It never fails to shock me how a tip is demanded in the US. People simply refuse to listen to reason when we (yes, there are others!) tell them that leaving a tip isn’t necessary. Well, I’m hoping for too much here, but if you’re a waiter, here are 5 reasons why I will try my best not to give any money to you and why the reasons for tipping are crappy.
1. You act as if you’re my best friend
Just leave me alone ok? I don’t want to bloody chit chat with you. I want food. FOOD! Get it? It’s a restaurant. I go there to eat. I go because I want either Italian food, Chinese Food or something else which I can’t get in a McDonald’s. So I come to a restaurant to fulfill my cravings for it. I will pay for what I value – food. Not you.
Christ, you offend me – kneeling down next to my table, pretending to like me and chatting as if you’re my best friend when it’s obvious that all you’re after is the tip! I’m not a bloody money bag you know. I will pay the bill which includes the cost of the food, the environment and the salaries of the people involved – nothing more.
The only way to get money out of me that I don’t have to legally pay is by prying it out of my cold dead hands…
Bottom line: I don’t want to know your name, or interact with you for any longer than I have to in order to place my order. As far as I’m concerned, you’re the equivalent of a conveyor belt that brings me my food and a computer into which I input my order. Of course, I won’t be rude. But don’t expect me to interact with you any more than I would with some stranger.
Image Credit: cafemama
2. You don’t get paid enough
And this is my problem how exactly? It’s astonishing that customers are expected to make up for your employer’s cheapness in not paying you a decent wage. Please include the full cost in everyone’s bill thank you very much. I’ll pay it because I have to and the charge is there for me to see.
What’s really funny here is that no one seems to criticize the employers! All criticism is reserved for non tipping customers instead of the owners of the restaurant for not paying a decent wage. Wtf! Could it possibly be because you guys know you can make much more by tips and under report your income to the IRS?
3. You’ll spit in my food if I don’t tip you?
And I’ll shoot your kid if you don’t give me a million dollars. Seriously, am I even hearing this right? You’re actually using the threat of blackmail to make me pay you? Well as long as you’re openly claiming to be a criminal it’s all right I guess.
Fortunately that’s why I prefer buffets. Listen apart from it being illegal, this shows your poor integrity. But if you spit in someone’s food because they didn’t give you money you didn’t earn, then you’re a loser and deserve to be a waiter for the rest of your life.
4. Bringing me my food isn’t worthy of being paid extra
Did you cook it? Did you invent it? No. You picked it up and brought it to me. While it might not be easy, there are plenty of jobs which are much worse – shop floor workers for example. And I’ve been a shop floor manager, so I know. Face it – compared to other jobs, being a waiter is unskilled. You get paid what the market will think your services are worth. You don’t deserve more for your work over and above what your employer should pay you.
5. Money doesn’t grow on trees
I expect you to be grateful and pray for me at night if I tip you 10%. Be happy I gave you anything at all. I worked for the money in my wallet and by giving you some I didn’t have to, I’m doing you a favor. Learn to remember that when people give you something they don’t need to, it’s a favor. You don’t complain that they didn’t give you more!
By the way, the same thing above applies to all professions that demand tips including those on cruise liners.
So now that you understand why I won’t give you money you don’t deserve, stop with the “oh how could you?” attitude. I can. And I will.
Update: Here’s a rebuttal of the many silly justifications for tipping that people have given in the comments section.
I’ve read a number of post directed at Bhagwad’s ethnicity. Really? How shameful ! I am so white the KKK would make me their supreme leader, and a multi-generational North American. And I don’t want to tip you either. Ethnicity has nothing to do with it.
(P.S. KKK was a example for those who may take it seriously)
Hi, Common Sense :)
In reply to Zapious
hello there zapious, didn’t see you there, lol haha. I’ve gotta say hello to anyone that says so as courtesy.
I posted once before up a little ways.. and I would like to first again say. If its your opinion that you just don’t want to tip I wont tell you that your opinion is wrong.
