What’s the deal with Tips?
Seriously who came up with this ridiculous idea of relying on tips for pay? I asked my self this exact question when a Taxi driver was clearly confused why I didn’t tip him. Like what the hell. I know I probably look like a tourist to you but I’m not stupid. The fare ran to $58.85 why would I tip you on top of the money I’m already paying you for your service?
Restaurants are no different. I hate how they always leave a “tip” line on the cheque for you to fill in. Why am I paying for food only to tip the person who’s JOB it is to serve me. Honestly I don’t mind walking up to the chef and getting my own plate, but I’m not even given that option.
Tips are bullshit.
No disrespect to the people who actual work and rely on tips as their main source of income. You guys really need to get together and unionize or something. You shouldn’t have to rely on how I’m feeling at that particular moment to earn a living. Nor do I want to be bothered to figure out the tip and add it to the total.
Japan has got it right. In Japan there is no tipping allowed (see Etiquette). In fact tipping is not part of the culture and it is not encouraged. Each time I tip I feel like I’m bribing the person to treat me with respect, because the stigma is if I don’t they’ll spit in my food or something. Or I feel like I’m being ripped off because not only am I paying for whatever it is but on top of it I have to pay extra….!? What kind of genius came up with this scam? I say genius because the scheme really is ingenious. You barely have to pay your workers if you tell them they rely mainly on tips.
Then articles like this come out. Cleverly titled “How To Tip Like A Gentleman“. The tips on tipping are outrageous, go have a gander. I’ll try to highlight the bullshit for you:
Unless you want to annoy the Travis Bickle-esque taxi driver by stiffing him on a tip you’d better go ahead and give 15% of the fare.
There are a number of staff members at the hotel that can make your stay very pleasant or a living nightmare depending on how you tip them.
Explain how this is fair treatment of me and my money? Why am I being charged twice? Why isn’t all this already included in the price? Why must it weight in on my conscience? I know the answer, because it’s pure exploitation of the human psyche. The article continues with this priceless advice for how to tip waitresses/waiters.
This is the one that causes most debate because there is no hard and fast rule. It is also made even more difficult by waiting staff who have lost sight of the fact that a tip is a gratuity and is not actually required.
What kind of bullshit is this? There should be no debate on this. I’m surprised this tipping business still exists. People clearly acknowledge that there are no rules about this stuff. They acknowledge that it’s a gratuity and is not required and yet not being gratuitous implies that you’re cheap or something.
All this being said, I still tip because I don’t feel like having to explain myself to clueless people who like throwing money around. Save your tips for people living on the street. Or how about instead of tipping, start a piggy bank and donate to a charity each year. Because people who work should get paid a wage regardless. And if you can’t accept that I don’t tip you, then perhaps you’ve picked the wrong occupation.
I work hard for my money, just like you work hard for yours. However I wouldn’t be comfortable relying on the kindness of others to earn a living. That’s like constantly gambling and then becoming upset when you don’t pay out. Stupid etiquette, that’s what this is. Not to mention that I don’t care, nor is it my business to care, about your hourly wage or worry how my tip (or lack there of) is going to affect you. The burden of your lifestyle choice should not in any way affect me.
Filed under: Life | 9 Comments
I could not agree with you more. I posted comments on that article before because it basically goes against everything I believe. Tipping merely for the sake of tipping is one of the cornerstones to why our society is so ignorant and shows a great example of how we like to waste our money for social status.
I totally agree with everything you’ve said. I think tipping is stupid. And I actually read all of that other article; wow, the unwritten “rules” in US made my head spin, if I ever travel there, I will have to really think how much and who should I tip all the time…
You’re a fucking idiot! I suppose you wonder why you get treated like shit by staff of restaurants and bars that you frequent more than once. Trust me – we remember you for the cheap prick you are. As a result, 1)yes, we are ignoring you on purpose, 2)we are slandering your name to other customers (i.e. the chic you are trying to hit on), 3) we are insinuating to violence prone regulars that you are fucking with them, and 4)we are overcharging you on purpose. Keep stiffin’ us on tips dipshit – it’ll end up costing you more in the long run!
I agree with you as well.
Abolish tipping and boycott establishments that would slander your name (see above) for not participating in this idiotic and antiquated practice. There is no tipping whatsoever here in Tokyo, and the service is fast and efficient… essentially light years beyond the USA. Waitstaff in Japan also don’t bother the customer every five minutes in the guise of providing “outstanding service” and getting the fat tips. A meal in peace. What a revolutionary concept.
Wow. Agree wholeheartedly with this article.
As for “US BARTENDER” I think you need to realize that a tip is basically a bribe. So you and other people that work in the food service industry are all basically slimy rats that must be tipped (bribed) to offer good service.
Are all restaurants run by the mafia? I personally will never leave a tip again, unless the service given could be deemed to have been above expectations.
I order a drink, I pay for it, you give me the drink.
I order a drink, you put an extra shot or something equivalent into it, I pay for it and tip for the extra, you give me the drink.
See how it works?
Standard service = standard pay, exceptional service = tip for above and beyond.
While I agree with some of your points, I think you and a vast majority of anti-tippers may be missing the point….not intentionally, but maybe about how the restaurant industry works.
Firstly, I can guarantee that there are bad restaurants, waiters, bartenders,etc…who will make what I say seem moot, but I can only speak for the general trend in the service business.
That said, I think tipping is an out-dated concept. Unfortunately, the vast majority of restaurants in the US would not survive if they were required to provide even the standard minimum wage their service staff. If these businesses increased prices to cover worker salaries/wage, the general consumer would be priced out of the market. We have become accustomed to paying what is essentially a discount on the food while you are given the option of paying for the service. Do you want to pay upwards of 50% more for your dinner? I know 50% is quite a bit higher than 15-20% tip, but in most service businesses your tips usually help pay a variety of workers not just the ones you are tipping. An example…your tip to a waiter is usually portioned out between waiter, busboy, bartender, hostess, etc…
Some states require that some of these positions are given the minimum wage, but most of these jobs are paid in the 2.13/hr and are dependent on portions of your tips.
Another consideration is worker benefits….there are almost zero benefits in the service business. The employer saves and you as the consumer reap the benefits in low-cost. States usually do not enforce usual standards as sub-minimum wage employees fall in a separate class.
The benefit to the lower costs is greater variety. Japan, Australia and Germany may have it right in the tipping department, but the average US city has a much greater range of restaurants than even Toyko.
I would prefer the tipping system abolished as a whole, but I also love to dine out and I would hate to see meltdown in the food business if it was.
To Insure Promptness. A legacy from a century ago. Certain elements of tipping seem to survived, but I don’t think the promptness part has… Then again, the tip was supposed to be given beforehand to ensure the promptness so meh.
Can you send us a pic of your face so i know to add a grat to your ticket should you come into our restaurant? That way you wont have to tip at all, my pay will be included in your price. In fact that’s a great idea! This would solve the problem! If you guys had a members card “People Who Stopped Tipping” show it to your waiter/cab driver/bartender well before you get service, we will then include our service charges to your ticket, saving you the hassle of having to deal with figuring the tip out yourself. Our management wont have to technically “pay” us and you can still eat your plate of nachos for 5 bucks instead of 9.