I'm so fed up with the tipping culture!

[Anonymous]

It is because of tipping I generally avoid restaurants except when on vacation or traveling. There is already a 10% food tax, and then I'm expected to give 20% on top of that? No, I never do. I usually tip about 8% - 12% depending on rounding down to an even dollar amount. Sometimes I just leave a single dollar on a $9 meal. I don't care about the service as long as the food comes to the table. Sometimes I'll get up from the table and find where the straws or napkins are located and go get them myself. I prefer buffets the most because you can just help yourself to what you want.

Now, if my feet were rubbed or I was given a back massage after the meal, yeah, I would tip big, but just bringing food to the table doesn't merit any huge bounty on my part.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There's a thread in restaurant forum about tipping on $300 bottle of wine, and anyone saying that 'No, I don't want to give a 20% on that' gets scolded. Now, I don't plan to order a $300 bottle of wine any time too soon, but I do think that I should be entitled of treating myself to an expensive bottle of wine or champagne for whatever reason, without being obligated to hand over extra $60 for waitstaff [audience is booing at this point, I assume]
Lets compare a bill of 100 for food + 60 bottle of wine vs 100 for food + 300 for champagne. 20% tip would be $32 vs $80 for exact same work (not calculating taxes or, ahem, tip on taxes). I wouldn't tip 32 bucks on a $400 dollar bill, but then again - I don't want to feel obligated to tip $80 either. Since why does my opinion not matter? Maybe even the restaurant owner would like me to return, despite my cheap tips, to buy more wine? How come anything other that 'whatever, 50 bucks here or there' is a social faux pas?
(Additonally, the system where restaurant owners are allowed not to pay even a minimum wage, and this obligation is rolled onto customers, is ridiculous. Guess we can be glad that the service of cooking food or delivering produce to the restaurant is included in price, for now.)

The same for salon services. Lets say I pay $250 for cut+color. It is not a cheap service. The cost of actual product used is $25 bucks, lets say other costs, incl the portion of rent, are $50. That would leave $175 for the service. Not earth shattering, but not at all horrible for 2 hrs of expert work. So anyone who doesn't add extra 50 for service (+extra if someone else washes your hair) is a bad person and doesn't deserve to have their hair cut?

And those above aren't even the most annoying examples. When a casual 'serve yourself at the counter' type eatery has tip options starting from 18% and going up to 30% in the system, then we're really talking!

Don't eat out at luxury places. I assume you tip well on cheap things too? Since it's the same work for a $5 sandwich as a $25 steak? Right?

The problem is people who have these grand theories make the employees serving them suffer for a system they have NO CONTROL over. They don't decide if the bill suggest 18% or 25%. They are just doing their jobs and trying to survive. If you can't tip 20% on something, DO NOT ORDER IT. End.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:People like OP and others who despise tipping are truly a part of the entitled class, longing for the days of a small aristocracy and large poverty stricken mass. Let them eat cake, eh?

Anti-tippers feel that they are entitled for low wage workers to go above and beyond for you because it’s “their job” , “their place in life”, that “they chose”... probably want to make America great and bring back slavery too... why pay them anything at all eh?

People should really spend an hour picking your personalized grocery list, haul your 67 hand picked grocery items30 minutes to your house, for 5 dollars, along with ensuring they are carefully transported to your home...with no tip?

Ok.

Slavery’s the way to go for you!

Pretty simple. If you make the choice to support a business that you know does not pay a living wage, AND you don’t tip, you are capitalizing on slavery/ low wage worker exploitation.

I bet if you were paid what you were really worth...or testily produced... it’d be TREMENDOUSLY lower than this society has inflated your degree and social status to be worth.

OP here. Nice tangent, but has nothing to do with how I actually think. I think servers should be paid reasonable salary but their employers.

But of course it is more logical to assume that if I want to tip 15% instead in 20% then I'm practically pro-slavery.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Perhaps pay service staff more than $4.75 an hour without medical benefits? And don’t tip, but perhaps don’t complain about the rising cost of your $200 dinner. Yes, $300. Wait, what? Eh. What’s it worth. They’re getting your money one way or another. Why not give it to the people who serve each other in communities? Raise the wages. Over tippers can still tip, Sandals-type no tipping policies can be instituted across America. Yay.

I think that if a nice restaurant in London or Paris, which are not cheap cities, can charge $18 for a salad AND pay salaries for their workers, then a random restaurant at a completely unremarkable location in VA or MD that charges $18 for their salad, can also pay at least minimum wage.

[Anonymous]

The problem is that there is nothing that can be done at an individual level. There would need to be a national anti tipping movement to effect change. Businesses and employees are incentivized you accept cash tips. Not sure what can be done. I personally can’t stand it.

I hate having to go to the atm before a hair appointment and then stuff cash into miniature envelopes and write names on them. On top of that, to pay for the actual service using a credit card. The entire process is ridiculous and needs to be stopped. Can you imagine the grocery store telling someone they can pay for their milk with a card, but cereal must be purchased using cash and placing in an envelope with someone’s name on it? Of course not.

[Anonymous]

Having financed a college education on tips (yeah I'm old) I don't mind tipping most of the time. But I will not tip at a Starbucks that's my threshold.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We tried that with Prop 77 and the city council overruled it.

If the tipping culture annoys you, patronize businesses that pay their employees a living wage and provide benefits and make tipping optional, as it should be. The problem is that so many jobs don't pay enough to live on employers expect customers to make up the difference.

If you believe Prop 77 would have eliminated tipping, I've got a bridge to sell you.

