This is really hard for me but I have had to put my foot down in recent times. It still makes me uncomfortable but I just can’t support this anymore. If I’m sitting down at a restaurant with a server I tip 20 - 25% but I’m tired of tipping for takeout and I absolutely refuse to give extra when checking out at a store.
20-25% is still pretty excessive. I try to stay around 10-15%.
We have let tips creep up a lot in recent years.
Tips have crept up because cost of living has crept up but minimum wage has not. People can’t live on 2.25 plus tips and 7.25 if you don’t make enough tips to be more than 7.25. It’s just insultingly low wages and impossible to live off of
Tip value sure, but tip percentage? I mean think about it, the price of the food will go up, so the percent of that elevated food price will also go up. Like, if I bought a $20 meal and tipped 15%, that’s a $3. But if because of inflation or whatever, the $20 meal increases its price to $40, a 15% tip is now $6. The tip has gone up, but the percentage has remained the same.
So why are tips now going up to 21, 23, 25, hell I’ve seen a tablet that suggested 30%? (We all know the answer why, I’m being rherorical.)
As funnystuff stated in the other reply, since food prices have gone up, tip amounts have gone up as well.
The two main reasons I see that tip percentages have crept up is the social pressure to not be the one that tips “poorly” and that automated prompt with suggested tips.
Those end up in a feedback loop. If you’re standing next to someone and the tip options are 15, 18, and 20 percent, there is a social pressure not to tip the lowest amount. It’s the same where if there are 3 wines on the menu, the cheap, the reasonable, and the expensive. Most people won’t buy the cheapest option. The cheapest option is there to pressure you into the middle one. Well, now that they have that, why not slowly increase the suggested amount to 18, 20, 22. Or like we are seeing in a lot of places now. 20, 25, and 30.
What sucks is that there are no repurcussions for businesses that suggest these larger percentages. Nor are there any for businesses that traditionally are not tipped to display the screen as well. Not until we either pass legislation to regulate tipping prompts or collectively refuse to purchase services from these businesses.
Good god how do you write that all out and not realize the problem is the OWNERS, not the customers.
The OWNERS are the ones responsible for paying good wages. Start pointing your finger at the right people.
Of course it’s the employers responsibility to provide good wages, I never said otherwise. All I said is the minimum wage of literally $2 if you’re tipped is ridiculous
Luckily in my state minimum wage is $15.74 plus tips.
That doesn’t explain why the tips in percentage increased. The cost of the meal at the restaurant is probably also related to the costs of living…
I understand what you’re saying, and agree it’s impossible to live on minimum wage in a big chunk of the country. However, tips are already pegged to inflation. If food gets twice as expensive, your 20% also doubles. For folks like Teachers, they might be lucky to get a 1 or 2% cost of living adjustment each year. That’s waaaaaaaaaay below inflation, and just falls further and further behind, like the base minimum wage.
That’s the golden number for me, but only if I eat in the damn place, not takeout. I also tip gas station employees only when they calibrate my tires or wipe my windows.
Honestly I dont use percentages unless the meal is insanely expensive. I never tip at something as simple as a coffee shop or quick-dine-and-go thing (unless I’m a regular). Otherwise they get 5, 10, or 20 depending on service and food (regardless of total meal cost). My favorite places always get a little extra (5 -> 7, 10-> 15, 20 -> 25)
In my opinion:
0% = absolutely abysmal service
10% = below average service
15% = average, expected amount of service 20% = above average or excellent serviceThat’s my tipping policy.
Same. It gets a little skewed towards higher % at lower dollar amounts though. I might have a $8 meal with a water and leave $2. It’s worth more than $1 and I’m not messing with change.
This is my policy if it’s a sit-down restaurant with servers making minimum wage… I absolutely refuse to tip fast food. Because I work in fast food, and over time I’ve seen wages get more and more skewed towards dependence on tips. It’s insane. Just give us a living wage, is that too much to ask of this capitalist meat grinder?
Same. The point of a tip is to tip the waiter, not anyone else. Tipping someone who’s taking my order at the counter just seems weird. Same with tipping in a mobile order app.
15% was standard in Canada, 20% in the USA
I remember 5-10% being standard when I was a kid, although I wasn’t the one paying.
52, American. 15% was always standard in my world until recent talk of 20%.
Yep, 20% is definitely NOT standard. It is too damn high. I give 20% only when a server is freaking amazing.
