands with coffee from home or just without any coffee at all

[@KarenPleasants]

I waited tables at a national chain restaurant in the early 2000's. I made the $2.13/hr wage, and I did pretty well with tips, enough to pay my bills at least. However, not only did the servers and bartenders make the $2.13/hr wage, so did the bussers and the hosts - They were considered tipped workers too, because every server was required to "tip out" in the amount of 3% of their total sales for that night, which went into a pool to be distributed to the bussers and the hosts (this was basically their only income). So, not only did this large chain restaurant get out of paying an actual wage to their servers and bartenders, but their bussers and hosts/hostesses as well - But also, if I waited on a table who decided not to leave any tip - Well, then I actually PAID to wait on them! (in the amount of 3% of their total bill) - I've been out of restaurants for quite a while now, and I still tip really well when I go out, but it really is a racket - For the benefit of the employers only

[@MeredithDancer]

That's illegal. If you make less than minimum wage for non-tipped workers with your tips, they're even supposed to make up the difference.

[@jackywong9743]

If u wanted to pay to wait on them, that is ur problem. U were a free person in a free country, u could have worked elsewhere that was not exploiting ur labor. If everyone thinks that way, then businesses such as this would not exist due to no workers willing to work for them.

[@pg9566]

What about the 20% on top of already expensive services such as beauty, spa, etc. It’s something about American culture that I find very odd

[@Chikitew]

Because those services are considered to be a luxury, not a necessity. You could make the argument that grocery delivery is essential and requires tipping less than the services you mentioned. Additionally, many of those services are performed by independent contractors in the US, not traditional W2 employees. Someone working at a salon or spa performing certain tasks aren’t often considered “workers” of the salon itself.

[@Darima2]

I know it makes it even more expensive but it's because the house takes like 40 to 50 percent I think. Most of those service people are not salaried employees of that business.

[@SarasHotandDangerous]

The lady that does my lip filler started asking for tips at the end of the service. I tipped last time but it seems strange that a nurse is asking for tips. Now I’m scared she might mess up next time if I don’t tip. It’s already $750, now another 20% ($150), so total $900.

[@Author.Noelle.Alexandria]

@@Chikitew Most things aren’t actually necessities, yet we don’t tip.

[@Hrafnskald]

One major change is the shift from tipping and paying at the end of a meal, which allows you to reward good service, to instead tipping and paying when you order with a kiosk. I'm happy to tip generously to thank a good server, but tipping before you have been served removes the incentive for good service. This is made worse by the new restaurant culture of kicking customers out as quickly as possible. Diners, coffee shops, all sorts of restaurants where you used to be allowed to enjoy your meal are now pushing customers out as fast as the servers can take away their food without asking. Why tip, or even dine in, when someone is going to stand over you trying to get you to leave 30 minutes after you walked in?

[@Decadence13666]

In Europe you can sit down with a small thimbleful of coffee in frount of you for hours at a cafe and read without even finishing the coffee. Here I barely have the last bite of food off my plate before my plate is being taken away from me and I am handed the bill. I have gotten looks of animosity from servers when I say no to alcohol, I don't really drink at all. And I order water instead of juice or soda because I don't like juice or soda. Sorry that my personal eating preferences are cutting into your bottom line. And here I thought that "the customer is always right (in matter of tastes)."

[@Author.Noelle.Alexandria]

“I’ll just leave your check here for your convenience” always, ALWAYS means “get the fuck out so I can get more people in here and get another 30% on another check.”

[@Na2Ocean]

I hate tipping and it all started when I worked for tips. My coworkers would ARGUE over couch change. I began refusing tips I was immediately out of all the drama.

[@throwawaycommenter9995]

This is why I like eating at the places run by my university. I know that the students are getting paid as well as getting reduced cost on other school stuff. They don’t ask for tips, and I can just get my takeout and leave.

[@aeolia80]

I live in Ile-de-France (Paris region), and even in extremely non-touristy areas we've started seeing restaurants use software that has tipping percentages come up (in super touristy areas restaurants have been using it to scam especially US tourists, it's technically not legal), usually the person cashing us out with bypass this section by pressing 0%, but sometimes it doesn't always happen and the person we're paying to might look at us expectant, and of course we put 0%, I don't know if they thought we were tourists or something because we were speaking English with each other at the table, lol, but either almost perfect French or native level French with them so they get confused and flustered. My French partner will tip once and a while here it France but it's usually like a euro at the most, sometimes a 2 euro coin, never more, so his first time seeing a tip percentage come up on the screen when paying a bill here in France really pissed him off, because we all know the laws here.

