5 ms·

The tipping culture in the US has got totally out of control over last 3-4 years. I'm more than fine tipping low waged people who provide an actual service lik

The tipping culture in the US has got totally out of control over last 3-4 years. I'm more than fine tipping low waged people who provide an actual service like wait staff and barbers, but the ubiquitous payment terminals taking over for credit card payment, where the cashier/counter staff expect a 10/15/20% or more tip (some now have 20% as the minimum, unless you go "custom") for doing nothing, piss me off! What next, will tips for supermarket cashiers be next? CVS checkout too?

jjice 2y ago
I was at a small train station in New England heading to Boston with a friend a few weeks ago. We each got a bottle of water. $5 each (should have seen that coming), but the real shocker was that the convenience store inside the train station asked for a tip on the terminal. On the $5 bottles of water we picked up and brought to the counter. The absurdity there makes me feel like I'm in Waiting for Godot.
- HarHarVeryFunny 2y ago
  It is ridiculous. If they want to increase the price by 15% then just do that, but don't pretend you're not by just asking for a 15% tip instead (for the pleasure of using the self-checkout terminal).
laweijfmvo 2y ago
why would you tip a barber? because they cut your hair good? what was the base payment for then?
- HarHarVeryFunny 2y ago
  I guess some of it is cultural rather than rational, but is tipping wait staff so much different? If you go to an expensive restaurant and pay double for the same food as in a cheaper one, then what exactly are you paying for, and in any case why is the tip a percentage (vs fixed amount, as is normal in the UK) such that the wait staff in the more expensive place get more? Whether rational or not, I'm personally fine tipping where the worker is making a low wage, and have spent time personally attending to me. Part of it is thinking that they'll appreciate it more than I will miss it.
  - r14c 2y ago
    2nd order corporate greed via jacking up the prices on everything and pocketing the profits, leaves everyone lacking, asking for tips imo is just trying to make up the difference without having to follow the Lordship's move.
- rapht 2y ago
  > why would you tip a barber? because they cut your hair good? what was the base payment for then? Let me return the question: why would you tip a waiter? because they brought your food to your table? isn't that why they should be paid by the restaurant? Let me also state that, residing in a European city, I do tip my (cheap) barber every time I go because I feel they do an outstanding job at 20% less the price than most competitors, and that work deserves praise in the form of a tip. In general, it seems to me that a tip should reflect something outstanding. In addition to my cheap barber, I also usually tip at fancy restaurants where the service has proved very, very high above comparables.
  - pie420 2y ago
    "Let me also state that, residing in a European city, I do tip my (cheap) barber every time I go because I feel they do an outstanding job at 20% less the price than most competitors, and that work deserves praise in the form of a tip." Do you also tip your local bike shop or computer store when they sell you a computer or bike that is outstanding and costs 20% less than most competitors? Do you tip your car salesman? Do you tip your bus driver when he/she is 20% faster?
    - piperswe 2y ago