I’ve read some generalizations from both sides of the argument that is so off base I can’t even fathom how so people can even treat others in a conversation like that. Again, I have been a bar tender / waiter for over 20 years, and the people that work in the industry with me that would come out and say you would do something to a customer or their food if you knew they wouldn’t tip. Get a grasp on yourself. Please find a different job to work in because customer service is not for you.
I think alot of you have gotten so lost in the debate at hand that most of your repost aren’t even on top. I seen people talk about culture, politics, humanity and other just get down right rude.
Everyone has opinions and expectation when they go out as to what they expect from their dinning experience. When I walk in the door at work my main focus is to make sure “Every customer leaves happy”. Im going deal with customers that are rude and customers that dont want to tip, but im also going deal with customers that like me asking how their daughters day in school was, giving them tips on what i think their fantasy football line up should be, or just making trivial conversation because they came in by themselves and just want to human interaction to past the night.
I have to be able to juggle birthdays, reunions, ball team parties, ect ect and make sure that experience was a remarkable one, and at the same time make sure the corporate 4 some in the corner has everything they need as well. On a really busy night in the bar it is really possible that 5-6 people might be saying my name all at the same time all wanting what they want first plus try and find the sports game on tv that the 7th customer wants right now.
I could sit here and say that i dont make good pay because the customers appreciate me for all the hard work i put in to make their experience top notch, but id be fibbing. But, the last thing I think about during the day is the money (it takes care of itself).
Because of the way my customer treat me I am able to give back to them out of my pocket not the company’s something of value in the way of a drawing every month. If you add up all the gift cards, movie passes, ect ect. I give away every month to the customer whose name I draw out I probably give back upwards to $500 a year. Ive had customer come in and spend $14 on a meal and at the end of the month be rewarded with $40 package of dinner and movies passes. Though dont get me wrong your not going see this probably anywhere unless you happen to walk into where I work and sit in my section. But, my point here being their are those of us out there that just want to make sure when you do go out you get service not just some worker holding their hand out.
Part of the reason I even came here was because I wanted to find out why someone would opening just say “I dont tip”. Because I want to know what it is i can do to make your dinning experience better so that you might for once just say… “you know i think im going leave a dollar for this person” they really wanted my night out to be fantastic and it was.
Everyone deserves to be able to go out anywhere they want. Everyone works hard for the money they have in their wallets. Everyone should be able to decide how and what they want to spend it on. I have worked in the service industry for 20 years again some people just wont tip other tip way more then they need to. At the end of the day I enjoy my work, I make a decent living and i really hope every one of my customer leaves happy. I mean honestly I work more for the customer then i do the employer so what ever it is the customer wants the customer should get. And until I cant afford to pay my bills i will look forward to serving each and ever one of you.
In reply to Ken
Ken, nicely said. Again, I understand your a server and from a humanistic side of things, you deserve a decent wage. I just feel that as a consumer, the responsibility should not fall on me. Again you stated your feelings respectfully, totally cool. I still feel that tipping is an outdated and arbitrary system. I tip as I please and not because society deems certain establishments “tip worthy.” If local governments (notice that I say local) want to make some sort of gratuity reform, hey I’m all for it. If your restaurant posts a gratuity fee on the bill, I have no problem with that. My problem is the arbitrary “15%” or “20%” or soon the”30%” tipping system. Its unfair and it doesnt make sense.
Again I’ll bring up Mr. Marx’s idea–one person goes and buys a really expensive bottle of wine, nothing else–$300. So a 20% tip for that is $60. Nothing was prepared and only the bottle was purchased for one person only (btw i am supposing this is one major alcoholic, lol).
Now we have two people who ask for multiple refills of water and order a side salad which is $10 each. So their total will come out to $20. A 20% tip is $4.00. The waiter worked much harder for these two people due to the multiple refills of water, bringing out two plates. How is that fair?
