Tipping is a pretty widely accepted practice here in the United States. How much to tip, who to tip, etc. have kind of gotten a little gray over the years. Heck, I saw a tip jar at a fast food place in an airport recently. I didn’t know we were tipping for that now too.
That being said, I like to consider myself a very generous tipper. I appreciate the service, and since I don’t get “served” all that often, I want to show my gratitude. BUT, did you know that there is an entire movement looking to do away with tipping? Yep, restaurant owners are slowly adopting a no-tip policy. According to the article I found on NPR, this tip-debate has been idling in the back and forefront off and on since our country began.
Originally, our country did not tip, but as immigrants from Europe made their way to the U.S., they brought with them the custom of tipping.
I was pretty shocked to find out that famous Americans like Mark Twain, President Howard Taft, John D. Rockefeller, Andrew Carnegie and Ralph Waldo Emerson despised tipping. They felt it was insulting to the person receiving the tip, and it was insulting to give the tip…no real mention of whether their motivations were driven by thrift.
Apparently, other countries, like France have already done away with tipping altogether. An automatic 15% gratuity is added to the bill to cover labor. No additional “tipping” is allowed. So, ultimately, it made me wonder, does tipping drive good service, or is it so expected that we tip regardless of the service we received. If 15% gratuity was just automatically added on to every bill to cover the owners employment costs, would we still get good service? Honestly, it’s been my experience recently, tipping or no, service is kind of a dying art form.
I was curious what all of YOU think. Should we do away with tipping altogether and make up for it in wages? Or should tipping continue? I would especially love to hear from any of you in the service industry.
~Mavis
Tejas Prairie Hen says
I grudgingly tip at restaurants and hair salons. However, I tip big at our local fresh veggie/garden market where I buy big bags of compost, humus, and soil. The guys work hard for their $, have families to support, and likely send money to relatives back home. Yes, they may be illegals (I don’t know) but their hard work and extra assistance to customers is really appreciated and deserves a little recognition.
Lisa Millar says
I will be interested in reading the responses by people in the US on this one!
In Australia tipping is not a thing. In some service based industries, like restaurants, you can certainly leave a tip to someone you really feel has done a wonderful job – its a bonus.
Wages here are living wages – ie I think the minimum wage is about $16 something per hour (more on weekends & more for casual workers)
Businesses factor that into their plans.
It was the one thing that really worried me when I traveled in the States – not knowing who or how much to tip and concerned I was really going to get it wrong (and was travelling on a shoestring anyway)
Logically I wonder why, as a paying customer, that you are also required to supplement the employees wage? I always felt that places like restaurants in the States had it pretty good – paying fairly low wages to staff and expect customers to fill in the gap.
Anyway – it works here. People still go out to restaurants & Hotels, those businesses seem to manage to stay in business and workers know their weekly wages with no uncertainties as to whether they will have a good or bad tipping week.
Cheri says
I agree with Lisa, and I’m an American. I have never fully understood tipping. I understand that waiters get a very low wage because of the tips they’ll get (at least, that’s what I’ve heard), so I faithfully pay the expected tip every time (unless the service is very bad), but the whole concept makes little sense to me overall. Why am I paying extra “voluntarily” for something I’ve fully paid for? For example, if I’m paying $25 to get a haircut, and the substance of my payment is the employee’s act of cutting my hair, why am I expected to pay a gratuity when I’ve fully paid for the service (which I do every time, despite my bewilderment)?
Some tipping makes sense to me. If a porter offers to carry my bags and I agree to his service, he should receive something for it. But if I am going to take a free shuttle from an airport to a hotel and the driver is being paid by the shuttle service for his work, why am I expected to slip a buck or two in his hand? I feel like I should do this, even if I carried my own bags, but I don’t get it. Hopefully, some service industry people here can shed light on this, because I am sure that I’m missing an insight they have from their experience.
heather says
I hate tipping. Why does someone get rewarded for being nice and doing their job, it’s their job. Those people choose to accept a low paying job, i should not have to supplement their income.
Marcia says
Because the fact that tipping is expected means that in certain states, it is allowed for people to make less than minimum wage.
If everyone got at least min wage, it would be different.
KAte says
‘Choose to accept a low paying job’ sounds an awful lot like ‘choose to be poor.’ It doesn’t work like that in the real world. It’s never as simple as choose better job A and job B, job A pays twice as much as job B…choose wisely.