[@paultyrrell1878]

I’m Australian and we have a similar culture as France regarding tipping. That is to say we generally don’t tip unless it’s exceptional service, and only ever tip at a full service restaurant. I see the same automatic tip menus arriving here and it’s very annoying to have to select 0% in front of the server. Often they do it for me to avoid the awkwardness but not always which makes me wonder if they expect a tip or not. Even worse, some machines don’t display the no tip option and require you to set a custom tip of 0%. It just feels like American tipping culture is being imported and I think it’s important to resist that. I don’t want to see restaurants starting to underpay staff with the justification that they receive tips.

[@kinolibby6580]

Ha ha they've always done that. My dad used to go to France from the UK as a teenager and his aim was to get his French good enough to be offered the locals' price in the bars.

[@Author.Noelle.Alexandria]

I’m in Paris right now, and only once in the past two months have I been prompted for a tip, and that was a place near Notre Dame with a lot of tourists. I was uncomfortable and haven’t gone back. Tips don’t need to spread. They’re enough of a plague on the US.

[@MiaMizuno]

Inflation made us cook at home way more often. I learned so many new receipes which are good and quick after work, or where I prepare one evening before (e.g. sauce or meat). I noticed that not only it saves us money obviously, our whole family has way less stomach issues! And we found out it became more tasty at home than in a good restaturant. We stopped craving for going out for eating, we also never do delivery order... Let the restaurants burn.... if they get too greedy

[@Feyenoord101]

Why can’t Americans just pay a proper min wage to their workers. It’s not like countries which do this have insane prices of food. In center of Amsterdam you will pay 8/10€ for a beer but no one is expecting tips. And this is one of the most expensive real estate in Europe

[@Surreal452]

Because bartenders and servers actually LOVE tips. They’d be the first to complain if things changed here. Unfortunately.

[@jackywong9743]

€8-10 for a beer!!?! That better be some special local specialty beer because u can get beers at supermarkets for a lot cheaper

[@AverysMoneyMoves]

I don’t particularly mind if I tip in a circumstance where I really want to support the business - like some small counter service restaurants I like. But one of them recently changed their payment system where you add a tip then they add a 3% credit card service fee on top of the new, tip included price. And this 3% is not mentioned anywhere! I want to support but I stopped going after that. I can only take so much hidden nickel and diming.

[@VeginMatt]

I'm pretty sure a small (walk in, buy, leave) bakery near me closed because customers felt so uncomfortable. Everyone I've ever hear talk about that place basically described it as "the pastries are amazing, but that tip screen is so hard to maneuver past if you don't want to press a preselected % and with the employee standing there watching...."

[@jedikv]

As someone who's lived in the US for almost 10 years, I still feel like I don't understand the 'rules'. I see such inconsistency and goal posts moving, that I have a hard time understanding when I *should* tip vs when it's excessive

[@vatefairefoutre0]

waiting staff, bartenders, hairdressers, delivery drivers. that's it. don't you let anyone try to tell you otherwise. hopefully soon in the US this will be gone because it really doesn't make sense and I don't blame you, coming from an American who lived abroad half a decade.

[@JagodaiMalina]

​@vatefairefoutre0 hairdressers? They make a ton of money. That is crazy!

[@skins189lbs4]

Hotel cleaning lady gets a few bucks too.

[@Author.Noelle.Alexandria]

@@skins189lbs4 Basically anyone who talks to you other than fast food workers.

[@alejandramoreno6625]

One time in Montreal, I walked to the bar and ordered a beer, the bartender got a bottle from a fridge and opened it, and I paid. She demanded a tip. Honestly? She only opened it. I understand a tip if you order a cocktail or you're getting table service, getting a tip for just handing over a bottle? That happened 12 years ago and still pisses me off.

[@vsssc]

How about tipping hairstylist, nails stylist, cleaning ladies, delivery drivers, taxi drivers?

[@sweetness371]

I wish they had gone more into that too. I'm always torn about tipping my hairdresser because she also owns the business and can therefor set her own prices. But at the same time, I feel obligated to tip 20% because that's been so ingrained in the culture. When the appointment is close to $200, that's a lot of money!