Again until I’m legally required to tip, I will still continue to tip as I please (or not tip at all).
All your points are very valid and well stated. Most the times when I do recieve no tip it because I didnt do my job correctly being that maybe i was so busy I just couldnt possibly get the drink filled on time or i let my customer service slip by cutting corners and the customer got their food cooked incorrectly and I wasnt paying attention to that when I brought it out. On these occasions I know the fault rest in me and honestly I always say to myself. Wow, if i was the customer i wouldnt be very appreciative of that either.
On your point about the $300 bottle of wine. Not many middle class people are going be spending $300 on a bottle of wine, where as there are tons of people that might fall in the $20 salad part of it. While most time I do get $4 from the salad people im tickled pink at $2 as well. Tip is about appreciation not about hey your bill was $20 dollars you now owe me $4. You dont owe me anything, well maybe a thank you but outside of that nothing. I work hard to show you I care and then hope for the best. But, back to the $300 wine bottle. The people that are buying these bottles probably make $300 dollars an hour doing what ever it is they do and to be honestly with you that $60 tip isnt anything to them most times they dont even think about it when they leave it. I have corporate customers have a tip included in their banquet service before that was about $120 and when I gave him the bill they added another $200 on top of it. I would tell him oh no need for that the tip was already included and he would always say “its okay ken, this is because you really wen that extra mile”.
Another thing I do. At the place I work parties of 8 or more are required to pay 15 percent tip and are even told that before they are seated. Now, every person I work with they always apply the auto tip. I tell my groups at the end “I will not be charging any kind of a auto tip to the bill, I believe you need to work for any kind of guest appreciation so if you decide to leave something its totally up to you.” Most times they are so delighted that I allowed them to decide how much or if anything i normally get higher then 15% but then again dont get me wrong I work hard for that too. There are times when I get lower as well. But, in the end im happy with the fact i wasnt demanding.
Another thing I would like to bring up. Lets say you wanted to go to a sporting event. These professional athletes make millions and millions of dollars. You pay sometimes hundreds of dollars just to get into the stadium to see them. While your there you pay $6 for a hotdog and $9 for a beer. I could take you to a bar near me where you could get a $1 hot dog and $1.25 beer where you could watch the same game on the TV. But, you go to the game because you wanna be right up in there. You might say something like “wow this beer is expensive” but you pay it anyway because you want the beer. In the end run because of the price your paying for your goods it allows these athletes to make the millions they make so your kinda tipping them when you pay 200-300 percent mark up on the goods. I might make a reference that going out and eating could be considered the same thing that the tip is kinda the culture of the business but instead of being in the cost of the food or even on your bill you get to decide how much extra it is or even if its extra at all.
Heck most of the people that have posted on this board (except for the nasty ones) if we were having this conversation out at the bar. Id buy a couple of beers for.. but understand when I buy the beer its only under the understanding that you’ll get the tip =P
You sound incredibly sour and cynical. Not everyone tries to manipulate other people’s emotions for money, shocking I know -_-. A lot of people genuinely care about random people they interact with, and the fact that they are waiters/waitresses does not exclude them from the club of kindness.
Your points are not valid or well thought out, because they are coming from a person incredibly biased by their own experiences and by rumors. If they were you wouldn’t declare another person’s motives without actually knowing what they are.
“I expect you to be grateful and pray for me at night if I tip you 10%.”
You have so much baggage that we might need to go to baggage claim at the airport, other human beings are not your servants or lesser than you.
Also gotta love the ‘fuck america comments’, if you don’t like anything on this planet then make it better instead, or at least do everything in your power to, shocking concept I know.
In reply to David
what if I just don’t like tipping? What if I’d rather give it to a homeless beggar out on his luck than a person who doesn’t have a job?
