4 ms·

I'm guessing you're not american? Their attitudes towards tips are different than, for example, those in continental Europe. The way I understand it, service s

I'm guessing you're not american? Their attitudes towards tips are different than, for example, those in continental Europe. The way I understand it, service staff are criminally underpaid (by our standards). This is workable because they make up for the income using tips, which works because tips are larger (I'm not sure which way around cause and effect is here). This means that when someone in the UK might withhold a tip due to bad service we're just removing a bonus, whereas in the US we're effectively removing their pay for serving us. Not tipping is a much stronger action. To respond to your 'prices' comment directly - the person delivering the pizza doesn't get to set the prices. They have to take the job that they can in a service industry that pays peanuts on the basis that people will earn tips. And the business doesn't have any incentive to do anything about it - they get to pay people less and therefore keep margins high and/or charge lower prices to compete.

jenscow 9y ago
This has always bothered me when I visit. I tend to over tip just to make sure. My visits are short, and the level of service would normally deserve a tip anyway.
cossray 9y ago
I've been in Japan for the last 6 months and I have never witnessed any tipping. You make such an attempt and it comes off as strongly rude! Different cultures for sure
emodendroket 9y ago
> The way I understand it, service staff are criminally underpaid (by our standards). This is workable because they make up for the income using tips, which works because tips are larger (I'm not sure which way around cause and effect is here). As I understand it this was promoted by business owners themselves (which makes a certain kind of sense because it offloads the risk of a slow night onto their employees).
graton 9y ago
In many states now, all employees are paid at least minimum wage. In my state that is $10+/hour. But that depends on the state. The federal government allows tip based workers to be paid only $2.13/hour by their employer but they must make at least $7.25/hour after tips. But in my state they have to be paid at least $10+/hour before tips.
- moosey 9y ago
  WA? CA? I personally really like the fact that servers are getting paid so well here in WA, and I've been tipping a lot less as a result. When it goes up the $13, I might reconsider it altogether. Thank goodness, I dislike the entire process. I think that it makes people mean; when you are a server working for tips you have a thousand bosses, and far too many people are terrible with even a modicum of power.
bkor 9y ago
> I'm guessing you're not american? Their attitudes towards tips are different than, for example, those in continental Europe. It's not attitude, they do underpay certain people. But at the same time various US pizza places do include a service or delivery fee which still doesn't go to the driver. As a result you might pay a delivery fee which is isn't a delivery fee. In a restaurant if they don't get tipped enough the restaurant has to make up the difference / pay them minimum wage (though this rule to differ per state). So not paying still should result in minimum wage. From what I understood in US it's rather arbitrary whom you pay extra and which persons you do not (e.g. even pay extra to get a haircut). Once you travel more you'll notice these rules are rather arbitrary (custom in one country, totally unexpected in another). For restaurants I often don't go back to the same place twice so I don't see the point of randomly paying more. As result I'm trying to stop doing that (it feels impolite, this despite me sometimes being unique in adding giving a tip). Paying by bankcard helps to avoid tipping. Going back to pizza delivery, in my country (not US) the delivery fee is often included in the pizza. This is done by offering a pretty huge discount for picking up a pizza.
- emodendroket 9y ago
  > In a restaurant if they don't get tipped enough the restaurant has to make up the difference / pay them minimum wage (though this rule to differ per state). So not paying still should result in minimum wage. In principle this is true; in practice it is rarely honored. > From what I understood in US it's rather arbitrary whom you pay extra and which persons you do not (e.g. even pay extra to get a haircut). Once you travel more you'll notice these rules are rather arbitrary (custom in one country, totally unexpected in another). For restaurants I often don't go back to the same place twice so I don't see the point of randomly paying more. As result I'm trying to stop doing that (it feels impolite, this despite me sometimes being unique in adding giving a tip). Paying by bankcard helps to avoid tipping. All customs are arbitrary to some extent, but the rule of thumb is that if you're getting a personal service from someone who's not a professional you should tip.
  - JBlue42 9y ago
    My barber has been cutting hair for two decades and a masseuse I go to has various certificates. I assume they're all professional yet still have to tip on top of the regular prices. I don't tip at the dry cleaner or after having clothes altered. Working as a barista in various cafes, tips were few and far between, vs pouring beers. Not much difference in the actual experience. Good rule of thumb but I think it can still trip up non-Americans to some degree. Best tipping I ever had was working at a fancy hotel - paid a decent service industry wage and would regular get tips of $10-20.

