4 ms·

Is This the End of Tipping?

7 points by koolba 6y ago

1-6 6y ago
I always wondered about tipping on takeout. I admit that I tip less compared to when a server comes to my table.
- auslegung 6y ago
  Tipping is necessary because waiters get paid $2.xx/hour for dumb reasons. In some restaurants waiters handle the takeout stuff but not always, and tips may be shared with all, some, or none. So it’s very complicated. My recommendation (especially in the pandemic) to tipping is to tip generously. Generous is relative, so if someone is struggling to make ends meet and they’re having their one takeout meal a month, they might not tip as much as someone not struggling and who is getting their third takeout order this week. But in either case they should tip generously
eesmith 6y ago
Things I want: 1) ban the subminimum wage system which distinguishes between tipped and untipped employees 2) raise the national minimum wage to $20/hour 3) require restaurants to pay payroll taxes and worker's compensation premiums on tips 4) actually enforce laws against wage theft ... and tax evasion 5) to those who smugly say that tipping is "To Ensure Promptness" - you're a privileged asshole who clearly doesn't care about the racist, sexist, and demeaning practice they support. This NYT article mentions the sexism and demeaning environment. For racism, see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gratuity#Discrimination https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gratuity#Discrimination . And it goes the other way - waitstaff tend to treat black customers less well because black people tend to tip less than white. 6) to those who don't tip as a protest because the system is rigged - you're a cheap asshole. Go places where you don't need to tip. Things I actually do: 1) complain on HN. :(
- _nothing 6y ago
  This is an honest question - Can small businesses in rural areas afford a $20/hour minimum wage? I can't imagine a grocery store in a small town being able to maintain much of a staff (or any) at that rate, for example.
  - schwartzworld 6y ago
    Counterpoint: your business not being profitable enough isn't a reason not to pay a living wage.
    - _nothing 6y ago
      Again, honest question: Is $20/hr the minimum living wage in a small rural town?
      - eesmith 6y ago
        In the US, the minimum age to purchase alcohol is 21. It used to be 18. In other places it's younger, and/or it depends on the alcoholic content of the drink. So, is 21 the right age? Is 18? Is 16? Honest question: how would you go about answering your question? Economists disagree with each other, so it's not something that an HN comment is going to resolve. Me, I based it on how the minimum wage from the 1950s, adjusted for productivity, would be about $25/hour - https://edition.cnn.com/2021/02/21/politics/minimum-wage-inflation-productivity/index.html https://edition.cnn.com/2021/02/21/politics/minimum-wage-inf... . This means the productivity benefits are going somewhere, but not to the poorest people who are working the most. Raise minimum wage to $20/hour (and/or increase collective barganining power), and raise taxes on the wealthiest, and increase the social safety net - pretty bog-standard social democratic viewpoints.
      - schwartzworld 6y ago
        The real answer is that you should pay what the labor is worth. $20/hr may or may not be the right amount.
        6y ago

7 points by koolba 6y ago

1-6 6y ago

I always wondered about tipping on takeout. I admit that I tip less compared to when a server comes to my table.

auslegung 6y ago
Tipping is necessary because waiters get paid $2.xx/hour for dumb reasons. In some restaurants waiters handle the takeout stuff but not always, and tips may be shared with all, some, or none. So it’s very complicated. My recommendation (especially in the pandemic) to tipping is to tip generously. Generous is relative, so if someone is struggling to make ends meet and they’re having their one takeout meal a month, they might not tip as much as someone not struggling and who is getting their third takeout order this week. But in either case they should tip generously

eesmith 6y ago

Things I want: 1) ban the subminimum wage system which distinguishes between tipped and untipped employees 2) raise the national minimum wage to $20/hour 3) require restaurants to pay payroll taxes and worker's compensation premiums on tips 4) actually enforce laws against wage theft ... and tax evasion 5) to those who smugly say that tipping is "To Ensure Promptness" - you're a privileged asshole who clearly doesn't care about the racist, sexist, and demeaning practice they support. This NYT article mentions the sexism and demeaning environment. For racism, see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gratuity#Discrimination https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gratuity#Discrimination . And it goes the other way - waitstaff tend to treat black customers less well because black people tend to tip less than white. 6) to those who don't tip as a protest because the system is rigged - you're a cheap asshole. Go places where you don't need to tip. Things I actually do: 1) complain on HN. :(

_nothing 6y ago
This is an honest question - Can small businesses in rural areas afford a $20/hour minimum wage? I can't imagine a grocery store in a small town being able to maintain much of a staff (or any) at that rate, for example.
- schwartzworld 6y ago
  Counterpoint: your business not being profitable enough isn't a reason not to pay a living wage.
  - _nothing 6y ago
    Again, honest question: Is $20/hr the minimum living wage in a small rural town?
    - eesmith 6y ago
      In the US, the minimum age to purchase alcohol is 21. It used to be 18. In other places it's younger, and/or it depends on the alcoholic content of the drink. So, is 21 the right age? Is 18? Is 16? Honest question: how would you go about answering your question? Economists disagree with each other, so it's not something that an HN comment is going to resolve. Me, I based it on how the minimum wage from the 1950s, adjusted for productivity, would be about $25/hour - https://edition.cnn.com/2021/02/21/politics/minimum-wage-inflation-productivity/index.html https://edition.cnn.com/2021/02/21/politics/minimum-wage-inf... . This means the productivity benefits are going somewhere, but not to the poorest people who are working the most. Raise minimum wage to $20/hour (and/or increase collective barganining power), and raise taxes on the wealthiest, and increase the social safety net - pretty bog-standard social democratic viewpoints.
    - schwartzworld 6y ago
      The real answer is that you should pay what the labor is worth. $20/hr may or may not be the right amount.
      - 6y ago