Cheri says
Agreed. Only an educated and/or comfortable person can afford to see it that way.
Deborah says
Because of my son working in a restaurant, I have learned a lot about the people and backgrounds, and the stories of why the work in the service industry. Some of them are very motivated, and use it as a way to get a college education to get to a “better” job (not depending on people’s tipping anymore) A lot of them have troubled lives and would have a really hard time at this point doing anything else. They have DUIs, are unwed parents, criminal records etc. (I’m not saying all restaurants are like this-just basing it on my knowledge of employees of 2 national chain sit down restaurants in my city) Some work there because they prefer night-evening jobs. The point is that they are WORKING, tipping is a part of eating at restaurant, so be more understanding of people, this may be all the want, can, need, to do!
Heather says
I follow the social convention of tipping, but I do try to avoid places or services where tipping is expected. I feel awkward not leaving a tip, but if the service was average, I don’t know why I should pay more money. I would rather see the prices of services or restaurants go up, and I would pay for what I use. I am generous (and budget) for tips for the services I use. If I cannot afford the service and the expected tip, I don’t use the service.
I would rather people were given a fair wage, so they aren’t at the risk weekly for wages.
Melissa says
My niece worked as a waitress in Logan, UT last year. Her wage was $2/hr. Yeah. She depended on the tips. (It was a nicer restaurant,too).
Cristy says
My husband Dislikes tipping, but tips local mom and pop good servers amazingly well. In national chains not so much, says when he does a good job nobody hands him a couple of bucks. It’s part of the job. Then you add in the areas going to a high min wage like $15 he has fits. And honestly embarrassed as I am it does make sense.
Brooke says
In most states servers only receive $2.13/hour, so they depend on tips to live. Usually pay checks are $0, as all of the hourly pay goes towards taxes. Plus they have to tip out, so they have to share a percentage of their sales (not their actual tips) with other staff – bartenders, food runners, bus boys, etc. I haven’t been in food service for almost 9 years, but I lived off of tips for about 10 years. It’s a tough job!
Susan from Dallas says
Hi Mavis, my husband and I are usually good tippers. Most of those in the service industry really depend upon those tips and we always tip on the full cost before coupon is deducted. Also, I watched a documentary about housekeepers in the hotel industry who are barely making it. One sweet lady said that the $2 (or more) set aside for the housekeeper may be the only money she has to purchase milk for her little ones. I’ve never forgotten that story. However, I don’t feel compelled to tip if I order and pick up my food/drinks at the counter like Starbucks etc…just sayin…
Erin says
Slightly off topic but important. My in laws taught me to hide the tip under a pillow. The housekeepers’ managers often check the room before the housekeepers get in there and they pocket the tips themselves.
Sally A says
When we travelled to New York (from the UK) tipping REALLY stressed me out. Maths is not my strong point and the guidebooks all told different % to tip different people. I also resented tipping more for my glass of wine than the glass of wine (That was automatically added by the hotel and i had no idea if I could refuse it and leave my own tip). I hated every meal/drink when we tried to work out what we should tip. It took the shine off of our trip.
I would respect a business more if they did away with tips and put the prices up to cover a decent wage for their employees.
Annie says
I would like to see the US follow France’s example. Pay workers a living wage, have your restaurant meal or other service reflect the cost of service, and save us all a headache. Until the custom changes, I will always tip appropriately anywhere it is customary- anywhere from 10-25 % depending on the situation and the service. I can also speak as a former tipped worker- for many it would be preferable to receive a steady paycheck instead of being at the whim of your customer’s mood. Or of foreign tourists who pretend to be unaware of our customs. People don’t realize when they stiff their server on their tip they are hurting the entire back of house staff too. It isn’t a good system and really, the only people benefitting now are restaurant owners and cheapskate customers!
Rebecca says
As many other have said, I would rather see a reasonable minimum wage for all industries and do away with tipping entirely.
One thing that particularly baffles me on this topic is the jar at the counter of fast food restaurants. Are the cook and cashier also getting $2.00 an hour?
Whenever I stay in a hotel, I leave a $20 on the pillow on the last day for the maid who I know is woefully underpaid.
Barb says
The only problem with leaving the tip on the last day of your stay is that you may have had different room cleaners throughout–and they’re not sharing their tips.