      I might tip a bike or computer shop for doing a superb job at repairs. Hell, if I were to hire a person to build a computer for me I might tip them if they did an exceptional job. Tips are for services (like a barber provides), not products (like computers, bikes, or cars). Tipping in the example circumstances I gave isn't typical, but it's something I would consider doing in exceptional circumstances.
- howard941 2y ago
  Yup he cuts my hair good. Always tip your barber. Don't want a shitty haircut next time. Dunno what his base pay is. He does have to rent his chair from the shop. How much does that cost?
gs17 2y ago
I've seen it at self-checkouts. Are you tipping based on how well you scanned things yourself?
nitwit005 2y ago
Stop using the term "tipping culture". It's not as if people spontaniously decided they wanted to tip more. What you're upset at is good old fashioned corporate greed.
- margalabargala 2y ago
  Much as I hate corporate greed, I actually disagree with this one. By and large, huge corporations tend to know that tip prompts annoy people and don't have them. An overwhelming majority of the egregious tip asks, either for generic not-normally-tipped services, or prompting "25%, 35%, or 45%?", have been small businesses or food carts, especially in tourist-heavy areas. Corporate greed isn't really part of it, because higher tips for the workers does not make its way to shareholders.
  - nitwit005 2y ago
    I didn't say huge corporations. Small companies are not somehow immune. Higher tips for workers absolutely makes its way to shareholders or owners, just not directly. They don't need to pay workers as much, and they will see lower staff turnover.
    - margalabargala 2y ago
      You are absolutely correct. However, when people talk about "corporate greed", they usually are talking about large corporations with shareholders, not a food cart with three employees. I find the second point questionable. Firstly, the two options you give are mutually exclusive; either they don't have to pay staff as much, or they will see lower turnover. Lower wages made up for by tips will not decrease turnover if the owner passes that on to themselves via lower wage. Secondly, and this is a regional thing, but where I live (Oregon) there is no exemption from minimum wage for tipped workers. Workers who make tips must still be paid at least the base minimum wage as everyone else. This puts a hard floor on how low wages can go regardless of tips. I'll acknowledge that there can be some benefit to owners and shareholders from tips, but I do not think that the tip gouging that has become common benefits a shareholder more than it hurts them via consumer frustration.
bcrosby95 2y ago
People got generous during COVID and businesses are trying to take advantage of that and extend it to beyond COVID. During COVID I would tip my normal sitdown restaurant amount for takeout. But not anymore.
- HarHarVeryFunny 2y ago
  > People got generous during COVID True, but the problem really seemed to start when the swivel-to-face-customer POS terminals from Square/etc started to be used - the ones that display these 15/20/25% tip prompts. I'm trying to think if I've ever seen one of these terminals that doesn't prompt for a tip?!
  - keernan 2y ago
    Square takes a cut of the entire payment, including tip.
    - HarHarVeryFunny 2y ago
      So they started this whole trend just to line their own pockets, it would seem.
Simulacra 2y ago
I stopped dining out because of tips. If I get food I pay in cash because I am tired of someone flipping the Clover screen over or holding the card reader in front of me, wanting a 30% tip for doing their basic job. It's gone beyond what is a livable wage and solidly into greed, and manipulation.

