6 ms·

The first link to the source is actually all about tipping, which I'm surprised didn't make it onto the list. While American style tipping is odd to me as a Eur

• ekianjo 13y ago
  Honestly even after traveling to America several times I don't understand why this practice is still going on. It's just annoying for everyone (the employee, and the client) and a cause for embarrassment. In Europe we tip people when we get extra good service from them,, so that tipping feels special. That's the way it should be.
  • Mindless2112 13y ago
    As an American, I don't understand why tipping still goes on either. It should be banned -- it's discriminatory[1] and just generally a pain in the butt. [1] http://freakonomics.com/2013/06/03/should-tipping-be-banned-a-new-freakonomics-radio-podcast/ http://freakonomics.com/2013/06/03/should-tipping-be-banned-... (or more directly, http://tippingresearch.com/uploads/customer_racial_discrimination10-30-06.pdf http://tippingresearch.com/uploads/customer_racial_discrimin...)
    • ekianjo 13y ago
      This being said, tipping led to excellent Curb your Enthusiasm episodes. :)
      • leephillips 13y ago
        And some memorable Reservoir Dogs dialogue.
  • altcognito 13y ago
    Getting rid of tips might force to confront the fact that we don't pay people a living wage.
    • ekianjo 13y ago
      Then why take the job if it does not pay as well as other jobs? I don't understand how it makes sense for anyone in the equation.
      • Amezarak 13y ago
        a) Because there aren't an unlimited number of jobs to choose from. b) Employers are required to make up the difference if you don't make the real minimum wage (7.25) with your tips. c) In practice, waiters do much better than the rest of the kitchen. I worked as waiter and kitchen staff for six years at a cheap buffet. Servers pulled $150 for a five hour shift, on average. Everybody in the kitchen made minimum wage.
      • Cthulhu_ 13y ago
        Because the serving industry is a huge job market in the US. I was at a random restaurant / diner having breakfast, which in the Netherlands would have maybe one or two serving personnel running around - wasn't particularly large, maybe 30-40 seats. They had five or six people running around. I have to add though, the serving and attention to customers was much better than over here. You're frequently out of drink in restaurants/bars over here, and the serving personnel doesn't seem to have the time or will to take care of that. Which is a missed sale, of course; over the course of an evening out, that adds up to 1-2 lost drink sales. And also because a lot of people just can't get a job in the area they want. I know of a lot of people online that went for a degree in game design, but the jobs just aren't there. If they do get a job in the game industry, it's often as tester - bottom of the ladder.
        • BugBrother 13y ago
          >>If they do get a job in the game industry, it's often as tester - bottom of the ladder. Uh, is it really that bad to start your career at a junior job? Besides, graphics/game developers in my experience know a lot about math, algorithms and fast implementation. They should be able to get jobs somewhere else?
  • jackbravo 13y ago
    I live in Mexico and it is somewhat the same. When you get a job as a waitress you are told that your salary is X + tips, so they usually pay less than other kind of jobs, but it is expected to be compensated with the tips. So the only wining person is the employer.
  • shadowwolf007 13y ago
    Honestly as someone who lives in USA I hate this practice. Every time I am mad and want to tip low I think hey they have a family maybe or just had a crappy day this time and I don't want to deny them the ability to pay rent. The idea that my skimping on a $3 tip may be the difference between being able to enjoy a leisurely cup of coffee after a crappy day at work or not makes me tip no less than 20%. I'd rather they just be paid a livable wage and tips be optional.
    • Amezarak 13y ago
      The employer is required to make up the difference if a tipped employee makes less than the minimum wage (7.25 or higher) - though sure, that's maybe not a livable wage. Honestly, though? I worked at a restaurant ($10 buffet) for six years and most of my friends work in the industry still. Almost all waiters make out much better than the rest of the kitchen staff. Additionally, many establishments (especially mom and pops) encourage waiters to report the minimum amount necessary (whatever works out to minimum wage) for taxes. I wouldn't feel any worse for your waiter than for the guy who cooks your burger. Bizarrely, though, waiters are much more vocal than the rest of the staff about their wages.
