Tipping in North America

[chopc]

I don't understand tipping in North America- apparently it's the biggest source of income for waiters/ tour guides etc. However all these people are employed. Isn't it up to the employer to pay them an adequate wage then the tip would be just that - an additional amount given if the customer thinks they received exceptional service. If it's a compulsory payment it's not a tip 🤔. Does anyone know the logic behind the N American way of thinking?

It pisses me off too, I don't tip here and Very rarely will I tip when in USA, unless it has been exceptional customer service, it's not my problem that the owners are not paying decent wages, i work hard for my money and I'm not just going to tip because society says so!

@Itsyersel if you don't like it then don't eat in restaurants where it's expected.

@Poloshot Just because its " expected" doesn't mean its necessarily going to happen, I have no problem just paying the bill and leaving,

It kind of is compulsory because as others have said these people aren’t paid a living wage. They say if you can’t afford to tip, you can’t afford to eat out.

I don’t mind doing it but I prefer the idea that business owners take responsibility for their own staff rather than the general public. If business owners make a decision that decreases footfall (like changing menu or pricing or something) ultimately the servers suffer and it doesn’t seem fair. I prefer to know people are paid properly and then good service warrants a few extra quid to make life easier/more enjoyable (as opposed to just being able to feed themselves!)

As I say you should reassess your choice of restaurant if you can't afford to eat in sit down restaurants. The servers are often taxed on the tips whether received or not.

It pisses me off too, I don't tip here and Very rarely will I tip when in USA, unless it has been exceptional customer service, it's not my problem that the owners are not paying decent wages, i work hard for my money and I'm not just going to tip because society says so!

Wow, how utterly selfish of you. Basically you are saying screw you to the waiting staff because you are tight. It doesn't matter how absurd you find the custom of tipping, it is the norm there so either don't visit or don't have any sit down meals and just eat fast food while there.

The discussion is not about whether someone can afford to eat in certain restaurants. It is about the tipping culture in north America.

@Poloshot HaHa, never once mentioned "Not being able to afford to tip" It a choice, why throw money away for no reason, in America its utter nonsense though, get off plane get to cab/Transfer TIP, Arrive at Hotel porter takes bags TIP, arrive at reception book in TIP, staff hold door for you TIP, go out for lunch TIP, dinner TIP, supper TIP, leave TIP for cleaners, repeat 7-14 days......Utter nonsense

@KatherineJaneway unless you are blind and cannot read I think you will find I WROTE I will only tip if it's exeptional service, I'm not going to pay somebody extra if they are going to give me a half arsed job, which to be honest is what you get most of the time as tips are "Expected" maybe if people didnt expect them then you would receive better customer service!

I take it not to mean 'tip' in the same way as it does in the UK. It's paying someone's wage so it's not really optional. Call it a delivery charge or even service tax if you like?

It's not so different from the Uber model is it? Workers only get decent pay when they have customers, so the business saves in quiet times and the financial pressure is passed to staff. It's crap and inequitable, like so many things in life. Don't not pay it, vote with feet if you can find places that pay a decent hourly wage.

Tipping is compulsory, the wait staff are taxed on the tips, the tax is calculated on the checks for table they serve. So when they are tipped extra, the amount they are taxed on is the base 15 or 20% depending where you are so they get a little extra cash in hand. If you under tip they are still taxed 15 or 20% or the check and can loose money.

@Itsyersel don't go to their country then if you can't afford to or are unwilling to abide by the way they do things based on your own measures of normality.

We were in the States in May. Food certainly wasn't cheaper than the UK in the bigger cities. 85 dollars before tip for a very mediocre pizza and spaghetti with one small beer and wine. Bored indifferent service. We tipped 15% but felt ripped off.

@Poloshot wow you really are pushing the cannot afford thing aren't you, ,
Hahahaha, maybe its too close to the truth for you then.

I can't abide the whole concept of tipping. I think it's very demeaning to the recipient and not very far removed from begging.

It has its roots in a social system of haves have-nots, where the "haves" give the "have-nots" a few pennies and a pat on the head as if they were children receiving pocket money from a parent.

It would be illegal in the UK and in most of the rest of Europe for restaurants to operate in the same way as US ones do. Here, the price stated is the price you pay. If a service charge will be added, it has to be stated in writing on the menu.

I have walked out of some restaurants when given the menu and seen they add a service charge, because I object to it on principle and think that it should not be allowed.

Imagine going shopping in Sainsbury's and getting to the checkout, then having a 15% service charge added to the cost of the items, to cover the service provided by the staff in the shop! It's ludicrous. The shop takes all its overheads into account when pricing its goods, so the price listed is the price you pay at the checkout. Nobody expects to have to tip the checkout workers or the shelf stackers!

WeBuiltThisBuffetOnSausageRoll you say that but these threads always bring out the ‘I don’t tip’ lot who proudly talk about how they’d never get their server more than the meal cost. Lot of tight gits about!

@KatherineJaneway unless you are blind and cannot read I think you will find I WROTE I will only tip if it's exeptional service

I can read thanks very much @Itsyersel You said Very rarely will I tip when in USA, which is a screw you to 99% of the staff who wait on you when you eat out there at restaurants.

I don’t tip in the UK because it’s not the done thing. I tip in the US because it is. but I always tip cash because tax is theft.

I find it such a faff in the US. I like to use my card but have to get out cash and break it into dollar bills purely to tip. I don’t mind in restaurants but having to tip the bus boy, cleaner, head of cleaning and the person who hails a taxi for us gets too much when you are doing it twice a day.

You're basically subsidising the employer by making up the income to a reasonable level rather than it being on top, it's a gross scam that Americans seem happy to go along with.

I once read a discussion about this where some American was saying how mean Europeans are, he tipped 25% for exceptional service, 20 % for OK service but only 10% for poor service! He really couldn't see why he was a fool for tipping poor service.

They say if you can’t afford to tip, you can’t afford to eat out.

Makes sense, but it's funny how they never say if you can't afford to pay a living wage, you can't afford to run a business, isn't it?

In a sense, we sort of have a comparable setup in the UK for lots of businesses and employees - not just in the service industries (a PP mentioned Sainsburys adding an extra 15% to your total) - but it's done more subtly:

US: Has no nationwide minimum wage. Restaurant pays waitress too little to live on, so customers are expected individually to subsidise their employer's business by paying extra to top up her earnings to a living wage.

UK: Does have a nationwide minimum wage, but it's not a living wage - Supermarket pays checkout operator NMW (or pennies more) which is too little for her family to live on, so the taxpayer is expected corporately to subsidise their employer's business by paying tax credits to top up her earnings to a living wage.

Of course, this is now being phased out in favour of UC....

Irks me when you go somewhere that’s self service and then you have to clear your plates and return them to a washing rack and they still expect a 20% tip. 🤷🏻‍♀️

WeBuiltThisBuffetOnSausageRoll you say that but these threads always bring out the ‘I don’t tip’ lot who proudly talk about how they’d never get their server more than the meal cost. Lot of tight gits about!

Yes, I think I spoke too soon and assumed that everybody had the same basic moral stance.

Just because there's a preposterous system doesn't mean you protest against it by punishing the most vulnerable people. I think it's outrageous that there are people in this country who have to sleep rough, but that doesn't mean I think the problem can or should be magically solved by my kicking a homeless person.

@Itsyersel if you don't like it then don't eat in restaurants where it's expected

It's this pathetic attitude that maintains the status quo where employers are robbing both their staff and customers. Pay a decent wage, increase menu prices and give the staff an incentive to do a good job and actually earn a tip for service above mediocre.