[@jellymila7678]

You should never feel obligated to tip the owner

[@indigo_alligator4081]

I think there is nuance there. I don’t tip my dog groomer every time, but I definitely did when she squeezed me in the same day I called. I do typically tip my cleaning lady because I appreciate her and think she should charge more for the work she does.

[@kinolibby6580]

From a British perspective. No you don't tip the hairdresser you tip the worker who takes your coat, makes you a drink, washes your hair and sweeps up after as they are likely an apprentice who is on a very low wage. Yes you tip the barber, I don't know why you just do. I don't know about the nail technician cos I haven't had my nails done but my gut says yes. Delivery drivers (post and parcels) is a tricky one if you always see the same one I'd say big Christmas tip. Cleaning ladies, gardeners and window cleaners should expect a large Christmas bonus from you. Food delivery drivers yes you probably should tip. Taxi drivers yes you should probably tip them too.

[@Chikitew]

@@kinolibby6580why tip the barber and not the hairdresser? What’s the difference there?

[@Paytonscott886]

I worked at a pizza shop in high school and we would split cash tips but all the electronic ones went to the owners. We also got in trouble for telling people, so we had to say thank you to people who weren’t tipping us and they didn’t even know.

[@jasminem3301]

I'm going to start tipping in cash. Thanks for sharing that.

[@user-cg9fu8ty7v]

that's super illegal and you're still owed! a prosecutor could do a number on them but it's probably not top priority sadly.

[@allisonwade4840]

The owner was stealing your tips. And for everyone else reading who think that American workers cost their employers money in theft and leakage, it's the reverse. Wage theft is far far more prevalent than employee theft.

[@PasCorrect]

That is fucking grotesque. Exploiting the workers AND the customers shamelessly: capitalism in a nutshell.

[@katfayegarrett3872]

Darn that's terrible

[@Rcs2018]

Excellent video-I was fully unaware of the history of tipping. I have historically tipped 18-20% but a few months ago I decided to start tipping 25%. I can afford it and generosity is important to me. Ironically, my overall restaurant spend has gone down because now that I’ve committed to a higher tip, I’m less likely to go out because the experience has to now be “worth it” for me.

[@LK_EBM]

Tip fatigue is real

[@m_martha_e]

I sincerely wish people in fields where tipping is the norm would get living wages. For my personal and financial wellbeing, I no longer dine out in any way. I wonder how many others are able to do this and how much they are saving in so doing?

[@kirstena4001]

We should call it "American math": they would rather have the lower price on the menu, but then factor in a 20% surcharge.

[@Mike-yr1sm]

Also, what a joke, "if you can't afford to tip, you can't afford to xyz..." Tell me the actual price up front, and then it is easier to figure what I can and can't do. - Again, same thing with taxes, if the cost of the product/service is up front, more people can understand what they can and can't afford, instead of having to jump through these hoops.

[@bge3328]

I'm really suspicious of any customers who are very pro-tipping. They always seem like they type of people who love to be in a position of power over others. (Also does anyone else find it weird that a baby food company is selling investment accounts?)

[@Author.Noelle.Alexandria]

No one genuinely *loves* tipping “to show their appreciation” to the point of defending a tipped culture. It’s always, ALWAYS people with power complexes. Anyone who genuinely likes to use tipping to show thanks would want tipping to be optional so it means something. When it’s mandatory, it doesn’t mean “thank you.”

[@namedrop721]

As someone who worked jobs you’d never touch, i’m very pro tipping because I did my time in those industries Am I ‘suspicious’ to you 😂 Clown comments here, cake-eating clowns.

[@Bnuuuuy]

I'm so glad I live in California. I never feel guilty about not tipping for my coffee or boba, because I know that worker is making at least $16 an hour. Servers also get this wage, but I do still generally tip though not as much as I would in a state I know pays them $4 an hour.

[@namedrop721]

Living wage in California is 28.00, so you’re happy with 16.00? What a bizarre comment.

[@ketameanii]

it’s better than nothing… some places pay $2.80/hour

[@jackywong9743]

No one is saying min wage = livable wage. Min wage is the minimum the business is required by law to pay. If u want min wage = livable wage, call ur elected representatives. If u want to be paid a livable wage, negotiate with ur employer or join a union and collectively bargain. Stop harassing ur customers! I dont even feel guilty not tipping at states that pay $2.13/hr. Dont let them guilt u. If they wanna guilt someone, let them guilt their employers. One time at a CA restaurent, a server gave me attitude for not tipping him. It is people like him that make me not want to tip.