      • shadowwolf007 13y ago
        Oh don't get me wrong: I feel crappy for the kitchen staff too. I actually thought it would be cool to get in to the restaurant biz until I learned about it. I don't know how kitchen staff don't go insane. Or maybe they do. Which is why I am always super nice to the staff at restaurants.
  • jj00 13y ago
    As an American, I would say most of us have a sympathetic ear, but don't know where best to place our efforts, so it shows up in tipping. However, I'm equally confused as to why there is no tipping in fast-food restaurants. The restaurant will even go as far as providing pants without pockets as to deter workers from receiving tips.
    • konceptz 13y ago
      This is because managers believe, and may have studies to back it up, that a tipped service can never provide the consistency of a non tipped service. Remember that "tips" is an acronym for "To Insure Prompt Service".
      • teddyh 13y ago
        > Remember that "tips" is an acronym for "To Insure Prompt Service". No it isn’t. http://www.snopes.com/language/acronyms/tip.asp http://www.snopes.com/language/acronyms/tip.asp
  • viraptor 13y ago
    I'm not even sure tipping is good in general. In most cases multiple people add to your experience. The kitchen staff, the waiters, people doing orders in the first place, kitchen porters, maybe someone else taking your registration, etc. But the result of tipping is normally either: - person taking the tip takes it all - tip goes to the pool and everyone (including people not involved in your case at all) get the same amount Neither one is fair for people involved. (And that's assuming staff gets any of the tips at all)
  • smackfu 13y ago
    See, I find it odd that people go to a foreign country, and then complain about the stuff that is different. That seems like being a bad traveller. Like going to Spain and then complaining that all the shops are closed in the afternoon and on Sundays. "Can't they just work normal hours???"
    • andyroid 13y ago
      Nothing odd with that. Comparing a country you are visiting to your own (or some other country you've been to) seems perfectly reasonable. Of course, if you're only complaining you probably shouldn't travel. I love a lot of things about the US (I'm european) and I'd love to go back there soon, but the tipping system is annoying none the less.
  • neilk 13y ago
    People who work for tips defend the practice, because the people who make it their profession have learned how to work the system. People who aren't good at it have been weeded out. So it's hard to say if it's really good or bad. I've decided that it's a peculiar form of North American efficiency: part of management and monitoring the service worker has been delegated to the client. If someone's working for tips, less supervision is needed to ensure they are providing great service. As long as everyone obeys the cultural norms, it's a win for the owner, customer, and service worker. For those who don't obey the cultural norms, well, at least the service worker has a base salary. This explains why it's more normal to tip a waiter, but not so for a fast food restaurant. In fast food, the workers are staying put behind a counter, and the manager is just a few steps away anyway. The more mechanical your job is, the less sense tipping makes. Maybe this is crazy (and if you're a service worker feel free to say I'm stupid), but perhaps we should look at tippable jobs as being good, because it proves that the worker also has some autonomy and has to be acknowledged by the customer as more than a serving unit.
  • davesque 13y ago
    Yeah, I don't get it either and I'm American. I've spent some time in Japan and the lack of tipping is among the things I love about it. Not only do I not have to worry about it, but I generally feel more confident that the worker is getting a fair wage. I worked as a delivery driver in Boulder, Colorado for a year. They paid me $4.00/hr because they expected me to make up the difference in tips. Though I often did, not everyone does and the accepted practice of tipping temps employers into thinking they can get away with paying ridiculous wages.