Really? I was always told Canadians pass as being cheap because we usually give 15% when we go to the USA 🤔
It’s intended to make you feel guilty. That’s the point. “Make someone feel uncomfortable enough to give you money.” Don’t give in. Stay strong.
And 15% for table service is absolutely fine.
What about at a coffee shop or something similar?
I don’t go to coffee shops but I wouldn’t tip there either. I don’t think I should be responsible for paying employees a living wage. Charge me appropriately for the item and pay your fucking employees.
I agree that’s how it should be, but how things should be doesn’t pay the bills. Don’t take your anger out on the employees. Those are the only people you’re hurting.
And don’t put the blame on the customer. Demand better wages. I’m not taking it out on anyone.
You not tipping is not at all the same thing as demanding better wages and you know it.
First of all, I don’t go to coffee shops which is what we were talking about so the point is moot. Second, the fact that you seem to think it is the customer in the wrong and not the employers shows just how brain washed you are by corporations. People have been unionizing and striking across the country for living wages and that is the answer, not shaming the customer. Wake up.
Jesus fucking christ my dude. Not going to coffee shops is a valid option, but since you apparently haven’t noticed there are not yet living wages in most of the country. Either don’t use the services or tip until there are. Have some goddamn class solidarity and don’t force people to work for your benefit for poverty wages until things get better. Don’t pretend your greed is socialism.
Tipping culture is capitalists telling workers it’s their fault for not making enough money. It’s true though, because workers don’t organize nearly enough to change the culture. People should stick up for themselves and their fellow employees and demand a better wage and benefits.
Capitalize the profits and socialize the losses
And then have the media (Wall Street Journal and Readers Digest especially) tell everybody that yes, tipping everybody everywhere is the new normal and we need to get used to it.
I’ve gotten into so many arguments on Facebook with people who tip their mechanics and doctors. People are eating this shit up.
This is very occasionally popping up in restaurants in Australia. Whether you live here or travelling. Do not tip unless they did something incredible. I’m talking the fish brought your grandma back to life and the chef reconnected you with your long lost father. We don’t want to encourage tipping culture. We want to increase minimum wage. It’s like $23 now and we need that to keep growing with the economy.
Fight it.
It’s bled into Canada like that as well and now it’s an expected thing in food service.
Cabs ask for tip here now. We have Pizza Delight out here with mandatory 15% tip after tax on thier buffet.
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Even if they did something incredible don’t tip because you paid $30 for avocado on toast anyway.
I mean, that’s on you for agreeing to pay $30 for an avocado on toast.
I’m against (forced) tipping culture but the waiter is not at fault for the prices a restaurant sets up. If I saw the price and still decided to order it, I will definitely not fault the waiter for it.
Waiters that give great services gets tipped because I want to encourage waiters to give great service.
I recently had a pretty crappy experience at a restaurant for a few reasons, the last being their tipping system. You won’t believe how they asked me to tip, it was mad.
- There was no menu, I had to Google their name and find their website (which was some obscure subdomain on some obscure food payment site).
- Their site didn’t work in Chrome (on any of the phones we had with us), luckily I had a backup browser installed that worked.
- I had to order and pay on my phone, unable to use the cash I had budgeted and brought with me for the meal.
- It asked me how much I would like to tip, but this is paying DURING MY ORDER, when I had not yet received any service or food. I chose not to tip.
Tipping, here in the UK, is only something you do when you were very happy with the service (and have the extra cash you don’t mind giving away as charity, basically). Our waiters, as with every worker in the country, are paid a real wage that isn’t designed to be subsidised by begging.
So, being asked to tip for the good service BEFORE receiving the service? That’s INSANE.
Due to the various ridiculous issues we had just trying to order food and pay for it, and the audacity of being asked to tip that way, I will not be going back there again.
What’s wrong with the tried and true system of a waiter taking your order, you eat, they take your payment at the table either with a normal wireless chip-and-pin machine or by cash, and then you leave? It’s simple, easy, smooth and fast 🤦♀️
Reminder for everyone that when there are efforts to change the system and have employers pay higher wages instead, the majority of workers are vehemently against it.
You’ll see people in this thread telling you that it’s not the workers’ fault, and that taking it out on the workers by not tipping is not fair, as if they’re victims of the system.
Most pressure to maintain the system (or add tips to new industries) comes from the workers, and I feel that not tipping is entirely appropriate if you want it to change.