jjice 2y ago

I was at a small train station in New England heading to Boston with a friend a few weeks ago. We each got a bottle of water. $5 each (should have seen that coming), but the real shocker was that the convenience store inside the train station asked for a tip on the terminal. On the $5 bottles of water we picked up and brought to the counter. The absurdity there makes me feel like I'm in Waiting for Godot.

HarHarVeryFunny 2y ago
It is ridiculous. If they want to increase the price by 15% then just do that, but don't pretend you're not by just asking for a 15% tip instead (for the pleasure of using the self-checkout terminal).

laweijfmvo 2y ago

why would you tip a barber? because they cut your hair good? what was the base payment for then?

HarHarVeryFunny 2y ago
I guess some of it is cultural rather than rational, but is tipping wait staff so much different? If you go to an expensive restaurant and pay double for the same food as in a cheaper one, then what exactly are you paying for, and in any case why is the tip a percentage (vs fixed amount, as is normal in the UK) such that the wait staff in the more expensive place get more? Whether rational or not, I'm personally fine tipping where the worker is making a low wage, and have spent time personally attending to me. Part of it is thinking that they'll appreciate it more than I will miss it.
- r14c 2y ago
  2nd order corporate greed via jacking up the prices on everything and pocketing the profits, leaves everyone lacking, asking for tips imo is just trying to make up the difference without having to follow the Lordship's move.
rapht 2y ago
> why would you tip a barber? because they cut your hair good? what was the base payment for then? Let me return the question: why would you tip a waiter? because they brought your food to your table? isn't that why they should be paid by the restaurant? Let me also state that, residing in a European city, I do tip my (cheap) barber every time I go because I feel they do an outstanding job at 20% less the price than most competitors, and that work deserves praise in the form of a tip. In general, it seems to me that a tip should reflect something outstanding. In addition to my cheap barber, I also usually tip at fancy restaurants where the service has proved very, very high above comparables.
- pie420 2y ago
  "Let me also state that, residing in a European city, I do tip my (cheap) barber every time I go because I feel they do an outstanding job at 20% less the price than most competitors, and that work deserves praise in the form of a tip." Do you also tip your local bike shop or computer store when they sell you a computer or bike that is outstanding and costs 20% less than most competitors? Do you tip your car salesman? Do you tip your bus driver when he/she is 20% faster?
  - piperswe 2y ago
    I might tip a bike or computer shop for doing a superb job at repairs. Hell, if I were to hire a person to build a computer for me I might tip them if they did an exceptional job. Tips are for services (like a barber provides), not products (like computers, bikes, or cars). Tipping in the example circumstances I gave isn't typical, but it's something I would consider doing in exceptional circumstances.
howard941 2y ago
Yup he cuts my hair good. Always tip your barber. Don't want a shitty haircut next time. Dunno what his base pay is. He does have to rent his chair from the shop. How much does that cost?

gs17 2y ago

I've seen it at self-checkouts. Are you tipping based on how well you scanned things yourself?

nitwit005 2y ago

Stop using the term "tipping culture". It's not as if people spontaniously decided they wanted to tip more. What you're upset at is good old fashioned corporate greed.

margalabargala 2y ago
Much as I hate corporate greed, I actually disagree with this one. By and large, huge corporations tend to know that tip prompts annoy people and don't have them. An overwhelming majority of the egregious tip asks, either for generic not-normally-tipped services, or prompting "25%, 35%, or 45%?", have been small businesses or food carts, especially in tourist-heavy areas. Corporate greed isn't really part of it, because higher tips for the workers does not make its way to shareholders.
- nitwit005 2y ago
  I didn't say huge corporations. Small companies are not somehow immune. Higher tips for workers absolutely makes its way to shareholders or owners, just not directly. They don't need to pay workers as much, and they will see lower staff turnover.
  - margalabargala 2y ago
    You are absolutely correct. However, when people talk about "corporate greed", they usually are talking about large corporations with shareholders, not a food cart with three employees. I find the second point questionable. Firstly, the two options you give are mutually exclusive; either they don't have to pay staff as much, or they will see lower turnover. Lower wages made up for by tips will not decrease turnover if the owner passes that on to themselves via lower wage. Secondly, and this is a regional thing, but where I live (Oregon) there is no exemption from minimum wage for tipped workers. Workers who make tips must still be paid at least the base minimum wage as everyone else. This puts a hard floor on how low wages can go regardless of tips. I'll acknowledge that there can be some benefit to owners and shareholders from tips, but I do not think that the tip gouging that has become common benefits a shareholder more than it hurts them via consumer frustration.

bcrosby95 2y ago

People got generous during COVID and businesses are trying to take advantage of that and extend it to beyond COVID. During COVID I would tip my normal sitdown restaurant amount for takeout. But not anymore.

HarHarVeryFunny 2y ago
> People got generous during COVID True, but the problem really seemed to start when the swivel-to-face-customer POS terminals from Square/etc started to be used - the ones that display these 15/20/25% tip prompts. I'm trying to think if I've ever seen one of these terminals that doesn't prompt for a tip?!
- keernan 2y ago
  Square takes a cut of the entire payment, including tip.
  - HarHarVeryFunny 2y ago
    So they started this whole trend just to line their own pockets, it would seem.

Simulacra 2y ago

I stopped dining out because of tips. If I get food I pay in cash because I am tired of someone flipping the Clover screen over or holding the card reader in front of me, wanting a 30% tip for doing their basic job. It's gone beyond what is a livable wage and solidly into greed, and manipulation.