[@dawnslight98]

My pet peeve is when they set up the machines to calculate tips post tax.

[@allisonwade4840]

YES!!!! Thank you! And I'm not being THIS person, but everyone should get into some remedial math so they know how to calculate pre-tax tips, or how to calculate the appropriate tip on a service+merchandise bill (like buying a bag of coffee at your favorite shop when you also pick up a latte--don't tip on the merchandise, just the latte).

[@flaviospadavecchia5126]

You can't convince me of the fact that waiters are the first in line who do not want this system to change. They get to make crazy amounts of money sometimes and whether they actually report it to the tax authorities is basically up to them. Also, if they don't make minimum wage, the employer must match the rest. So people really shouldn't feel guilty for not tipping or tipping less.

[@pdpierce44]

I moved to a country with nationalized healthcare and no tipping culture and I don't feel like I have to tip but when I go to the states I try to tip as much as I can. It's very different.

[@Anastasiamitchell21]

I’m as European living in USA tipping NOTHING if service was just ok or poor, will tip 10% if it was great, 15% if it was exceptional. And service in American usually is VERY POOR. I also never tip for picking up anything. And yes, when I was a student I worked in the restaurant for 5 years.

[@CH-vm6cq]

That’s not ok. You’re punishing the workers for something that’s not their fault.

[@user-ru5qg5cz2l]

Go back to Europe then. Very poor service is the norm in many European countries lol… I live in France and it’s quite common ;) not paying American workers because of your superiority complex is really rude.

[@TariqShabazzi]

@@CH-vm6cq But them not getting paid enough is not our fault either 😕

[@greentea673]

@@TariqShabazziif you’re paying the business without paying the workers then yes it is your fault. Not tipping is not a protest

[@HumbleWooper]

I suspect lots of those servers are doing a thing we sometimes call "acting your wage", where employees only do as much work as they think their pay justifies. In a tipping job, though, it's kind of a self-perpetuating cycle. Poor service = low tips = lower motivation to give good service = more low tips. 🔄

[@cremebrulee84]

As a massage therapist, my services were priced based on what I wanted to earn, when I had a private practice. I didn't want to leave my earnings up to chance and hope clients would tip at least $20. I also consider massage therapy a health care service. Health care providers don't get tips. Also, as the business owner, I set my own rates. There was no reason for me to get paid poorly per service. When I used to accept tips, clients were made aware that it wasn't required and that it all went to charity.

[@Author.Noelle.Alexandria]

I like this, and fucking DETEST people who set their own prices with the mindset that clients should read their minds and leave even more. I don’t play that bullshit game. Especially when I know the person sets the price, I pay that and not a penny more.

[@xragdoll5662]

My partners mother is a physiotherapist and would never accept a tip in her private practice. Massages aren’t a health care service.

[@icantwiththis]

No one is entitled to a tip.

[@kinolibby6580]

Everyone is entitled to a living wage

[@Heiwwa]

​@@kinolibby6580both are true statements but if a business cant pay their employees a liveable wage they shouldn't be in business. Also if you're an adult and trying to make ends meet solely on tip based jobs you should consider finding a new job

[@kinolibby6580]

@Heiwwa By that logic every business in America who has employees on tipped minimum wage contracts should close tomorrow because they cannot afford to pay their staff. The onus is not on individuals to get better paid jobs the onus is on the government to provide fair labour laws. Imagine how much shit you would need to do for yourself if everyone on a low paid job went to the magical job shop where they had out high paying jobs to everyone who applies for them...

[@Heiwwa]

@@kinolibby6580 I dropped out of school, have no degree. I'm not saying I'm rich in fact I'm pretty impoverished. I still managed to find something to put food on the table and take care of my daughter.

[@Heiwwa]

@@kinolibby6580 I always tip if necessary I hope I'm not giving off the wrong impression but I shouldn't feel bad for you bc you have a bad night and your paycheck is small. Go work at a grocery store

[@adamp6320]

The prices on the menu have already increased, why should the tip % on those inflated prices also raise from 10-15% to 20-30%? It doesn't make sense.

[@SquirrellyShenanigans]

it doesnt and thats the problem.