When the workers themselves start clamoring for raising wages and getting rid of tipping culture, I will empathize with them more.
Maybe they are pushing for higher tips because they aren’t paid enough?
Exactly; they know they get more in tips than they would with minimum wage. It is very low right now.
Yeah so what I’m saying is if they got paid enough, same or more than what they’re getting with tips, we wouldn’t need to tip.
I occasionally go to a liquor store where the till asks if you want to tip, and it’s the most ridiculous thing ever because it’s a small store and the clerk isn’t helping you find shit.
and the clerk is paid more than the $2.whatever per hour that sit down restaurant wait staff get.
In this specific instance, not much more, because I live in one of the few states where the minimum wage is the same for tipped and untipped workers (although gig drivers are still getting screwed here).
Not tomorrow either. Flashing that in front of me doesn’t mean I’m tipping you for grabbing a donut 6feet away from you and putting it in a bag. That’s literally your job. Charge me the amount it costs for the item and your labor don’t try to prey on my charitabilty. I use those feelings to distribute the limited extra I have to give to research for sick kids, educational charities, housing initiatives, and anti-gun lobbyists. Fuck if you’re anywhere near those categories donut slinger. Tell your boss to fuck himself for even putting that shit in front of customers.
You seem really mad at the person behind the counter, perhaps instead consider being mad at the millionaires and billionaires in charge that decided to make it this way.
Not mad at them, just not impressed enough to pay beyond the asking price. I don’t have a sense of guilt or obligation about it. When possible I would urge people to choose jobs that pay fairly and don’t support this awful system. I fully understand that’s easier said then done (I’ve been there myself). I don’t even really blame the millionaires. We all have at least a touch of greed in us, some more than others, and any system that allows this to get to crazy proportions will foster this kind of nonsense. The answer isn’t to just make Millionaires feel bad until they stop this - that’s not going to happen. The answer is legislation that recognizes that tip culture is wrong on so many levels, that most of the world manages to keep it in check and that in the US laws are needed to curb this insanity. In the meantime, people are able to swing culture shifts and it’s up to all of us to start saying enough is enough to tip culture and as much as possible spend our money at places that aren’t capitalizing on charity to pay their employees. Recognize the racism and sexism in this practice and treat it like the dirty thing it is.
As a weed smoker for something like 25 years who has spent his time doing a lot of studying of the science because I understand that it is not an inert substance, and I know its affecting my health long-term somehow…
I’ve seen the studies that have shown specific strains have more to do with different “highs” than whether it is indica or sativa (nevermind that there is no such thing as a true indica anymore.), do you have any idea how I feel when some fucking twentysomething starts telling me about the (bogus) differences between sativa and indica and expects me to give a shit when all I care about is potency.
Like sorry, you’re not getting a tip for knowing less than me, some bum off the street, about the stuff I’m putting in my body.
Pure indicas no longer exist? And strains are more important?
Would love to read more if you could point me in the right direction.
You really, really wouldn’t want to smoke a pure indica, imo. I’ve smoked an actual indica and it was mostly stem and tasted like dirt. It has not had the selective breeding that has produced big, oily buds that people love to smoke.
It’s honestly a lot like corn before it was selectively bred by humans for thousands of years versus modern corn. Imagine that the modern corn is a modern weed bud, and compare that to what nature gave us…
Here’s a good scientific study on it:
https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0133292
From the Abstract:
Using 14,031 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) genotyped in 81 marijuana and 43 hemp samples, we show that marijuana and hemp are significantly differentiated at a genome-wide level, demonstrating that the distinction between these populations is not limited to genes underlying THC production. We find a moderate correlation between the genetic structure of marijuana strains and their reported C. sativa and C. indica ancestry and show that marijuana strain names often do not reflect a meaningful genetic identity. We also provide evidence that hemp is genetically more similar to C. indica type marijuana than to C. sativa strains.
That last bit from the abstract is the money quote on Indica. Real Indicas are closer to hemp, and hemp hasn’t been selectively bred for flavor and getting high. So a “real” Indica is going to be a lot like smoking… hemp.
Anyway, long story short is that individual strains and the chemical combinations therein have more influence over the high you get than the idea that they’re “sativa” or “indica.”
Here’s an article with a short interview with Sean Myles, who was involved in and credited with this study.
https://slate.com/technology/2019/04/indica-sativa-difference-cannabis-weed-science.html
It’s getting ridiculous though like even gas stations are starting to ask. Like sorry why should I leave a tip to get a Snickers and bottle of water rung up?