I just don’t like tipping based on my beliefs in free market capitalism, that is it. Sure, i may sound like a libertarian, but these are my beliefs. If you agree to a position that does pay low, that is on you. I did not agree to paying a gratuity, unless there is a specific policy (ken mentioned the parties of 6 or more people). Like I have mentioned, in Washington state, all people make the fed minimum wage (btw minimum wage doesn’t work), so does this mean I don’t have to tip wait staff if i go to a red lobster in spokane?
In reply to Common Sense
Spot on mate. The waiter signed up for the job knowing exactly what salary he would be getting. Why the hell should he/she expect to be paid extra for doing their job? I can’t honestly think of any other profession where a serviceman can demand additional money as tips on top of his regular salary.
These days tipping is more like bribing. If you don’t tip, the next time you go to that restaurant you won’t get decent service. So basically you have to bribe the servers if you want to keep coming back to that place.
In reply to Andy
Get serious. Servers don’t sign up to make 2.13 an hour, they sign up to earn tips. That’s the way it is. If you want to continue dining out, and receiving better than KFC level service, then get use to. I’m not saying servers are entitled to anything, especially not for poor service but the reality is that they are not going cater to you for slave wages alone. You, and several other people on this thread may not tip, and that’s fine. But obviously the majority of society understands restaurant etiquette, otherwise we’d be getting our own refills, and cleaning your own tables up at Ruth’s Chris and Olive Garden.
I think this is a brilliant article and very poignant indeed. This culture of giving tip was invented by the Americans and it sucks because the real intention is to enable the employers to cut corners and get away with paying peanuts to these waiters and waitresses. Essentially what this has done is shifted the burden of paying the server’s wage to the customers directly while it should be the employer’s job.
Instead of slamming the employers who treat these servers as slaves by not giving them a decent wage, society blames the non-tippers as if its some sort of crime to not tip. I have even heard of people saying that not tipping is like stealing money from the waiter’s pocket. How ridiculous is that? Last time I checked, the food in restaurants wasn’t cheap, infact downright expensive. So all the profit is shared between the chefs and the employer while the waiters get the bread crumbs and its somehow the customer’s fault?
Tips should be appreciated as a bonus and not expected from each and every customer as if they owe it to ya. I don’t see the police, the firemen, the hospital nurses, the mall store helper, government office clerk expecting tips for doing their job. They are happy as long as they get their paycheck at the end of the month. I don’t get any tips for repairing people’s TV or fridge, I am just doing my job and being paid by the company. So why must we make an exception for the waiters?
In reply to Andy
Andy, great points, I just hope people don’t bring up the “2.13/hour” nonsense. Employees agree only with the employers regarding their wages. It is not the consumers’ concern. you are correct, police, firemen, hospital nurses, soldiers, etc. don’t get tipped for doing their job.
Humanism aside, tipping is frivolous, arbitrary and subjective.
Weak argument. Yes, you can of course give shitty service if you drew a fixed salary instead of depending on tips. But isn’t it the same for every profession? That’s why its important for the employers to keep a tab on their employees and make sure they are EARNING their salary. If you give me shitty service as a waiter, I can always complain to your employer as a customer and you would be sacked because the restaurant has to keep its customers satisfied to stay in business. So even without a tipping system, there is always an incentive to provide top notch service if you want to keep your job.
In reply to Andy
Um NO just because a customer makes a complaint the server is NOT fired. If that was the case no one would be a server. People are going to complain either way and I also give better service to my good tippers who understand I make 2.14 a hour and my tips are my check but honestly I wish they would add tip to the check so we get our money and all these cheap ass non tipping fucks cost of food would rise about 40%!!!
In reply to Ashleigh
While a waiter probably won’t be fired due to every customer complaint, they will certainly be fired if they refuse to do their job. Tips or no.
