4 ms·
> Why is North America so slow to realise this? It's part of the culture. And culture has always been an extremely inert thing. Decades are often needed to cor
by frank_boyd 13y ago
> Why is North America so slow to realise this?
It's part of the culture. And culture has always been an extremely inert thing. Decades are often needed to correct major problems that are anchored in it.
Probably the most effective way to get rid of the tipping culture would be for a majority of business owners to visibly declare:
"No tipping allowed. We pay fair salaries."
Does a business owner have a clear economic incentive to do this? No. At most an ethic one. And maybe there's a tiny bit of PR value in it.
- omegant 13y agoBeing spanish I don't find necessary to forbid the tips. Here if you are halpy with the service you let a couple euros, if it's a large bill something more, but it's not mandatory and the waiters are not going to look bad at you for not doing it. Every time I go to the states I find anoying that the waiter or the taci driver are counting every cent I let them, and that there is the possibelity to have a dispute over that. I'll rather have the quantity declared on the total of the bill and avoid that tense situation. I don't get how you can separate the food from the service, it seems like if the restaurant service were provided by random guys that just happen to be there that day, and not by proper employees. I know it's not like that but I can't avoid getting that sensation when I have to pay.
- chilldream 13y agoAt least one restaurateur who tried a no-tip policy found tips actively harmful: http://jayporter.com/dispatches/observations-from-a-tipless-restaurant-part-1-overview/ http://jayporter.com/dispatches/observations-from-a-tipless-...
- omegant 13y agoVery interesting piece, thank you. I didn´t know how much the american laws are set about tipping. It´s not like that in Spain as far as I know. I don´t know about the dynamics but I´ll expect that they are playing a similar role between employees.
- saraid216 13y ago> It's part of the culture. It's the same culture that feels individual charity is the best way to deal with poverty. (And also there's this wonderful subset of this culture that feels that it's clever and thoughtful and generous to leave a Bible verse instead of a tip.)