American tip culture is baffling
Speaking as an American, this crap is new. It started because of the proliferation of those iPad-based POS systems (like from Square, et al). They’re ostensibly a good thing (low barrier to entry, easy to deploy) but most of them come with an inbuilt tip request.
For my part, I never tip for counter service, unless I’m paying cash, then the change goes in the tip jar because I don’t like jingling when I walk. Nor does anyone I know, really. Same for carryout food. I’m not tipping you to hand me a bag.
Here’s how you can understand it:
American company orders are greedy and they will do whatever they can to not pay workers, including trying to con customers into paying them
As a customer I have a rule for tipping that is easy to follow
You come to me, I tip. I come to you, I don’t
Only exception is if I ever do take out and the servers have to prepare it. I’ll tip them
Why we still allow restaurants to under pay their employees and make the customers foot their salary is so far beyond me
Because it’s legal. It will never change unless the government steps in and intervenes.
Or if the goverment stops intervening with unions.
I select “No tip”, avoid eye contact, and hope for the best that they don’t mess with my food/drink.
Gunna be waiting a long time. Don’t particularly see how handing me a croissant from behind the counter is tip-worthy.
What if it’s really hot croissant?
Then I guess I’ll tip the microwave.
Please don’t tip the microwave. It was just cleaned.
Gotta tip it with reheating soup in it.
Say my name, and tip me
Tipped jobs have a lower minimum wage than untipped jobs.
If you give the option for customers to tip…
Then it’s easier to underpay them (further)
It’s baffling to me that this exception exists. There’s zero justifiable reason for it imo.
Especially since I think it hasn’t been increased in ages. So it’s essentially an unpaid tip only job (yeah yeah I know they cover it if tips don’t make up to minimum)
Especially since I think it hasn’t been increased in ages.
That would completely depend on your juridiction. Minimum wage where I live is $13.85, minimum wage tipped is $10.85.
https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/state/minimum-wage/tippedIf you’re at a sit down restaurant and sit there for an hour and are the ONLY table that person has for that hour, they make minimum wage with a $3 tip. And yet, even then I hear the nonsense about not making enough on tips from time to time. It’s greed at that point.