I have no problem tipping wait staff or bartenders for the service, but I’ll be damned if the cashier at my local Chinese restaurant is getting a tip because they handed me a bag of carryout food I ordered online… tipping has definitely gotten out of control.
I partially blame the POS programmers that have that option for the take out counter, then especially so for the managers that implement it
With this little change, you might think you’re supplementing their minimum wage pay, but the owner can lower their pay to the “federal tipped minimum” in some states. You basically just make it cheaper for the owner in the long run (they’re probably sold on this by the Point Of Sale software company), and the workers can get little or no extra money.
I feel you on that, but I’m in California so that’s not the case here. I think owners/companies are just able to pitch counter help to job hunters as $x/hr plus tips, and people feel compelled to tip when prompted on the screen while the counter person stares them down.
Tip functionality is a business decision that comes from the top. The Devs have no say in whether a feature is included or not, and dislike it as much as you do.
Oh for sure, I was talking more of the small independent shops, but I probably should’ve specified owners instead of managers
Over here in the UK we don’t tip as a rule, unless we’ve been directly served by someone, and even then it’s mostly just to leave whatever change there may be.
But it’s become very fucking common for chain shops to ask if we want to round up to the nearest £ and donate that money to whichever charity they’re working with.
And my answer is always, always, no.
Why not if it is a charity? I’m guessing you’re not trusting them?
Because it just doesn’t feel right to me. And I know that it’s kinda churlish, but there’s a part of me that doesn’t want huge supermarket chains who keep posting record profits while paying the bare minimum they legally have to, to take the credit for me donating a few quid a month in rounding up my bill. Many of the charities wouldn’t be needed as much if these companies actually paid adequate wages.
I might be wrong but don’t they use these charities to get tax reductions?
I don’t think they do, but I’ve seen them announce things like " company name teamed up with x charity and we managed $200,000 !"
Conveniently forgetting to mention that they donated little to nothing themselves.
Do what you want, but that’s not how that works. Businesses aren’t “using” or “taking” your donation or claiming them as their own. They’re basically just serving as a collection point for whatever charity indicated. If you choose not to claim it yourself, that’s your choice, but the donation is “from” you “to” the charity. The supermarket or whatever just provides visibility for the charity and the collections logistics. It saves those charities having to find people to stand outside and ring a bell and hope you have change in your pocket.
If you’re not contributing to a charity in lieu of not participating in these “round up donations” programs, then you’re simply choosing to not donate to charity. Which is fine, as far as that goes.
Oh aye, I know they’re not claiming tax or anything like that, and I get that it’s essentially just a digital version of having a change pot on the counter, but it still feels like Tesco getting to crow about how much their customers have helped raise, while they’re paying as little as they can legally get away with, y’know?
But ultimately it’s not really rational response, and I know that.
I get you. I basically swing back and forth between how you feel, “hell with this corporate public image campaign” and going “well, what the hell, it’s .12 for a good cause.”
That way I’m being irrational in all directions.
Charity donations are tax deductible (usually) so what you’re doing is giving the business a means to bring down their contributions for the year. It’d really be best if you just donated directly.
No. That’s not how that works.
Deductible means they don’t pay taxes on the money they donated
It does nothing to reduce the tax burden on their profits, if the money they’re donating wouldn’t have been profit in the first place
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“No, thank you.” is my go to.
For real. I place an order, you hand me food. I am not paying extra because you typed an order in your computer and you handed me food. And they still look at you like you kicked a kitten at some places.
In Seattle, it’s pretty obvious if they’re going to ask for a tip so you can plan for it. They’re actually outgoing and nice to you, lol. I know that trick!
“You too”
"Yes, can I get a discount "
Just another example on how easy it is to divide us and how the class war was lost long… long… long ago.
It’s the tipped employees who don’t realize they are getting fucked and maybe their clients shouldn’t be the people expected to fill the shortfalls of their paychecks instead of, you know, their boss. It’s not the people who work regular jobs themselves where they are not tipped.