[@Author.Noelle.Alexandria]

Agreed. When menu prices go up, that 10%-15% already goes up. Serving is the one industry where inflation directly leads to more pay right out the gate. Doubling or tripling that is fucking absurd especially since what difference does my order make? That $4-cup of soda gets a tip $1.20 though has refills, while a $14-glass of wine at the same place get $4.20 and no additional work since no refills? If I order a $50-fish dish and my daughter orders $18-chicken nuggets, why is the server supposed to get $15 to walk my plate to the table, and $5.40 to walk my daughter’s plate? $20.40. If I ordered the nuggets too, the server would get $5.40 for my plate. Why does what’s on the plate make a difference?

[@Mari-Yama]

The tipping culture has gotten so expensive that we end up going out and ordering a lot less now. When we do want to order out, we decide to go pick up our food so we don't have to pay for the delivery fee plus the tip to the delivery driver.....but even when we go pick up our food ourselves, we're still asked to tip 15 to 25%!!

[@LilianaRogz]

What I hate about tipping in the USA is: why does the wage of a person depend on what I eat? If I order a salad vs ordering an expensive steak, there is a big difference on the check and then the tip. What if everybody starts doing that? In Mexico we tip 10% (15% if the service is excellent).

[@x--.]

There's a reason we're trying to upsell you on that mouth watering special entree, those delicious appetizers and that overpriced alcohol. :)

[@LilianaRogz]

@@x--. yes!!! The sad part is when the client doesn't want any of that and the server ends up earning less money. That is not right. They should earn good money regardless of what people order.

[@Author.Noelle.Alexandria]

I agree, and it makes me sad when I see people admit they bypass what they really want for something cheaper since they can’t afford what they want AND 25%-30% for a tip. Why does what’s on the plate matter?

[@donna25871]

We don’t have a tipping culture in Australia because we have a decent wage for low income workers.

[@didik9552]

Confused in European - what do you mean the owners don't have the money to pay the wages? Yes, obviously. Increase the prices by 20% and pay the workers. People will stop coming? But how were they coming so far being expected to pay tips??? Or you do some weird rebalancing of well some people will tip 10%, then some 30?

[@katfayegarrett3872]

Good point

[@thedragonslibrary]

While it's true that not tipping does hurt workers, the only reason this system continues is due to our participation in it. Companies are able to use these as examples to show how the system works. If everyone stopped tipping, the system would collapse in on itself. Unfortunately, every American is not going to stop tipping all at once. I will say, I don't dine in often and as a result I have only tipped a handful of times. To be fair, my mind basically doesn't feel any shame when hitting the no tip option that shows up at normal shops, but other people do. In conclusion, while this system does technically allow servers to be paid, I would argue that if we stopped and companies could no longer pretend it works then they could just have a normal pay check. The issue is the obfuscation of how much things actually cost and people's unwillingness to pay more money in the moment even when paying less isn't cheaper in the long run.

[@jennyyyy189]

The problem with choosing the tip on the screen is also, you don't really know where it goes. Yeah there are laws and all, but everyone who has worked a service job knows those bosses who just put the tip in their own pockets and lie about it🙄 If I really like a service and want to tip, I do so in cash, give it to my server directly and tell them to put it in their pocket right away🤷🏼‍♀️

[@kinolibby6580]

There was a common tip scam in the UK where the bosses would just keep the tips if they were paid by card. If I don't have any cash to tip I will always ask the wait staff if they get to keep their tips before adding one on a screen.

[@floraidh4097]

Our local arena went cashless and when you pay for your hotdog or whatever you prompted to give a tip. After automatically tipping for each purchase made throughout the evening a few times I asked if they get the tips and they said they don’t. You’re already paying three times what you’d pay outside the building for the same thing and then the money isn’t even going to the workers!

[@Jillianrc]

There’s a venue near me where you pick your beer from the fridge, scan it and pay ($16 per beer) and then it asks for a tip at the self checkout 🤯

[@floraidh4097]

@@Jillianrc That’s absurd!

[@bamafencer12]

@@Jillianrc LOL!!! I wonder how many people got suckered into it that night.

[@K1893]

I live in France, if a restaurant asks me to tip with one of those screens or asks me directly out loud I make sure to never go back. I refuse to let that craziness become the norm here. PD. People are actually supposed to be paid a living wage by law here.

[@moxxibekk]

I do want to say, I work in a state with a very high (and justified!) Minimum wage, even for serving staff. These workers HATE the companies that have given a higher wage (on top of the minimum) and removed tipping because they were making so much extra money. And not tipping at least 20% is very frowned upon. It's an uncomfy position to be in as a friend to some of these workers when i don't always think their service would be worth the tip they are demanding.