    • jcrites 13y ago
      Employers are always obligated to pay at least minimum wage in the US for tipped employee jobs. The employer can set a baseline like $4.00 per hour plus tips, but if the resulting wage is not at least minimum wage, then the employer must pay minimum wage regardless ("make up the difference"). Formulas for tipping can be used to raise a wage above minimum wage, but not drop it below minimum wage. Employers are consequently not paying unlivable wages (or not below the minimum). They are just advertising formula for how you can get a bonus beyond the minimum wage. Source: http://www.dol.gov/whd/minwage/q-a.htm http://www.dol.gov/whd/minwage/q-a.htm (If employers are breaking the law then that is an entirely different matter.)
    • ulfw 13y ago
      That's because tipping in America makes no sense at all. You're "supposed" to tip 18-20%. So why not just put that into the price of the dish you are eating in the first place? I hate nothing more than seeing something like '19.95' on a menu, but then it ends up costing something like '26.29' with tax and tip. What's the point?
  • skywhopper 13y ago
    As an Engineer-American, I used to gripe about the tipping thing as illogical, etc. But very little about culture or language or manners has any logic to it. Now, I just think of the tip as an unstated part of the price--in fact at most places your tip is actually what brings the server up to a reasonable wage. Instead of thinking of it as an annoyance, think of it as a pleasant opportunity to improve the day of your server by tipping 25% or more. If you're a regular somewhere, being a good tipper is also a great way to become the servers' favorite customer and get outstanding treatment, favors, extras, and more, for what amounts to an extra buck or two per meal.
    • jaimebuelta 13y ago
      Cultural difference ahead. The idea that I am getting "a nice treatment" because I pay more makes me a little uncomfortable. I'm ok with, let's say, discounts or anything that could be considered "commercial services" (like a gift or an extra), but knowing that someone is nicer to me because I pay extra makes me feel weird... All the "we're spending an obscene amount of money, so we're going to need a lot more help sucking up to us" kind of thing is something that baffles me, as it obviously fake...
      • pm90 13y ago
        I don't think that its sucking up. If you get good service, the only way you can show your appreciation is by tipping. I've been to many places where even tipping higher does not give you better service. I think its a case-by-case thing; some waiters/baristas/bartenders accept it and others don't. On a more personal note, a minor annoyance is on small purchases (like $2.50 coffee), how much can I tip?
      • jaimebuelta 13y ago
        Well, I can show appreciation coming back... Just as I do in a lot of other things I consume. (Anyway, I understand is mostly a cultural thing)
      • gpvos 13y ago
        I'm not sure, but doesn't the tipping usually come after the service? So the chance for extra nice treatment is mostly gone anyway?
  • wil421 13y ago
    Tipping goes on becuase most of the people working as waiters at restaurants in American are only getting paid the minimum wage, which for wait staff is $2.14. Depending on the year the exchange rate it could be about 1 EURO or so an hour.
  • bluedevil2k 13y ago
    Tipping is a tax dodge for restaurants. It allows the restaurant to pay their employees a miserably low wage, like $2-$3 hour, and only have to pay social security taxes on that amount. If you're a little skeptical, check out who the big lobby groups lobbying against minimum wage hikes - restaurant lobbies.
    • koenigdavidmj 13y ago
      That's up to the state. In Washington, restaurant workers are required to pay the regular minimum wage (currently $9.32/hour), with none of that comprised of tips.
    • ebiester 13y ago
      That's mostly because of fast food, to be fair.
• allochthon 13y ago
  As an American, I find it pretty annoying, too -- both in the unadvertised cost of the meal or service, and in the subservient relationship it sets up with the person receiving the tip.
• ck2 13y ago
  Tipping is common in America because it is unfortunately an acceptable social practice to allow employers to pay people less than a livable wage. There are many places in the US where it is legal to pay people $2.13 an hour (for the past 20+ years). Of course we leave millions without healthcare too, so don't look to the US for sane, humane economic practices.
  • mrestko 13y ago
    Tipping is a quirk of the culture but it doesn't mean that anyone is getting off the hook paying the employees. That money is still going from the consumer to the waiter, just not via the employer. If it was factored into the bill, it would still be moving from the consumer to the employer, just stopping off in the business checking account first.
