Unfortunately, in a lot of states in the US, there is a huge gap in minimum wages. $7.25 per hour for normal jobs, yet it is only $2.13 for tipped workers. For

Unfortunately, in a lot of states in the US, there is a huge gap in minimum wages. $7.25 per hour for normal jobs, yet it is only $2.13 for tipped workers. For the lower end, this usually means that their paycheck goes mostly to taxes and their entire living money comes from tips. Legally, the employer is supposed to ensure that the wages plus tips equal out to the $7.25 per hour. Legally, they are paying minimum wage. We need the laws changed to fix this issue, but the government doesn't seem primed to make these sorts of changes. As far as why some jobs attract a tip and others don't, I think it has to do with a combination of custom and what sort of work one does: On top of this, some service sector employers prohibit employees from taking gifts or tips from customers (retail, for example, generally prohibits this and you can get fired for accepting). This obviously has an impact on the norms.