In reply to bhagwad
That’s not true. In my restaurant, we don’t wait on notorious non-tippers. In fact, my boss the other day was approached by “Llama.” We call her Llama because she is a revolting beast and she spits when she speaks. Llama doesn’t tip. She was throwing a tantrum because her service has gotten consistently worse. Servers no longer honor her special requests, or take note of her myriad modifications, or bother telling her new features. No one refills her drinks anymore, or checks back after she gets her food, or puts any effort into being prompt. Llama hasn’t tipped for the whole year she’s been a regular, no matter how hard people tried to be prompt, perfect, and precise. During Llama’s shrieking shower, my boss stopped her with, “I’m sorry,_____, but don’t you refrain from tipping the people working for you?” “I don’t TIP!” “Well, I understand your concern, ________, but the staff tends to focus on paying customers, and the food is part of the price. The tip is to be included based on the service you receive, yadda ya. I understand if you are dissatisfied with your service, perhaps you should strive To Insure Proper Service?”
Of course, it’s a very high-quality, privately owned, small business with a close knit staff and a very loyal customer base. There’s really never a day we don’t have a wait and a massive reservation list. The wait staff are all very, very well trained, 5 star professionals. We have no need for that kind of scum in our restaurant, and our boss certainly acknowledges this. Llama isn’t ever coming back because no one waits on her anymore. We couldn’t be more pleased. Stick to the self-service troughs; no one wants your patronage. No one.
In reply to MeSoSoupy
I’m not asking for special service or modifications. I just want my food as on the menu. Basic service that’s it. For which I obviously don’t need to tip.
You are so rude. I think it’s funny, how rasist your views are. That’s the way it works here.
In reply to Amanda Moore
racist? Who is doing that I don’t see it?
Go ahead and don’t tip me. You will get your judgement day.
In reply to Laura
what if I tip you 10% instead of 15? Is it biblically written to tip 15%? Is it somewhere in Mark, Luke, Matthew or John that 15% is required? I guess in the 80s people were going against religion than as they accepted 10% just fine.
In reply to Common Sense
No, the economic *expectation* of tipping is *not* biblically written. All I am saying is that most people believe in a higher being, no matter who that is to them, they will one day be judged. That is unless you are Atheist, which puts you in a whole different category anyway. Like was stated many times before in this stupid ongoing rant, servers remember who tips and who doesn’t. *You* should remember that most servers are students working their way through a Bachelor’s Degree, graduate work or MBA. One day, they may be the one interviewing YOU for a job. That is all. No need to reply.
In reply to Laura
If you believe in a higher being, as I certainly do, that is excellent. I want to ask, however, why 15%? It is not biblically written as you mentioned, it is an arbitrary number. Why was it 10% when I was a kid in the 80s?
its fine that servers remember who tips and who doesn’t and thats fine and good, but why can’t they remember to negotiate for a better wage with their employer? They shouldn’t be complaining to the customer. The customer is always right.
its fine that they are students working through college, but why not find another job is the wait service is so bad? Hey work at Radio shack they’ll pay you $10/hour and they are a great employer. So is best buy.
Remember ,this is capitalism. This is not a theocracy (you mentioned the bible; remember the US is a secular nation, don’t place the expectation on religion).
Now lets say a college student is 18 years old. I go to his restaurant once. 10 years later he interviews me hypothetically. Could you give me a precise probability? That is so unlikely. There are 7 billion people on this planet. There are 400 million Americans. Tehre are 40 million californians. There are 15 million people that live in greater los angeles. This is becoming EXTREMELY unlikely. Even so, I am a well qualified candidate who is asking for a low wage from this interviewer, yet he unprofessionally lets his emotions go because I didn’t tip him? That is fine. that is his loss. I will take my talents to this persons competitor and out compete this so called MBA. I will make sure that I work so hard, as I normally do, the business competition fears me (which is what I see).
I really do not care what your situation is. In a free market economy, you spend money and you earn money, that is it. People should stop complainign and start serving more. you are not guranteed riches. the USSR based its whole idealogy on this and guess what happened in 1991? Capitalism works. People are poor, middle and rich. Waiters are not guranteed to make lots of money, but they do have the access to the opportunities. My job as a restaurant patron is to eat. i don’t care about your babies, i don’t care about your marital situation, your school situation or where you live. Just please, give me my food. I’ll tip EXACTLY how I feel if it is 5%, 10%, 20%, or 0.
