3 ms·

This doesn't make any sense. Firstly, it's common practice (the norm) for tips to be pooled and split among all staff, so it doesn't, in fact, result in good em

This doesn't make any sense. Firstly, it's common practice (the norm) for tips to be pooled and split among all staff, so it doesn't, in fact, result in good employees being paid more than worse ones. Secondly, solving the principal-agent problem is the employer's problem, and they could do that by collecting feedback, paying bonuses, firing people, etc. Punting the whole thing to clients just means that it becomes a lottery based on the client's mood, wealth, expectations, instead of something objective.

Laaw 11y ago
Not to mention how racist/sexist/ageist/etc tipping is. It's incredibly naive to think the people who get tipped the most are the best employees, even if the pool ultimately levels out the playing field. What kind of a fucking awful system do we have where hot white girls are better coworkers simply because they're hot white girls, and not because they do a good job?
- sridca 11y ago
  > What kind of a fucking awful system do we have where hot white girls are better coworkers simply because they're hot white girls, and not because they do a good job? Uh? Is that just your opinion or are there studies to back it?
  - Laaw 11y ago
    * https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2016/02/18/i-dare-you-to-read-this-and-still-feel-ok-about-tipping-in-the-united-states/ https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2016/02/18/i-dar... * https://www.washingtonpost.com/posteverything/wp/2015/01/21/whats-behind-racial-differences-in-restaurant-tipping/ https://www.washingtonpost.com/posteverything/wp/2015/01/21/... * http://www.slate.com/articles/business/moneybox/2013/07/abolish_tipping_it_s_bad_for_servers_customers_and_restaurants.html http://www.slate.com/articles/business/moneybox/2013/07/abol... * http://www.esquire.com/food-drink/restaurants/a23132/why-tipping-should-be-illegal-15603180/ http://www.esquire.com/food-drink/restaurants/a23132/why-tip... * http://www.wagehourlitigation.com/files/2015/10/cornell.pdf http://www.wagehourlitigation.com/files/2015/10/cornell.pdf * https://news.ncsu.edu/2012/04/wms-rusche-restaurants/ https://news.ncsu.edu/2012/04/wms-rusche-restaurants/ * http://viewfromthewing.boardingarea.com/2016/02/19/45436/ http://viewfromthewing.boardingarea.com/2016/02/19/45436/ * http://business.time.com/2013/11/18/worst-restaurant-customers-ever-use-religion-racism-as-excuses-for-not-tipping-waiters/ http://business.time.com/2013/11/18/worst-restaurant-custome... * http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1329241 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1329241 * http://www.tippingresearch.com/uploads/JFSBR_race_revision_article.pdf http://www.tippingresearch.com/uploads/JFSBR_race_revision_a... This is not (just) my opinion.
    - sridca 11y ago
      Ah OK, yes that is fucked up. So there are subconscious biases at play in tipping, which is all the more reason to get rid of it. You'd think the social justice folks would be at the forefront of advocating such a thing, but alas ... It is pretty sad that HNers are quick to downvote your post while demonstrating little inquisitiveness.
- readams 11y ago
  Studies to back it up: http://www.tippingresearch.com/uploads/customer_racial_discrimination10-30-06.pdf http://www.tippingresearch.com/uploads/customer_racial_discr...
DamnYuppie 11y ago
Since when did it become the norm to split tips among all the staff? Are you talking about tip jars at Starbucks or tips for a waiter? A waiter may tip out a bartender depending upon how much of their tab was alcohol but otherwise they generally don't divvy it up with all the other servers.
- maaku 11y ago
  And the kitchen staff, bus boys? Most restaurants pool tips because there's a lot more service roles than the waitress.
- eric_h 11y ago
  This is entirely dependent upon the establishment in question. In NYC, it's quite common for bars that have multiple tenders behind the bar to split their tips during hours they work together. Further, many restaurants also give BoH a portion of the tips gathered by FoH. Avoiding taxes by collecting cash tips is also a common practice, though that does end up requiring one to collect cash - sometimes on the order of $10^5 and keeping it in ones apartment, since you can't put it in a bank account and not be taxed on it eventually.
deleted 11y ago
[deleted]

Laaw 11y ago

Not to mention how racist/sexist/ageist/etc tipping is. It's incredibly naive to think the people who get tipped the most are the best employees, even if the pool ultimately levels out the playing field. What kind of a fucking awful system do we have where hot white girls are better coworkers simply because they're hot white girls, and not because they do a good job?

sridca 11y ago
> What kind of a fucking awful system do we have where hot white girls are better coworkers simply because they're hot white girls, and not because they do a good job? Uh? Is that just your opinion or are there studies to back it?
- Laaw 11y ago
  * https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2016/02/18/i-dare-you-to-read-this-and-still-feel-ok-about-tipping-in-the-united-states/ https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2016/02/18/i-dar... * https://www.washingtonpost.com/posteverything/wp/2015/01/21/whats-behind-racial-differences-in-restaurant-tipping/ https://www.washingtonpost.com/posteverything/wp/2015/01/21/... * http://www.slate.com/articles/business/moneybox/2013/07/abolish_tipping_it_s_bad_for_servers_customers_and_restaurants.html http://www.slate.com/articles/business/moneybox/2013/07/abol... * http://www.esquire.com/food-drink/restaurants/a23132/why-tipping-should-be-illegal-15603180/ http://www.esquire.com/food-drink/restaurants/a23132/why-tip... * http://www.wagehourlitigation.com/files/2015/10/cornell.pdf http://www.wagehourlitigation.com/files/2015/10/cornell.pdf * https://news.ncsu.edu/2012/04/wms-rusche-restaurants/ https://news.ncsu.edu/2012/04/wms-rusche-restaurants/ * http://viewfromthewing.boardingarea.com/2016/02/19/45436/ http://viewfromthewing.boardingarea.com/2016/02/19/45436/ * http://business.time.com/2013/11/18/worst-restaurant-customers-ever-use-religion-racism-as-excuses-for-not-tipping-waiters/ http://business.time.com/2013/11/18/worst-restaurant-custome... * http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1329241 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1329241 * http://www.tippingresearch.com/uploads/JFSBR_race_revision_article.pdf http://www.tippingresearch.com/uploads/JFSBR_race_revision_a... This is not (just) my opinion.
  - sridca 11y ago
    Ah OK, yes that is fucked up. So there are subconscious biases at play in tipping, which is all the more reason to get rid of it. You'd think the social justice folks would be at the forefront of advocating such a thing, but alas ... It is pretty sad that HNers are quick to downvote your post while demonstrating little inquisitiveness.
readams 11y ago
Studies to back it up: http://www.tippingresearch.com/uploads/customer_racial_discrimination10-30-06.pdf http://www.tippingresearch.com/uploads/customer_racial_discr...

DamnYuppie 11y ago

Since when did it become the norm to split tips among all the staff? Are you talking about tip jars at Starbucks or tips for a waiter? A waiter may tip out a bartender depending upon how much of their tab was alcohol but otherwise they generally don't divvy it up with all the other servers.

maaku 11y ago
And the kitchen staff, bus boys? Most restaurants pool tips because there's a lot more service roles than the waitress.
eric_h 11y ago
This is entirely dependent upon the establishment in question. In NYC, it's quite common for bars that have multiple tenders behind the bar to split their tips during hours they work together. Further, many restaurants also give BoH a portion of the tips gathered by FoH. Avoiding taxes by collecting cash tips is also a common practice, though that does end up requiring one to collect cash - sometimes on the order of $10^5 and keeping it in ones apartment, since you can't put it in a bank account and not be taxed on it eventually.

deleted 11y ago

[deleted]