Erin says
We only have them clean on the last day. Every morning we are there, we tidy up the beds ourselves and hang up the towels as needed. If we need fresh towels, we can ask at the desk. I prefer that to having strangers coming into my room when all my stuff is there.
Brianna says
I think places with a ‘tip jar’should have to present a valid license or registration certificate by the IRS for the tip jar. They are not regulated like tips are on a receipt. I worked at a coffee shop as a barista back in my college days and the owner had a tip jar next to the till. Well, it was his tip jar and it was for him. The other employees and I never got a cent from it and people would dump the change they got back from their coffee into the jar. He would come and retrieve it and empty it several times a day. It was his free money and I doubt it was reported in his taxes and I am sure none of the customers knew any better. If I see tip jars, I turn away. They are dishonest opportunities for employees and beyond necessary. I believe they are trendy now too.
I haven’t worked much in food service, but I worked at a place in Waikiki that was busy with tourists. I would solicit them to get a ‘local’ breakfast, sign them up for a table, keep them full of promises it would be just a few more minutes, and seat them at a table. My wage was breakfast and lunch provided and any tips. I only worked a few weeks as I had a very difficult time paying my bills on the meager tips. Some people can work in food service and make it work, but I like financial certainty.
I tend to tip waiters 20% at a sit down place because I have 3 kids and it is usually just the kids and I. If they offer to put in an order for my kids right away I tip more. I also am careful to notice if they put hot food or beverages over my child’s head and adjust the tip accordingly. If I have to wait longer than 5 minutes after they take my card to charge it for the bill, then I reduce the tip significantly and will cancel my card as soon as I leave the place. I have had two different waitresses copy my card information and use it to buy themselves a much larger ‘tip’. I have 1 in a high chair and 2 other young children and it can look like a garbage disposal let loose under the table by the time we leave. I try to compensate for the extra effort and mess my kids make. I don’t dine out very often, but I take into consideration the tip in my budget for dining out. I am not obligated to leave a tip and I have had occasions where I have left none at all.
I do feel national chains could up the wages of employees and do away with accepting tips. I understand the added tip and gratuity in a bill for a large party and that never bothers me, but it forces you to pay 15% no matter what and you can add extra if you want. I think it is difficult to serve everybody at once in a large party and the cook has more stress too. Local mom and pop places that have family working I like to tip because I want to see them prosper and survive the economy and not close their doors. It takes a lot to run a small business and step out on your own and many do well and I commend them for it and I hope they stay open for at least a few years. These family businesses are run very different from franchises and chains and owners can go a long time without a paycheck to try and keep the business afloat.
Tammy says
I think tipping has gotten out of hand. Like, the tip jar at the drive through of Starbucks. What exactly are you tipping for? I always understood tipping to be because of service. I also don’t understand tipping for things like haircuts and massages, especially when you go to a business that is owned/operated by the person giving the service. It just seems like if a massage therapist or a stylist needs a certain dollar amount per session/haircut for operating costs/income that they should charge that amount, not hope to get it in tips.
Cari says
As I understand it, it is not necessary to tip a hairdresser if you know they are the owner of the salon.
Joanna says
I’ve always followed this, not tipping the owner of a business (even if they specifically do work for you), only the workers.
Gigi says
I will to them if I know they went out of their way to accommodate me, or if I know I may need last minute services in the future. I make sure to do it in cash.
Alice says
Wait people only make about $2.80 and hour, plus tips. So of course, I do tip. I try to give it to them in cash too.
John Wheeler says
Minimum wage is minimum wage. If a waiter gets paid once a month and works 100 hours during that month, he has to get paid at least $725 according to Federal law, even if he receives no tips. However, if he receives $1000 in tips, he only needs to be paid $1213 for that 100 hours. including the tips. So the waiter is actually only getting the benefit of $488 of the tips, the remainder is wages the restaurant owner doesn’t have to pay.
So, I’m happy to give extra for exceptionally good service, but this idea of mandatory gratuities is absurd, and is almost sufficient in itself for me to avoid patronizing a place.
Leanna says
My mom was a hairdresser and a divorced single parent to my brother and me. Hairdressers have to pay station rent weekly (usually $200-400) plus pay for all of their supplies. Just for thought…a haircut is $25 and you can do one an hour, you work eight hours, that’s only $200 in one day. You’re okay as long as all of your clients show up or you’re able to take a walk in. So, I tip.
