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I disagree with tipping culture in general (ie. always expected to tip because they're not paid enough) but for an exceptional driver I'm happy to throw a tip t
by 22c 3y ago
I disagree with tipping culture in general (ie. always expected to tip because they're not paid enough) but for an exceptional driver I'm happy to throw a tip their way. Some drivers are really knowledgable and will happily give tips on where to go for dinner, what to do and see around, places to avoid etc. and I think a bit of monetary recognition (if you can afford it) is a good thing.
- etchalon 3y agoYou can't "disagree" with tipping culture where it exists. It exists. The driver's compensation is based on the assumption people will tip.
- Retric 3y agoSure you can, opting out of tipping changes the equilibrium. Tipping restaurants seems deeply ingrained in American culture, but chipping at the edges is how you get real change. Tipping isn’t a neutral activity, it actively supports exploitive work environments. I actively boycott such businesses, but even just scaling down tips is a positive change.
- etchalon 3y agoOpting out of tipping doesn't change anything but people's opinion of you.
- katbyte 3y agoYou can opt out of going to places where a top is expected.
- etchalon 3y agoBy all means, boycott businesses that you don't believe pay their workers fairly. That's not "opting out of tipping" and isn't the behavior the OP described.
- Retric 3y agoYou obviously failed to read what I said. “I actively boycott such businesses” I boycott and recommend others tip less if they feel the need to go to such places.
- rendall 3y agoYou wrote that you boycott "exploitive work environments" which is not stating clearly that you never, ever, without exception go to any establishment where staff expects a tip. Waiters or bartenders at some popular restaurants can earn an annual income in the 6 figures. So, these places, not exploitative but highly desirable, are fair game for you to visit and then not tip or scale down tipping.
- Retric 3y agoAll businesses where tipping makes up a significant portion of someone’s wages are exploitive including bartenders making 6 figures. Many businesses such as exterminators haven’t crossed that threshold, but still add a tipping line to bills because it’s got no downside to them.
- rendall 3y agoYou still have not said you do not ever go to any establishments whatsoever where tipping occurs. If you do, and then even "scale down" your tip, then it's you who are the exploiter, sorry.
- Retric 3y agoDo I go to restaurants or bars etc where tipping is expected no. Do I actively ask if a dentist office has a tip line, no I don’t.
- rendall 3y agoIf you're in the US, this means you go to no bars, nor any restaurants, and you do not order any food delivered to your home. Nor do you ever take a taxi. Nor get a massage. Nor order room service at a hotel. I'm pretty skeptical.
- deleted 3y ago[deleted]
- hedora 3y agoI tip a flat rate and simply never return to the restaurant, etc if my experience was sub-par. Interestingly, tipping became popular in the US just after slavery was abolished, since many people resented paying blacks, full stop. Tips allowed customers to legally only pay the white workers. At least one deep-south state supreme court banned tip-based compensation, but the federal supreme court sadly overrode them. (This context helps me understand why some waiters in Europe get offended if you tip them.)
- fragmede 3y agoAre wait staff in Europe typically that knowledgeable about US restauranteur history?
- listenallyall 3y agoWhat is a flat-rate restaurant tip? A specific amount regardless of the bill? Or fixed percentage? And how does the server know it's a "flat rate" regardless of the effort they put into serving you?
- rendall 3y agoYou are not a warrior for change against tipping culture by not tipping. Purchasing services and then not tipping or "scaling down tipping" just makes you an entitled jerk. There's no sacrifice for you. Your "activism" is conveniently cheaper for you and puts pressure on precisely the wrong person. If you want to change tipping culture, actively apply pressure by never purchasing services if it requires tipping, and following through by writing a letter to the company explaining your decision. Get other people to do it. Or lead by example! Open a restaurant (or delivery service, or hotel, spa, whatever) and pay the staff a living wage and instruct staff to refuse tips. Encourage fellow establishment owners to do the same. When you do purchase services that conventionally expect tips then tip and tip generously.
- Retric 3y agoI boycott and recommended others not tip or at minimum tip less. Tipping actively subsidies non tippers the thief’s you’re so concerned with. Boycott if you have conviction, tip less if you have the willpower, just don’t perpetuate this terrible system.
- deleted 3y ago[deleted]
- AnthonyMouse 3y ago> There's no sacrifice for you. This is one of the best ways to get something to change. Convince people to do something that benefits them selfishly which at scale causes the evil to become unsustainable. The ideal case is for everyone to adopt this practice as quickly as possible so the evil is eradicated quickly. The harmful thing is to advocate against it so it spreads less quickly and causes the transition period when some people tip and some people don't to last longer before the system is rightfully destroyed.
- rendall 3y agoNo it's one of the best ways to wrap dubious, self-serving moral bankruptcy and lack of empathy in a shroud of self-righteousness. It's nonsense. I outlined above the only ways to change tipping culture. You really care about the poor, exploited worker? Ask them and listen to what they think you should do to help them. Purchasing services when tipping is the convention and then not tipping ain't it, chief.
- spondylosaurus 3y agoRestaurants don't care if you tip; they'll happily keep paying people crappy wages, same as ever. Your "protest" goes unnoticed by the forces you're trying to sway.
- Retric 3y agoRestraints directly care when people stop going to them, they also care when employees quit because they have better alternatives.
- thehappypm 3y agoWhat is a “restaurant” in this case? Its owners? The owners absolutely care that tipping is happening
- spondylosaurus 3y agoWhy? Unless tips go to the owners, which to my understanding is generally not the case.
- Retric 3y agoBecause employees quit if they don’t get enough tips.
- ForestCritter 3y agono they just hire someone else to work in their place. Restaurant owners I've worked for don't care if customers tip, that's the servers problem. And cooks don't care either if they are the reason the server doesn't get a tip. They get full wages regardless.
- AnthonyMouse 3y agoThe employer can't pay employees less than they can get somewhere else or no one will take the job.
- 22c 3y agoWell when I said I disagree with tipping culture, I didn't mean to imply that I don't tip where tips are expected. What I meant is that I'm happy to tip even where it's not expected if the service was exceptional.