[@BewareTheLilyOfTheValley]

I think this keeps being the issue. Someone who makes more than others keeps being the ones to make decisions for others. The tipped workers really need to organize and start some protests because until they kick it off, the rest of us have to deal with this. And as awful as it is, perhaps people refusing to tip will the the lynch pin in kicking off that revolution. It should also be stated that many will be losing their jobs. It's unavoidable. The businesses that could never afford to pay their employees have to go and so some will end up jobless. There will be pains as this transition happens but it NEEDS to happen. We've been kicking this can down the road for someone else to handle for over a century.

[@cookieaddictions]

Yeah this is the part nobody ever mentions. It’s always talking about how “if you don’t tip they don’t make money at all” but that can’t be, at least not across the board because every time they switch to what you’re talking about, the feedback is that servers make more with tipping.

[@vtheory7531]

​@cookieaddictions This is why the package needs to be worth it in order to successfully make tipping obsolete. You get a living wage plus paid holidays, pension and health insurance etc. should convince people to abandon their reliance on tips

[@Author.Noelle.Alexandria]

You might be in my state. Most servers make more than most teachers. There’s a reason servers fight against abolishing tipped wages in favor of just wages-it’s because they make that much more money on tips. I didn’t realize this until there was a massive outcry among servers when a few restaurants moved to abolish tips in favor of higher pay of at least $30/hr. Turns out they’re making to much between the highest minimum in the US and 25%-30% tips that $30/hr would be a pay cut for most servers. This video focuses on servers in states where they make $2.13/hr, and glosses over states where servers make 8x that minimum, and then make so much more in tips that they’re one of the best paid jobs. No one crying about servers cries about teachers who make $25/hr and do a lot of unpaid work and then buy supplies on top of it.

[@namedrop721]

Are you even friends with the people you’re mad at for making money? This sounds very much like a frenemy situation. You’re the red flag in this friendship btw

[@mrs.h9621]

As Europeans, even tipping 10 percent is a big expense right now. Cannot immagine the US, its so wrong to expect your customers to also pay for a decent living of your employees. I would remove tipping altogether in US to be homest. Pay tf a decent salary or let people go. Its that easy!😢

[@adamp6320]

Customers do pay for a decent living of employees in every business. It's just very blatant in certain service industries who expect tipping - in a way that doesn't line up with every other type of business where the good/services prices cover a fair wage for all workers.

[@silverstorm06]

Tipping culture annoys me so much now I find myself just not going out to places. When i lived in a no tipping culture I went out to restaurants and shops far more often, and the service was better.

[@caragottalife]

What’s up with the AI generated B-roll ? Please don’t buy into that…

[@Kfroguar]

There's a restaurant I love where they just add a flat service fee of like 18%. There are signs everywhere about it with a big emphasis on how additional tipping is not required because this fee covers a living wage. From a consumer perspective it seems like a reasonable compromise between making workers depend on tips and raising sticker prices to the point that people won't go.

[@Author.Noelle.Alexandria]

Just build it into the costs in the first place.

[@rdpcl]

Why should I as a customer have the burden of bridging the gap of the staff's wages, not the employer?

[@luvzdogz]

The strangest opportunity for tipping I've experienced is with the home pest treatment company. When I pay the invoice online, it ask if I want to tip. I do not. I mean, the service guy is a nice young man, very friendly, etc. But he walks around the perimeter of our 1400sq ft house and sprays for bugs. That's $75. And maybe the tip is prompt built into their software/platform and they didn't necessarily put it there intentionally. Either way, I don't feel like that's a tippable service.

[@Author.Noelle.Alexandria]

They can always turn off tipping. They choose not to.

[@RoyalScribeX]

this is even worse for services like doordash where you have to input the tip before placing your order which sucks for both drivers and customers. i used to drive for doordash and "no tip no trip" kind of had to be my rule because if the customer doesn't tip i get paid around $3 which is never worth the time and distance to deliver the order - but doordash should be paying drivers more to begin with instead of pushing that on the customer! not to mention that the app often hides tip amounts from you, i had to use 3rd party services to scrape tip amounts in order to make the job remotely profitable. they exploit the driver through low wages, the customer through inflated prices, and the restaurant through fees, and take almost all the profit. i won't do gig work anymore and i won't order delivery unless it's a restaurant that hires their own drivers.

