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Tipping is getting out of hand in the US. The percentage of a customary tip you give for a standard service is growing higher and higher as time goes on. At the moment, we are at 20%, and there’s no sign of stopping.
But that’s not all. Tipping is becoming so common, everyone from car mechanics to tattoo artists are now adding a tipping option to their bills. And how do you not tip someone who is making sure your car is safe?
Well, some people have had enough of it. Like this TikToker named Dustin Anderson. He made a video expressing his frustration and, subsequently, sparked an interesting discussion online. Scroll down and see where you stand on this matter.
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Tipping culture in the US is very omnipresent at the moment. Some would say maybe a little too omnipresent
Image credits: cottonbro studio (not the actual photo)
This TikToker, for example, has had enough of it. Here’s why he is not planning on tipping any longer
Image credits: therealdustinanderson
“So I’m not tipping anymore. I’m done. I’m out”
It used to be you’d give a tip if somebody gave exceptional service. When was the last time you got exceptional service anywhere? And it’s just expected. They bring you the bill at the end and they’re like, ‘Here, just fill this out.’ 20%, 25%. No, you did your job.
They made food, you carried it to my table. You got me a Diet Coke, thank you. That was your job. You don’t get 25% because you did your job.
“And I’m not the bad guy here. I’m not”
If you own a restaurant, just tell me what it costs. I don’t want people to go hungry. What does it cost for me to get my food and also so that the waitstaff doesn’t have to join the cartel, do some Lord of the Flies, Oliver Twist stuff. I want people to be taken care of. Just tell me what it costs.
Image credits: Lefteris kallergis (not the actual photo)
Watch his whole video explanation here
@therealdustinanderson#tips♬ original sound – Dustin Anderson
While tipping culture might seem bad, people do prefer it
Image credits: Sam Dan Truong (not the actual photo)
The thing is that Americans love tipping. Studies have shown that if given an option, people in the US will choose giving a tip instead of paying a mandatory service fee. You see, they like to be put in a position where they are responsible for appraising the service they are getting. They believe that if tipping is taken away, service people will not be trying that hard to provide a pleasant experience.
Their assumptions are correct, by the way. Scientists once compared service quality in Miami restaurants with and without mandatory fees. The ones that offered tipping saw a more positive assessment of their service.
So, one can say that service workers do try harder if their livelihood depends on it. The question now is how badly do we want a great service. Would we rather have a fantastic experience when we go out to eat or allow people to take it down a notch and get a fixed income?
Not tipping might be too drastic of a solution
Image credits: Karolina Grabowska (not the actual photo)
An interesting detail of the Miami experiment is the reason why they were able to do the comparison. It is because Miami gets a lot of international tourists visiting the place. Unlike Americans, international tourists aren’t that keen on the tipping culture. In general, they tend to tip less.
The restaurants saw this phenomenon and… recognized it. Around 40% of restaurants there changed the way they were compensating their staff by adding a mandatory service fee.
So, one can conclude that a mass boycott of tipping could actually make a change. Unfortunately, a lot of service workers would suffer in the meantime.
A lot of people showed support for his position
There were some, though, who also showed understanding for service workers
Others claimed tips are fine for servers, but not workers from other industries asking for gratuities
What do you think ?
Tiff Day 2 years ago
Also your culture is to attack customers who dont tip instead of going after illegal pay
Christos Arvanitis 2 years ago (edited)
Except in the US it is not "illegal pay". As wrong as it is, it is legal to pay people $2.13/hour if they are getting tips as well. Wrong but not illegal. But it shoukd change and we should pay people a living wage.
Load More Replies...
Zedrapazia 2 years ago
The guy is right, servers should be paid a living wage and tips only for exceptional service. But can we talk for a moment about his shirt? "I ❤️ fossil fuels" ... Lol, why? XD
Alec 2 years ago
I think part of the problem is that we basically added a COVID premium for essential workers during the pandemic and that caused things to spiral out of control, as those servers are now refusing to give up that perk now that the pandemic is over. That, and because of the pandemic we also got in the habit of tipping others that weren't tipped before... and then corporations got in on the the act with those tipping screens.