I was a bartender in DC in the mid 2000s, even back then a good night at a busy place could get you $400 or $500 in tips, mostly untaxed. You think they are going to give up that gravy train and settle for $15 an hour that they have to pay taxes on? Hell no, the only thing Prop 77 would have done was raise menu prices 20% as business owners claim they are "forced" to do it to pay for the increased payroll with no change in the expectation to tip.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There's a thread in restaurant forum about tipping on $300 bottle of wine, and anyone saying that 'No, I don't want to give a 20% on that' gets scolded. Now, I don't plan to order a $300 bottle of wine any time too soon, but I do think that I should be entitled of treating myself to an expensive bottle of wine or champagne for whatever reason, without being obligated to hand over extra $60 for waitstaff [audience is booing at this point, I assume]
Lets compare a bill of 100 for food + 60 bottle of wine vs 100 for food + 300 for champagne. 20% tip would be $32 vs $80 for exact same work (not calculating taxes or, ahem, tip on taxes). I wouldn't tip 32 bucks on a $400 dollar bill, but then again - I don't want to feel obligated to tip $80 either. Since why does my opinion not matter? Maybe even the restaurant owner would like me to return, despite my cheap tips, to buy more wine? How come anything other that 'whatever, 50 bucks here or there' is a social faux pas?
(Additonally, the system where restaurant owners are allowed not to pay even a minimum wage, and this obligation is rolled onto customers, is ridiculous. Guess we can be glad that the service of cooking food or delivering produce to the restaurant is included in price, for now.)

The same for salon services. Lets say I pay $250 for cut+color. It is not a cheap service. The cost of actual product used is $25 bucks, lets say other costs, incl the portion of rent, are $50. That would leave $175 for the service. Not earth shattering, but not at all horrible for 2 hrs of expert work. So anyone who doesn't add extra 50 for service (+extra if someone else washes your hair) is a bad person and doesn't deserve to have their hair cut?

And those above aren't even the most annoying examples. When a casual 'serve yourself at the counter' type eatery has tip options starting from 18% and going up to 30% in the system, then we're really talking!

Don't eat out at luxury places. I assume you tip well on cheap things too? Since it's the same work for a $5 sandwich as a $25 steak? Right?

The problem is people who have these grand theories make the employees serving them suffer for a system they have NO CONTROL over. They don't decide if the bill suggest 18% or 25%. They are just doing their jobs and trying to survive. If you can't tip 20% on something, DO NOT ORDER IT. End.

These people can get a higher paying job if they don't like the pay for waiting tables.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We tried that with Prop 77 and the city council overruled it.

If the tipping culture annoys you, patronize businesses that pay their employees a living wage and provide benefits and make tipping optional, as it should be. The problem is that so many jobs don't pay enough to live on employers expect customers to make up the difference.

If you believe Prop 77 would have eliminated tipping, I've got a bridge to sell you.

I was a bartender in DC in the mid 2000s, even back then a good night at a busy place could get you $400 or $500 in tips, mostly untaxed. You think they are going to give up that gravy train and settle for $15 an hour that they have to pay taxes on? Hell no, the only thing Prop 77 would have done was raise menu prices 20% as business owners claim they are "forced" to do it to pay for the increased payroll with no change in the expectation to tip.

That is a very good salary for just carrying plates around and pouring drinks

[Anonymous]

These people can get a higher paying job if they don't like the pay for waiting tables.

“These” people may be working multiple jobs to piece together life around child or elder care. Those people may not have had the benefit of higher education, or shocker are currently enrolled in a program to further their life, working when not in class. Stuff your classism and cook at home or bus your own table.

[Anonymous]

People Are getting frustrated about the tipping rate because they are already get ripped off by inflated prices on basically everything, especially around here. Example the average restaurant markup on pasta is 800% and I am watching these restaurants continue to jack up their prices on a simple dish while paying their employees crap. Why is it my responsibility to make up for a bad restaurant owner. I’m not paying more than 20% tip period. Id rather just stop going to said restaurant.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:People Are getting frustrated about the tipping rate because they are already get ripped off by inflated prices on basically everything, especially around here. Example the average restaurant markup on pasta is 800% and I am watching these restaurants continue to jack up their prices on a simple dish while paying their employees crap. Why is it my responsibility to make up for a bad restaurant owner. I’m not paying more than 20% tip period. Id rather just stop going to said restaurant.

Look at the cost of real estate. The prices are not based on whim.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:i tip 10%
easy math
it used to be normal 20 yrs ago and its good now
if they want more money get another job. or ask for raise from your employer.

It really should be the norm. In my state, servers get minimum wage and then guilt everyone into tipping 18-20%.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

These people can get a higher paying job if they don't like the pay for waiting tables.

“These” people may be working multiple jobs to piece together life around child or elder care. Those people may not have had the benefit of higher education, or shocker are currently enrolled in a program to further their life, working when not in class. Stuff your classism and cook at home or bus your own table.

We are doing that right now and intend to keep doing it once the pandemic ends so stuff your entitlement.

[Anonymous]

I’d love to see the salary breakdown of who thinks 10% is sufficient versus those that tip the standard 20%. Also who tips on the full bill versus pretax; cash vs credit; and if they tip different percentages based on their estimation of it being a high end or low end location, neighborhood, or culture/cuisine (regardless of actual prices). Do you tip differently depending on who your with or if it’s a friend’s business? Does anyone merit a tip over 10%? Do you tip to the exact penny or do you round up/down?