[@AThirstyPhilosopher]

Great topic. Thanks for having this discussion! Canada has a tipping culture similar to the States. In Manitoba, Canada, there is no sub-group of workers that receives a lower minimum wage. And minimum wage is getting closer to a livable wage. When it comes to tipping, though… CASH given directly to workers is legally theirs to keep, BUT tips left on point-of-sales terminals legally belong to the business owners, and there is NO obligation to disperse those digital tips to employees. Some owners choose to disperse tips, but not all. Many owners of fast-food restaurants pocket all tips left digitally. I find it’s good practice to ask employees how digital tips are dispersed before adding a tip amount to your card payment, or carry some cash if you’re inclined to tip.

[@heidiheidi0]

I hate tipping. The worst is those self-checkout lines where there is literally not even a person working there. It is like…what am i tipping for? In Europe, they started asking for tips too especially if you are from a foreign country. Some tourist trap areas actually have the iPad situation thing going on. I refuse to get in. Waiters in major western European cities get paid a living wage. Please dont tip there. It is a tourist trap.

[@MissNoechen]

All of these upcharges (%-based tips, %-based service charges) also make it incredibly unclear for the customer how much you will actually be paying. With tax, tips and service charges not included in US menu pricing, you truly are in for a surprise when the bill comes... And I don't understand how US Americans are okay with that, honestly 😅

[@postmodgent1499]

Tipping culture is an extension of slavery so it has always been broken. An employee should not need to directly depend on the customer for any part of their earnings.

[@FabioBedoya]

Just add a 15% or 20% charge to my meal and let’s skip the awkwardness-it’ll make things simpler and more straightforward.

[@TopFloorChick]

ok so in cities where there’s a high min wage like $15 can we just stop tipping?? lol

[@Author.Noelle.Alexandria]

My state’s minimum is higher than that, and we abolished the tipped wage years ago. We’re still expected to tip 25%-30%.

[@halfsourlizard9319]

Um, restaurants in 95% of the world do absolutely fine without tipping. It's only *U.S.* restaurants that have a broken business model with terrible margins.

[@danhong7108]

The tipped minimum wage still makes me angry to this day. And I wonder if more employers will get away with paying service workers those wages because of the automated prompts

[@dontfollowthecrowd6949]

american can debate, from the rest of the world, this is schizophrenic what you did. let the company pay the employees, they should know how much their earnings will be and not begging for donations from the public. when I go to buy something from a shop, it does not matter if I buy a candle, a loaf of bread or toilet paper or a doughnut. I will not be tipping. the price is already enough to pay the bosses billions so what the f.. is this?

[@aubslee]

Your content is always so good, but this is SO GOOD. Every bit of it resonated with such truth-especially your closing lines about shifting focus to business owners. As a former bartender in DC, I joined the fight against the DC City Council when they overturned Initiative 77, which DC residents had voted to pass, ensuring a $15 minimum wage for tipped workers. The National Restaurant Association poured massive amounts of money into the district to convince restaurant workers to oppose the very initiative that was overwhelmingly supported by native Washingtonians and its least affluent neighborhoods. For anyone interested in fighting for fair wages, check out the work of One Fair Wage-they’re organizing nationwide to push for legislative change and a living wage for all workers.

[@marissarae]

At 30:11, you say fine dining margins are "huge." At 32:10, your interviewee says restaurant margins are "paper thin." Those are opposite assertions, and it really matters which is true in this conversation!

[@eggrat6]

Most restaurants are not fine dining. Both can be true.

[@reinsroom6711]

What radicalized me was when I purchased my wife’s wedding dress ($2,300) the sales assistant told me the screen is just going to ask a few questions : )) (A 20% tip)

[@pinkcowprint]

these conversations around tipping tend to devolve into a devaluation of service & hospitality as an industry. as if servers have no agency in their work; as if no one enjoys working in the industry. there are people working in service who genuinely enjoy, value, and excel in this work. & a good server or bartender absolutely understands the power they hold in controlling a customer’s experience. i’m not even pro or anti tipping, i just am tired of the industry and its professionals being talked about or at instead of talked with

[@majesticsnowleopard]

If everyone stopped tipping or all tipped like 5%, the servers would stop doing that as a job, and the actual employers would be forced to pay more to actually get people willing to do the job. Kinda the more punishing version of a worker's strike.