    • arjie 13y ago
      If you think wait staff are accurately declaring income to the government for tax purposes, you are fooling yourself. There are people 'getting off the hook' for certain. I'm not objecting to this stuff, but it does happen. Still I'd like the few grand I'd have if I didn't pay taxes either, but I suppose we have QN obligation to subsidise those who can't make it on their own.
• smackfu 13y ago
  Guidebooks invariably do a terrible job of explaining US tipping. They try to handle every possible nuance, when a tourist can ignore 90% of that. They should just focus on "how do you tip so that people don't yell at you." And my version of that is: * Tip 20% at restaurants if you have a waitress. * Round taxis up to the nearest $5. * If someone handles your bag or car, give them a $1.
  • logfromblammo 13y ago
    If you don't know the rules of tipping, and when to break them, just pay 15% at a full-service restaurant, and 10% for cabs, deliveries, and buffets. Don't tip for walk-up counter service. Tips for other services should be based on what you would be paid at your job for the amount of time they are saving you, with a minimum of $1. If you would prefer not to tip the valet, park your own car. If your service was more than a standard deviation better than the median, pay more. If it was more than a standard deviation worse, pay less. You shouldn't pay 0% without also considering a complaint to the management.
• epaladin 13y ago
  One of my favorite things about Japan was knowing that staff were getting paid something reasonable-ish without tips. Not tipping streamlines the restaurant experience and eliminates the "well that was a great time, now we have to spend five minutes arguing about how much to tip" thing that happens so often. Only recently have our American vending machines added some variety. I still miss the extreme selection available in Japan. Actually that list was somewhat educational- makes me consider how many times I may have baffled somehow due to the manner in which I laughed. I wouldn't have thought to ask anybody about the strangeness of my laughing habits.
• taejo 13y ago
  > While American style tipping is odd to me as a European How is American-style tipping different to, say, German? Being from neither, but having visited both... did I do it wrong?
  • ojii 13y ago
    Can't speak for Germany, but for Switzerland. In Switzerland, it's okay to not tip. You would usually tip at a restaurant though if the service was good. At a bar, you might opt to tip to round up the price, so say a beer costs X.70 CHF you'd pay X+1 CHF. If service was bad, I wasn't happy with the food, or anything else bothered me, I won't tip. I wouldn't tip anywhere else other than a bar or a restaurant, except very occasionally a taxi driver if they did an absolutely amazing job (this happened maybe once, twice in my life).
    • taejo 13y ago
      My German text explicitly distinguishes Swiss and German tipping culture. It agrees that rounding up is correct in Switzerland, and says to add 10% (and potentially round up after that) in Germany.
• bluedevil2k 13y ago
  The whole "tipping 15%" thing has always seemed nonsensical to me. I eat at a Waffle House and the bill is $7, I should tip $1.05. If I eat at Morton's and the bill is $70, I should tip $10.50. Don't the waitresses work the same amount? Shouldn't they be tipped the same? How about a shift to a standard $2/person tip.
  • maxerickson 13y ago
    No, they probably don't work the same amount. (and there are probably more people taking a share of the larger tip)
    • jtbigwoo 13y ago
      To add to that, I worked with a guy who waited at a top-flight steakhouse. They had about 200 seats and would have as many as sixty people in service (in addition to dozens of cooks and dishwashers). He usually had two to four tables and had to split tips with two or more assistant waiters, a busboy, and the bartender.
  • cpwright 13y ago
    My expectations for service with a $70 meal are much different than a $7 meal; so having a different tip makes sense.
• anon4 13y ago
  In the part of Europe where I live, in most restaurants you don't even tip individual waiters. At the end of the day all the tips are summed together and each waiter gets an equal part from the total. This is done so waiters don't fight over who gets which table (i.e. the one with the high tippers in good clothes) and everyone gets a fair compensation.