In reply to Common Sense
i’m sorry, you mentioned judgement, i mentioned the bible, my mistake.
This is insulting. That you can look down on an entire group of people so deeply based solely on their jobs is discrimination–as American a tradition as expecting compensation for the smallest amount of effort put into a job. Yes our jobs may be menial compared to whatever it is you do, but conveyer belts we are not. I would suggest visiting the closest vending machine for your next meal, it will deliver your snacks without the added insult of smiling at you or making sure that they made to your specifications.
Don’t worry, we know we aren’t entitled to our tips, but they are not the only thing we’re thinking about while we’re serving you. Usually we are actually interested in interacting with you, providing an enjoyable experience, and making sure you are happy. The point of going to a restaurant is for the experience; if you’re just looking for a different cuisine, buy a frozen dinner or learn to cook or something.
It seems to me that you get more satisfaction out of insolently refusing tips than the actual experience of going to a restaurant. If you think you are knocking your servers down from their high horses and crushing their hopes of a couple extra bucks from you, sorry but I’m going to have to deny you that satisfaction. We know better than to expect tips, and there is little dignity left to rob us of–we’re servers! We do some ridiculous things just to make sure we don’t get yelled at by grouchy, ill-natured patrons. So while I understand your resentment towards the restaurant industry, the only person you are making an ass out of is yourself, by showing your ignorance, general bad attitude, and sense of entitlement on the internet for all to see. If you don’t want to tip, fine, don’t; just stop pretending that you are so much better than your servers and that you are offended by their concern that your meal is enjoyable.
You say you work hard for your money? So do we, WE’RE SERVERS. I’m not here to argue about whose job is harder, but the simple math is that a 20% tip on a $20 bill is a mere $4. If $4 causes you so much grief, maybe you aren’t getting paid enough. Why don’t you take it up with your boss or just get another job?
In reply to marie
Why do you feel I look down on servers? Comparing a server to a conveyor belt is how I view their functionality. It’s not insulting or degrading to merely describe how I view their functionality. What’s wrong with conveyor belts?
And I’m not denying any compensation to servers – actually it’s a moot question since it’s the employer’s job to compensate employees not the customer’s! Servers work for the restaurant, not for me.
In reply to marie
how about takign it up with YOUR boss that you are not getting paid enough either? There is nothing wrong with the comparison Bhagwad made. When I go to a restaraunt, sure all you think about are tips when you serve. I don’t think about tips. I am hungry, all I can think about is food. You mention frozen foods–what about franchise restaraunts? Most of their food is frozen as well. Does that mean I don’t have to tip at a restaurant as long as it is a franchise?
BTW who cares about American tradition? America is subject to change due to its Western/secular nation (which I myself am not a fan of, but that’s for another discussion).
You mention the bad attitude and the such. Perhaps if the servers showed less of this, I might be more inclined to tip. Just over the last year I kept track of the service–75% of the waitresses showed me HORRIBLE attitude (btw the male waiters were always excellent, just sayin; sorry).
I still am not hearing anything regarding the market forces behind serving. You agreed to 2.13, so why are YOU complaining. you signed your name on the W-2/W-4. I for example refuse to accept a job that pays less than $60,000. That is my worth. Whenever you go to interview for a position, you ask what the gross salary/hourly wage is. It is not my concern how much you make. In capitalism, it is also NOT my concern whether you even eat at night or go hungry. Ronald reagan even said once that millions of Americans are going on to bed hungry? Well, maybe they’re on a diet. In a free market capitalist society, your wages mean nothing to me, only my wages mean something to me. In capitalism, we only pay what we are required to pay. If your establishment has some sort of gratuity policy, I will more than happily comply, however most do not. It is an arbitrary system.