[@jzmina]

I grew up overseas with many other military families. We never initiated tipping abroad. It was always the locals setting the expectation for us to tip because they knew we were American. Even recently when I went to Oktoberfest the waitress asked for a tip instead of giving us our change back. Saying no to someone’s face is so awkward, especially since there’s a stigma that American travelers specifically are rude (even tho this is true of all nationalities).

[@doomedwit1010]

"I'm a corporate lawyer" "You must get a nice paycheck at the end of the week." Actually pretty sure this has happened.

[@LisaLove-m4l]

I don’t mind a small tip but it shouldn’t equal a mortgage payment.

[@carolynb8816]

I really don't understand why tip percentage keeps increasing. The whole point of a percentage is so the amount increases as the cost of the meal increases.

[@mcmarley91]

I live in MA, in the last election there was ballot proposal to increase tip workers minimum wage and have tip pool for everyone who is not management. Restaurant workers were the one who wanted people to vote against.

[@Author.Noelle.Alexandria]

That’s how much they make in tips.

[@katfayegarrett3872]

Same here in Michigan. Like, why are they saying yes master plz don't pay me more!?

[@clAssIcAllymINdless]

youtube needs to do something about these spam comments. anyway, ready for this video. tip culture is out of control!

[@Tessy29k]

When I visited the US I stayed at a 5* hotel and was tipping a lot and not small amounts either. 30 dollars, 40 dollars per person and so on. On the day I left I tipped one of the hotel workers I really liked 50 dollars and she started crying. She was so happy. That disturbed me so much to see how much people rely on tips and how huge of an effect it has on their salaries or pay. For her it was really helpful but for me it was just a tip. Even the self checkout machines in Wegmens's were asking for tips. It was ridiculous.😮

[@Sundji]

59:30 the policy is bipartisan precisely because it doesn't disrupt the status quo but it appears to meaningfully address something that's widely seen as an injustice on both sides. It's a minimal solution that keeps shareholders happy because it still allows them to have a subsidized labor force.

[@thefinancialdiet]

Perfectly said!

[@katfayegarrett3872]

100%

[@jackywong9743]

Why is it that restaurants ALL OVER THE WORLD have figured out how to make money while paying livable wages (especially in western europe) and dont need tipping to supplement but America cant figure it out?

[@katfayegarrett3872]

American owner class wants it this way and our country has sold out to capital

[@jackywong9743]

@katfayegarrett3872 so the argument "if u dont tip then the food would be a lot more expensive" doesnt hold water

[@vodkalatke]

Not true. Restaurants all around the world use illegal labor paid under the table, Europe simply pretends that's not the case. Sometimes it's kids working at a family restaurant, sometimes it's working more hours than your paid. Hospitality everywhere is pretty evil.

[@Sundji]

I never thought of "you must get really good tips" that way. I always think of it as "Wow you might actually be able to make a livable wage, that's rare in your role". I should probably be more careful when I'm talking about tipped wages. I would definitely comment on how much a lawyer gets paid too. I think that's a pretty normal response to people with high paying jobs considering the majority of us don't have well-paying jobs...

[@arrowwhiskers]

I used to feel pressured by the tip screen at random business that didn't used to expect tips pre-covid, but after I saw the reporting on "they ask because when they ask, people pay" I can't unsee the extremely deliberate coercion and exploitation, and my guilt evaporated real quick. I do tip 20% for dine-in, but if the tip screen has suggestions ranging from 22% - 35%, with no 20% offered, I'm manually entering 15%. Some people might not agree with that, but really feels like we have to call their bluff or restaurant owners will just keep seeing how far they can push it. I honestly avoid eating out nowadays, partially because it does feel so toxic for everyone involved. I also don't buy the arguement that restaurants would lose most of their customers if they did away with tips and raised prices by a flat 20%, as though most customers don't come in with the expectation of leaving a 20% tip anyway. The food would cost the same. If anything, they would get more revenue from takeout diners that normally wouldn't pay a 20% tip. Maybe they would lose some customers, but those are the customers that were stiffing the staff anyway. Anyway, I think a lot of people are like me--fed up with the tipping momentum and starting to push back. If they abolish taxes on tips and businesses use this as an excuse to push more and more percentage of payment into the tips category, I don't think that's going to work out for tipped workers. Tips are technically optional at the end of the day, so pushing the customer's limits is treading on thin ice.