jenscow 9y ago

This has always bothered me when I visit. I tend to over tip just to make sure. My visits are short, and the level of service would normally deserve a tip anyway.

cossray 9y ago

I've been in Japan for the last 6 months and I have never witnessed any tipping. You make such an attempt and it comes off as strongly rude! Different cultures for sure

emodendroket 9y ago

> The way I understand it, service staff are criminally underpaid (by our standards). This is workable because they make up for the income using tips, which works because tips are larger (I'm not sure which way around cause and effect is here). As I understand it this was promoted by business owners themselves (which makes a certain kind of sense because it offloads the risk of a slow night onto their employees).

graton 9y ago

In many states now, all employees are paid at least minimum wage. In my state that is $10+/hour. But that depends on the state. The federal government allows tip based workers to be paid only $2.13/hour by their employer but they must make at least $7.25/hour after tips. But in my state they have to be paid at least $10+/hour before tips.

moosey 9y ago
WA? CA? I personally really like the fact that servers are getting paid so well here in WA, and I've been tipping a lot less as a result. When it goes up the $13, I might reconsider it altogether. Thank goodness, I dislike the entire process. I think that it makes people mean; when you are a server working for tips you have a thousand bosses, and far too many people are terrible with even a modicum of power.

bkor 9y ago

> I'm guessing you're not american? Their attitudes towards tips are different than, for example, those in continental Europe. It's not attitude, they do underpay certain people. But at the same time various US pizza places do include a service or delivery fee which still doesn't go to the driver. As a result you might pay a delivery fee which is isn't a delivery fee. In a restaurant if they don't get tipped enough the restaurant has to make up the difference / pay them minimum wage (though this rule to differ per state). So not paying still should result in minimum wage. From what I understood in US it's rather arbitrary whom you pay extra and which persons you do not (e.g. even pay extra to get a haircut). Once you travel more you'll notice these rules are rather arbitrary (custom in one country, totally unexpected in another). For restaurants I often don't go back to the same place twice so I don't see the point of randomly paying more. As result I'm trying to stop doing that (it feels impolite, this despite me sometimes being unique in adding giving a tip). Paying by bankcard helps to avoid tipping. Going back to pizza delivery, in my country (not US) the delivery fee is often included in the pizza. This is done by offering a pretty huge discount for picking up a pizza.

emodendroket 9y ago
> In a restaurant if they don't get tipped enough the restaurant has to make up the difference / pay them minimum wage (though this rule to differ per state). So not paying still should result in minimum wage. In principle this is true; in practice it is rarely honored. > From what I understood in US it's rather arbitrary whom you pay extra and which persons you do not (e.g. even pay extra to get a haircut). Once you travel more you'll notice these rules are rather arbitrary (custom in one country, totally unexpected in another). For restaurants I often don't go back to the same place twice so I don't see the point of randomly paying more. As result I'm trying to stop doing that (it feels impolite, this despite me sometimes being unique in adding giving a tip). Paying by bankcard helps to avoid tipping. All customs are arbitrary to some extent, but the rule of thumb is that if you're getting a personal service from someone who's not a professional you should tip.
- JBlue42 9y ago
  My barber has been cutting hair for two decades and a masseuse I go to has various certificates. I assume they're all professional yet still have to tip on top of the regular prices. I don't tip at the dry cleaner or after having clothes altered. Working as a barista in various cafes, tips were few and far between, vs pouring beers. Not much difference in the actual experience. Good rule of thumb but I think it can still trip up non-Americans to some degree. Best tipping I ever had was working at a fancy hotel - paid a decent service industry wage and would regular get tips of $10-20.