Miriam says
Another US citizen here. I hate tipping, though I do it anyway. I feel like the prices of those items/services are dishonest, especially if I am EXPECTED to tip for regular (or sometimes sub par) service. If I buy a $10 plate, I want it to be $10, not $11.50. If it’s going to be $11.50 anyway, why isn’t that just theprice? We don’t tip doctors for treating us, and we don’t tip teachers for having a good day. Why should they get paid less and have the rest of their income variable and dependent on the whim of others?
I believe that tipping should always be optional instead of socially required. At the same time, the people who now live on those tips should be paid a proper wage and if they don’t do their job, they can be disciplined, trained or fired like anyone working in any other field.
Erin says
Hair cutting is a confusing one. If you depend on tips and some haircuts take longer than others (and are mor complicated than just a trim), how does that work out? Would a manger paying their hourly rate take into consideration that stylist #1 cut 8 people’s hair but stylist #2 only cut 4 because they took longer? Would the tips in each case equal out?
Ellen in Clackamas says
I would like to see tipping go away. The worst experience I had was on a bus tour we were “expected” to tip the driver and the tour guide…only thing was the driver was the owner and the guide never did anything except visit with her favorite customers. We didn’t even know which room she was in in case we had an emergency. But everyone left an envelope for both of them at the end of the tour…
Lauralli says
I hate tipping. It’s gotten totally out of hand. Just raise the prices of everything. I’ll decide then if I can pay the prices that they’re asking. And, yes, I completely agree that service is a dying thing! If people could get off their phones long enough to do their job……
Karin says
I hate tipping also! It makes no sense. Tipping is supposed to be a reward for extra special service but now it is just an expected thing that you have to do. That’s not right. And it isn’t right for waiters to have a base salary of $2 an hour. Just raise the prices on the menu and pay the employees a reasonable wage. And I also don’t like the idea of adding the 15% on top of the total. Just raise all the prices on the menu by 15% so we can see what we are actually spending right up front.
Emily B. says
I served part time for almost 10 years and it’s always fascinating to read people’s thoughts on this. While I agree that the “tip jar” that continues to pop up at places you wouldn’t expect (drive thru, etc.) is annoying and in most of those cases, completely unwarranted. That said, I absolutely tip in a sit down restaurant on the full amount of the meal prior to any discounts being applied but before taxes. 18% for good service, 12-15% for ok service, and as much as 20-35% on excellent service.
It always made me shake my head when people would come in, have a significant discount applied, ie. BOGO, and then tip on that reduced total. Did the server only serve the food you paid for? Nope.
A previous commenter noted that you do have to tip out multiple people at the end of each shift and that is 100% correct. If your base wage is $2+ an hour, and your are sharing your tips each night, plus claiming a minimum of 10% of your gross sales when you clock out so you don’t get killed on your taxes (regardless of what you actually made or take home) it becomes quite obvious that tip money is depended on to live. Also? The “family” restaurant I worked at would pass along the credit card transaction fees to the server for each charge that was run through their POS system, deducting it from their tip amount. So there is that going against some also.
To the other commenter that said…go get a better paying job? Most people that I worked with were responsible adults with either another job or schooling that restricted their hours of availability. Or had children or elderly parents that needed them home during the day and would then tag their significant other to take over supervising at home so they could go work. Paying people a living base wage would be a great start. But until that becomes a reality everywhere, people will continue to make the best of their situation.
Lastly, I invite anyone with a visceral dislike for tipping to do this job for a week and experience how hard this work is. You see the absolute best and worst of humanity on a daily basis and still show up with a smile on your face and great service on the agenda.
Cheri says
I really appreciate you sharing your perspective. That’s what I was hoping for. I think that people here, including myself, are arguing against the system, not the employees themselves. We will all probably continue to tip for their sake, simply because this is the system we’ve got. But if there is a good argument for the tip system, I don’t think it’s because it’s hard and because some people are mean and difficult. I absolutely believe waitstaff have a hard job. I honestly don’t know if I could do it well. However, there are lots of hard jobs that involve serving both wonderful and nasty people that don’t get tips. My daughter works at Old Navy, for example, and deals with some incredibly nasty people, but she just gets the normal wage for her experience as a sales associate. I just wish the industry used the same wage system, so that gratuities really are a pure expression of appreciation. Until then, I will continue to tip.
Emily B. says
I agree, the system is broken but until there is a better fix in place, I will be tipping for my sit down meals.