I want to ask again why 20%? In the 90s it was 15%. In the 80s it was 10%. up to the 70s it was always your spare change. Why is it going up? The food prices themselves are going up, so if you adjust for inflation, 15% from the 80s will still be 15% today and you will be receiving the same allotment, so why is it no 20%?
I’d suggest to all wait staff, and I really don’t mean to be rude, perhaps you should all complain less and serve more, as it is your job. In a capitalist society, as a consumer, i have every right to complain. As an employee, you do not. Just as an employee with my own company, I cannot complain to our customers. Remember, the customer is always right.
This entitlement is what is destroying our wonderful country. Everybody is entitled to something nowadays I guess.
BTW Bhagwad is right, Servers work for the restaurant, not me. Have a low wage? Not my problem, i’m just a customer. I’m their to consume, that is it. Lets be honest, you have kids that are hungry and going to school? I don’t care, i’m sorry if that sounds rude, but guess what, this isn’t soviet russia. nobody in capitalism is guranteed richness, but it is easier to acquire hear than in the USSR if one works hard. I am fiscally responsible and I got where I am due to that. I tip exactly how I feel whenever I want to. Some nights its 10%, some nights its my spare change, others it is nothing. Some nights I’ll tip 20% if it was wonderful service, but don’t make any percantage a requirement.
Come on people. What restaurant have you ever gone to and had a waitress hold a gun to your head demanding a tip?!!! We know its not required, but get real, no one gets in the service industry to make 2.13 an hour alone. I’m a server and am well aware that some nights are bad, some people are cheap or whatever the case. But if i am providing quality service, my overall expectation is to make good money. It’s why I chose the job. There’s no shame in that. If most customers operated on this anti-tipping rant, they’d be fetching their own refills, clearing their own tables, running back and forth to counter to get their food orders just right. Thankfully most people understand restaurant etiquette and the business. My generous guests balance out the cheapskates, so I can’t complain. But get use to the system, that’s just the way it works. Why should you have to tip? YOU DON’T!!! It’s a courtesy obviously. However, if this tip banning attitude was adopted nationwide, the restaurant biz would most certainly flounder, and we’d all be reduced to Burger King style service. No one is going to cater to people for slave wages. Do you ever see McDonald’s employees going the extra mile? It’s fine you don’t tip, thankfully others do.
In reply to JM
this is why we need market forces to allow balance. For example what if I opened a restaraunt that had a no tipping policy? Meaning you pay only what you see on the receipt? I am providing competition, but would the regulatory system from teh powers that be in our stupid government even allow it? They’ve quashed such similiar practices before because it “benefits the workers and the customer.” It is a courtesy, you are correct JM, but this is a business. Courtesy should be pushed aside. This is capitalism. Your feelings are not my concern quite frankly. Do you know how much the blue shirt guys at Best Buy do? They climb up ladders, lift heavy things, etc., but they don’t ask a tip. in fact I slipped a guy a few bucks once and his manager said please don’t, and he actually looked more mad than anything.
Who cares about etiquette? your establishment is getting my money from the bill, so why would you enforce “etiquette?” Act like a business, don’t act like my mom or big brother. When I go to a business, I will pay only what I am required to do. Please push the humanism on the side. This is a capitalist nation, not a socialist nation. If tipping is banned, the market would correct itself. This is why the regulatory system by big brother (minimum wage, safety etc.) doesn’t work. If I want to make only $5/hour, who is the government to tell me no? If I want to not wear a hard hat, who is the government to tell me no? If I am 14 years old and I want to work, who is the government to tell me no? If I am an employer and I don’t want to give insurance to my employees, who also agree, who is the government to tell me no?
remove the tipping policy and you’ll see a new market of restaraunts. Some restaraunts will still accept tips just fine, but the “courtesy” aspect will only be in place. wages will not be affected. Let the market handle it JM. It did in the past just fine.