Source: Working the first tipped job I have ever worked and motherfucker these people are entitled. Delivering pizza to poor people living off of disability and judging them for not tipping. It makes me fucking furious. I live in a state with one of the highest minimum wages in the country, it’s not like these people are being paid $2.13 an hour. Depending on the day they can make $30+ an hour when you include tips. They’re so fucking angry and shitty and petty when people don’t tip. It’s like, I guess fuck anyone who just wanted some comfort food in the middle of their shitty lives and it’s not their fault your boss doesn’t pay you better. I have previously only worked jobs where I was never tipped but still had customers acting entitled. People who demand or expect tips on top of the highest minimum wage in the country are fucking crybabies angry at the wrong fucking people. That’s on them, not the people tired of the bullshit tipping culture.
The workers don’t want to see tipping go away. They make bank in tips.
The unfortunate truth is that they do until they don’t - Anyone I’ve spoken to in the service industry has basically said that they love the good busy nights and the rest is stressful. Nobody should have to worry that they might not get generous enough customers during their workday, else basically starve. What a horrible way to live.
It’s as much on the customers as it is on the workers. Why continue supporting companies that don’t pay livable wages?
Because a lot of people who live on a fixed income like social security or disability simply don’t have the privilege of being able to do so?
They often can’t afford to live anywhere but a Food Desert, and often don’t own a vehicle in a city with few public transit options. Things like this can severely limit their choices on which company to spend money.
The reality is poor people shop at Walmart because in a lot of cases they really can’t afford not to. This is what people fighting against expansion of companies like Walmart twenty years ago said was going to happen. They will dominate with low prices until they’ve pushed out all other viable businesses, and then you’ll be left with no choice but to spend your money with them. This was all on purpose at the corporate level. Not sure why you’re blaming 20-30 years of corporate choices with very little pushback from city governments on the people who don’t have other places to shop anymore.
In that case if we remove tipping, the prices of everything on the menu goes up 40% (because you know damn well the business owner isn’t going to give up that sweet sweet cut of profit) and the poor folks can get nothing and like it.
Please note that I am NOT in support of the tipping culture system. Only pointing out the inevitable backlash of removing it without proper support in place. Prices of all food will increase everywhere to make up the difference and we either reach a point of equilibrium where the price goes back down because nobody can afford a pizza anymore, with the associated lowering of quality to make up for the price lowering; or else a few hundred thousand folks are suddenly out of jobs.
If we just remove the ability to tip and follow it up by telling the business owners “fuck you, figure it out”, they will ‘figure it out’ by firing a bunch of folks and raising base prices. This might even be healthy for the industry, but I doubt it. It’ll just end with most folks never going out to eat again.
I mean, McDonald’s manages to pay employees in Europe a living wage, and it didn’t make the food completely unaffordable.
On the other hand, in the states, for a small meal just to yourself it’s more than $10, closer to $15 a lot of the time.
So the prices are going up here and they’re still not paying people worth a damn. I wonder what the disconnect here could be?
From what I understand, their sales are down, and so they’ve jacked up prices to fix the gap.
Fair point. That works for Europe because I think greed is less of an all-consuming force over across the pond, maybe. We’ve managed to make it something of a way of life here in the States.
Hopefully I’m wrong, and there is a way out of this hellhole that doesn’t involve mass unemployment. But given our past record with most things, I’m not holding my breath.
I only tip dine in (if there is actually a server) and delivery.
Fast casual with no server or takeout/pickup I am no longer tipping
Tipping culture is just a way that disproportionally affects workers in such a way that there should be a mathematical equation that compares titty size of the waitress to how much you will tip. Theres a reason why people think there is misandry in fields that require tipping. I try to not tip whenever I can unless I am friends with the people there. Why? Chances are, you get paid a minimum of 10+ an hour wage and you get pissy if I even think you didn’t deserve that cherry on top. No I dont want to pay you more than I make an hour for serving my food. Its not up to me to decide how much you deserve for your efforts. Yes Ill be bitter, i dont care, i fucking hate tipping culture. Ill fight anyone that thinks otherwise… in a videogame of course.
Edit: also I want to give a shout out to BJs for being the most toxic environments for tipping. They only allow electronic payments on some proprietary website and it auto adds 20% and they cross their fingers hopeing you didnt see. Then it asks if you would want to tip ON TOP of that. If you bring it up to staff they will actually announce that you arent tipping. Like fuck you guys
I agree, I don’t like to tip for blowjobs either. I also prefer to pay by cash for those.
Seriously though, I don’t think I tip based on attractiveness. But I do tend to tip more as I get more drunk. A few of my friends even check how much I’m tipping if they think I’m too drunk and tell me to lower it. They’ve probably saved me around $100 in the last few months lol.