Also something I wonder about- do chains that offer $-5 “meals” hurt the expectation of what people expect to pay when eating in a sit down restaurant?
It seems like we live in time where an abundance of “stuff can be had for $1… are our mental expectations being aligned to the dollar store?
Erin says
I waited tables for four years to put myself through school. I could tell stories . . . Not every restaurant makes the waiters share tips. The one I worked at paid everyone but servers a regular wage. The servers got to keep all their tips.
Lisa Millar says
Wow – I would need to take a calculator & a notebook out to dinner with me in the US to get it right!!
Doing math – and the pressure of getting it right to do the right thing by your waitstaff – after a nice relaxing dinner would take the edge off the experience!
That was really interesting to read tho on how much you tip and why.
Cheri says
It really doesn’t need to be like that, though I can understand why you’d think so after hearing these experiences. I’m an American and generally just stick to 20% as a rule of thumb, which is very easy to compute (10% times 2). If I think the service was worth less, I give less; if more, I give more. The main problem I have is knowing whom to tip. I’m not always sure, such as at restaurants that are half self-serve and half full-serve. I could read etiquette resources–and will on occasion when I am anxious about it–but most of the time I use my common sense. If someone performs a service for me, like a shuttle driver at an airport, I tip at least a little something.
Cheri says
Oh, and if you see a “tip jar,” it’s usually because they know that it’s not customary to be tipped for whatever it is they did but feel they deserve tips. Services that are customarily tipped do not put out tip jars, because it’s general knowledge that tips are expected. Unless your gut tells you otherwise, you can ignore the jars (in my opinion). For example, coffee shops often have those now. I usually ignore the tip jars, but sometimes I drop some money in if the barista went the extra mile for me or if I had a difficult order.
Lisa Millar says
lol – I think it would certainly need a cheat sheet on WHO I need to tip. I would have never imagined having to tip a hairdresser, for example!
Deborah says
Having a son (who is a chain restaurant Host) who gets a percentage of the servers tips gives me some insight into the tipping issue. Tipping at a restaurant is just a given, they make very little hourly, their paycheck depends on tips, and the government taxes them assuming that they received 15%. I hear so many incidences of a group of people who spend a lot of money on food and alcohol, and leave the server a couple bucks. Tipping is part of the expense of going out to eat. The server shouldn’t be punished for the food. If there is a problem and the server has tried to please you, complain to the manager, don’t short the server because of the cook. Maybe the system of tipping should be different, but this is what it is right now.
I see the future as less service and more automation, ordering your food via/computer and it just being brought out by someone-J
Maria says
I see tipping as a part of my religious beliefs. I believe that the Lord God has blessed me abundantly to be able to go out and have things and do things so I should share my blessings with others
I tip 20% at any restaurant I sit down and a server brings me anything. I tip the hair person. The mail lady brings my big boxes and sets them on the porch instead of making me drive to the post office and get them. Even if it’s part of her job it’s still a nice service and when I hurt my foot she brought the mail to the door every day. She gets a super nice gift card at Christmas and grateful thank yous throughout the year. The carpenter was here for nine days doing renovations and repairs on my house. I tipped him $100 and each of his workers $20 because they did a lot for me and And did a good job.
I don’t know anyone’s situation or financial needs but who knows what they need and when is a $5 tip on a $20 meal going to break my bank?
I could easily skip the tip or give some chintzy amount but I want to bless others as I have been blessed. I tip even when the service is lousy…what an opportunity to be a blessing to others-who knows what’s going on in their life. Never miss an opportunity to be kind
I figure the tip into the cost of my meal, haircut, life and just do it. If I feel like I can’t afford a nice tip, I stay home. Not because I have to tip but because I want to.
Leslie says
I almost never tip in tip jars, unless something extra happened, and then I feel it’s really just a gesture to say “thanks.” When I sit down, or receive a service (like a haircut) I pay by card but tip cash, and I tip as generously as I’m comfortable with. MY LMT doesn’t accept tips, so usually bring something- a fresh croissant, home canned jam, etc.
