This article is clearly not written by anyone with service industry experience. 1) Tips are unrelated to good service...good tips are mostly good luck False,

This article is clearly not written by anyone with service industry experience. 1) Tips are unrelated to good service...good tips are mostly good luck False, I could rely on 25%+ tip average, and as a server/bar trainer I trained my staff to receive the same, by giving excellent service. Being able to rely on tips for income (as most of the industry does) is by definition not luck. 2) It's un-American Tipping is a direct way for the consumer to reward and punish a worker or market based on perceived value. If being capitalist is an American trait, tipping is very American. 3) Economists don't get it Where is the source cited for this? I know plenty of people who work in finance, and tip very well. Professors however, seem to value service workers differently... 4) It’s borderline racist Because more minorities receive tips? The service industry gives countless minorities and other disadvantaged groups (criminals, drifters, youth) opportunities for employment and advancement not found in any other industry. Most people who work in the kitchen do so by choice, anyone who desires and has people/sales skills can just as easily get a front-of-house job. As a service worker I was generally hired by and reporting to a minority. 4b) "it's usually illegal to redistribute tips among the staff." False, tip pooling is extremely common between service workers and even back-of-house (kitchen). Only tip sharing with managers is not practiced, because they have higher guaranteed pay and it would be a conflict of interest for all involved. 5) We don’t tip doctors, flight attendants, and any number of occupations where service is important. This is a personal anecdote of the writer. I tip flight attendants anywhere they still take cash. And a surprising number of occupations are happy to accept tips if you try. Tips don't have to be monetary, they can be free tickets to a show or food or a vice (i.e. cigarettes or alcohol). Doctors don't get tips because of the high pay of their job, but many industries have bonuses provided by the buyer in exchange for a job performed beyond expectations. 5b) [Workers practice tip-sharing] according to a culture called “tipout.” But as this is not obligatory, it is inefficient and can foster cheating, resentment, or worse. False, and this clearly shows the writer does not have service industry experience. Anywhere tipout is practiced, it is required as a percentage minimum of sales. However, often workers "tipout" above and beyond the required percentage, to anyone and everyone who earned it. In many service jobs your co-workers are like family and you all take care of one another. Priceonomics usually writes great articles, but this one should be taken with a grain of salt.