Amy says
What a can of worms! My husband and I were just discussing this at supper tonight 🙂 Minimum wage in Alberta is $10.45 to $11.20. A major chain resuraunt decided to automatically add on a 16% tip to people’s bills (a lot of higher end resturaunts do that automatically for a party of 4 or more). Another resuraunt opening up has said that they will be a tip free place and that instead they will charge higher prices for their food and pay their staff significantly higher wages. This now encourages the staff to work harder in order to keep their higher paying job. Honestly, I will be attending the second resturaunt, people blatantly forcing me to make up for the lousy wages of all of their staff is ridiculous, tipping is my choice, not anybody’s right. P.S. Have you tipped your dental assistant lately for her awesome help during your root canal? Hahaha! Of course not, but she did her job too!
Deborah J says
This is fascinating. I’m with Lisa, in Australia we don’t tip so the whole thing is a mystery to me.
I feel like restaurants set up a system that suits them because they pay less, and you are all paying for it.
It’s just a hidden cost and quite deceptive really.
When we went to the US for the first time in 1988 it was a constant aggravation. We carried our own bags at the airport and got a nasty snear from some guys whose job it was to do that. We didn’t know! Can’t people carry their own bags here?!
Then we overtipped the taxi guy, and had no small notes left for the hotel porter.
…and on it went.
our breakfasts were included in our hotel booking…so we didn’t know to tip. The second morning the waiter brought a slip to our table and circled in red the tip/gratuity section right in front of us and handed it to my husband. He was so outraged that we were expected to pay more for something we had already paid for that he left it blank on the table. Sooooo on the 3rd morning, they couldn’t find us a table. Lol
We weren’t being rude we were just totally confused.
Older and wiser now, but really, is it too much to ask a business to pay their staff a living wage for the job they are doing? We do it here.
Pamela says
I work in an industry where tipping isn’t the norm. However a few times a month I receive a dollar or two because of something special I have done. It only adds up to about $50 a year but it makes my day when someone tips me a few dollars and says thanks so much for doing that..go get yourself a cup of coffee or something. That being said I have a close friend who drives a cab for a living. In the summer it is a super high wage job but other times of the year not so much. He knows how hard it is to rely on tips. He is one of the biggest tippers I have seen! Many times leaving 50% or more on our dinner bill.
Jfred says
I waitressed at two different restaurants. At the first, I received $3.25/hr plus tips (national min wage was $4 or $4.15, and waitress min wage was $2.13/hr). I quickly received a raise to $3.50/hr. I loved that in 4-6 hrs a day I could make much more than when I worked at a daycare for 8 hrs (make that 9…w an unpaid 1hr lunch) at $6-6.15/hr. I also loved that my hard work and pleasant customer service meant that I made more per hr than other waitstaff who only half-*ssed their jobs. This was just a small sandwich shop/ice cream parlor, but I consistently made $55-70 a day (the $15 extra was when I worked 6 hrs vs 4).
The 2nd waitressing job had a shorter lunch and less customers than the first….and more waitresses. I made the waitress min wage of $2.13/hr. If I worked 4-5 hrs (in the pm), I generally made $40-50 in tips. If I worked lunch, for 3 hrs, I generally made $35/day in tips. I worked less days at this restaurant than in the first, but I only needed some part time work then, while the first job was while I was single, and I needed a more full-time wage.
I don’t mind tipping waitstaff, and generally tip 50%+ for good service. I’m a mom who takes care of my family, and am usually the one running around, getting that forgotten ketchup or filling cups during meals….and to sit alone in a restaurant, and have someone take care of my every need so I don’t have to….honestly, it’s a luxurious experience for me, lol! (Dh does his best to let me get out without kids once every week or two, so I can be alone…and get refreshed.)
I do get frustrated with the whole hair salon thing. Mainly because if I am paying $30…or more…for a haircut, I feel the salon owner should be paying the staff, instead of them relying on tips. I just get irritated that all (or most of) that $$ goes to the owner. I guess I’m more ignorant of how that works…and the costs involved.
Jfred says
I don’t do manis and pedis or other things which require tipping that I don’t know about, but one time dh paid for a spa day for me, which cost $300 for a morning of pampering. When I scheduled the appointment with my gift certificate, I was given paperwork that made a big deal about tipping being appreciated. That bothered me terribly. $300 spent….and yet I was supposed to tip the 4 different people who worked with me? That $$ spent was a HUGE luxury, not something normal (it was a gift for our tenth wedding anniversary)….and spending another $40+ was not in our budget. I felt horrible, but we could not afford a tip….nor was dh told it would be expected/appreciated.
Lisa Millar says
Reading everyone’s replies, opinions and experiences has been pretty interesting.
A lot of people seem happier with the idea of better wages for people in service based industries instead of tipping.
What really amazed me was the insanely low minimum wage for people in tipped industries!! $2.13 – something that hasn’t changed in 20 years or so!! How is that possible in a country we see as one of the most modern & powerful first world countries?? To my ears thats pretty unbelievable – sure I suppose some people make amazing $$ in tips, but that won’t apply to every job, area or even shift to shift if some shifts are twice as busy as others. Its too variable!
Tipping seems to rely on people doing the right thing – workers doing a good job, customers paying a fair tip, employers sharing out the tips fairly & making up the minimum wage difference, workers not pocketing all the tips that are meant to share, employers not emptying the tip jar into their own pocket… so many variables for not so honest people to take advantage.
Lets face it – humans aren’t ALWAYS going to do the right thing.
A living wage seems fairer – and I am CERTAIN that its not people fault for choosing a low paying job!!
Tipping can then be for those who go above and beyond & at a customers discretion to reward them
Tourists, even if they know tipping is custom often wouldn’t assume that the tips were so crucial to the employee because they get such low wages. But for snooping about Mavis’s site I wouldn’t have realised!
Alison says
I worked in food service through college, etc. It’s important for people to know that food servers are taxed on a percentage of their sales receipts regardless of the tip they receive. In many, many states servers are paid in the $2/hr. range. Most of the time, the $2/hr only covers the taxes they are expected to pay on their tips. If you tip less than 8% servers LOSE money.
I don’t mind tipping in traditional industries, though I wouldn’t be opposed to a surcharge replacing it. I don’t particularly like the “tip jars” popping up everywhere though!
Sheila says
I believe that tipping is a bonus for good work, or a pleasant conversation, or for someone who went above and beyond to make your experience a good/great/fantastic one. I don’t think it is a servers’ “right” to receive a tip. If you suck, I’m not giving you anything.
I live in Canada, and tipping seems to have become expected. If the server has done their job pretty well, I will tip – really, even if you’ve done just the basics of your job, I will tip. If there is slow service, I don’t care – it gives me time to visit with whomever I am eating with – generally my kids, so I still tip.
If I get attitude or crap service, though, I won’t tip. I’m not talking ‘having a bad day’ attitude, but that snobby, holier-than-thou crap….seriously, change it or change your job. (I worked as a server in college and I realized that while I made okay tips, I don’t have the right personality for it – so I don’t do it any more – my mom has been a server, as well and she made crazy good tips).
Our minimum wage is not fantastic but it’s generally enough to live on, frugally, and with tips, it’s pretty reasonable – you won’t get rich, but who among us does?
Julie says
I hate the tipping system. It was awesome when I was a waitress, but even then I thought it was not fair. It’s a tough job but I was making more money than people with Master degrees (such as me now…). I also had very bad service a lot of time, just because we had French accent and so the waiter supposed that we would not tip them, just because other foreign tourist would not tip them. Problem is that being an expatriate we know the rules and we tip all the time.
In France we tip sometimes when the service is amazing, or I worked in an Irish pub and we got tip. It’s not as big as in the US, but it’s still rewarding. Thing too, is that we are not nice and give good service just to have good tips. We do a great job to keep our job. I really hope that tips will disappear and wages go up, it’s always confusing to know who to tip or not…
Steph says
In the US, servers typically make 2.13 an hour. Most of them are working to make a living–Moms, Dads, young people paying their way through school. I know because I was a server all the way through college. I worked, at times, at 3 different restaurants in order to get enough hours. I was good at it. I was pleasant, fast, and helpful, but I still was stiffed. I had people put money on a table and say this is your tip and if you do something we don’t like, we will take away money. I had people pretend to their party they were going to tip and then leave nothing or a few bucks on hundreds of dollars after hours of service. I was sexually harassed. I had people say they weren’t tipping because they politically don’t believe in it. It doesn’t matter if you don’t believe in tipping, these Moms and Dads, these hard workers are making a little over 2.00 an hour. Now, I understand if someone doesn’t want to tip at take-out places–where they actually make minimum wage, but until they change the rules (and food prices will go up), I will tip15-20%. I wish they would change the rules. Then people who are horrible–like the people above won’t have that power. Then those who don’t tip will pay the same as the rest of us. When I lived in France, I learned the rules for tipping there. When I lived in Spain, I learned the rules there.