PE is me 2 years ago
Businesses need to stop asking customers to pay their staff. If you can't afford to pay your staff then you need to close your business.
MoMcB 2 years ago
This is it. If you can't pay staff an amount they can live on, you don't have a business.
Load More Replies... vgough64 2 years ago
It's just an ongoing scam. Just add that 20 -25% + taxes, to all your food & drink , so we can pay the real unhidden amount. Why does.this country love to.mislead consumers?
AnkleByter 2 years ago
All countries mislead consumers, in lots of different ways, the US definitely doesn't hold the trophy on this, despite the whole tipping fiasco. Politicians, lawmakers, governments...all over the world are ALL corrupt. They all mislead, lie to, and fail their people in countless ways. So one could ask, why does any country like to do this? I'm not sure any of us has the exact answer. The answer to most similar questions is pure greed. Whether that is greed for money, or power, a lot of things come down to just that. I know how we fix it, but getting others on board with that is going to be difficult since it involves removing an entire government's worth of people from their seats of power and not only finding better people but getting them in there to start making changes for the better no matter how difficult to enact (and the answer is the same for ANY country, not just the US). It won't happen in my lifetime, not in any country on this earth currently anyway...eventually maybe.
Load More Replies...
Id row 2 years ago
I rarely go out to eat anymore and the aggressive tipping culture + apathetic service from zoomers who don't want to be there, it's just not enjoyable anymore. And I was a bartender in pubs and restaurants for almost a decade. I recently went out to breakfast with my mother on a short getaway and the waitress looked bored af, brought the wrong thing, then said 'oops' in a bored tone and just walked away. Went there the next day and the older waitress was great. You'll only get good service from the older service workers now. Tipping culture needs to stop.
supertall 2 years ago
I think tipping being a percentage is flawed - if I have soup and a soda, it's a tenner. If I have a steak and wine, it's forty - but both are still one dish and one glass. The same amount of work demands, then, vastly different tips. I don't understand why that should be the case. Tipping by person or by time makes more sense - but really, the tip's original purpose, as a gratuity paid for good service, is what we should be paying.
Alexej Dvorak 2 years ago (edited)
You don't have to have worked in the service industry to see that the system is crooked and unfair. It's not about belittling the work of service personnel. Paying their employees a living wage that deserves its name is the fu©king responsibility of the employer, and no amount of servers defending the stupid system because they're butthurt about being underpaid is gonna change that. Where I come from, 10% is a generous tip, for smaller amounts people usually just round up.
FABULOUS1 2 years ago
I hate the argument try being a server and you will change your mind. How about trying being a customer getting crappy service and expected to give someone more because their employers dont pay them enough to survive on. I work in customer service, even though I am on the phone should I get a tip, My job requires me to research customers questions most of the time and go above and beyond to provide great service, why shouldnt I get a tip. I do not feel obligated to tip, if you give me crappy service dont expect an extra dime from me.
Tiff Day 2 years ago
Also your culture is to attack customers who dont tip instead of going after illegal pay
Christos Arvanitis 2 years ago (edited)
Except in the US it is not "illegal pay". As wrong as it is, it is legal to pay people $2.13/hour if they are getting tips as well. Wrong but not illegal. But it shoukd change and we should pay people a living wage.
Load More Replies... Zedrapazia 2 years ago
The guy is right, servers should be paid a living wage and tips only for exceptional service. But can we talk for a moment about his shirt? "I ❤️ fossil fuels" ... Lol, why? XD
Alec 2 years ago
I think part of the problem is that we basically added a COVID premium for essential workers during the pandemic and that caused things to spiral out of control, as those servers are now refusing to give up that perk now that the pandemic is over. That, and because of the pandemic we also got in the habit of tipping others that weren't tipped before... and then corporations got in on the the act with those tipping screens.
PE is me 2 years ago
Businesses need to stop asking customers to pay their staff. If you can't afford to pay your staff then you need to close your business.
MoMcB 2 years ago
This is it. If you can't pay staff an amount they can live on, you don't have a business.
Load More Replies... vgough64 2 years ago
It's just an ongoing scam. Just add that 20 -25% + taxes, to all your food & drink , so we can pay the real unhidden amount. Why does.this country love to.mislead consumers?
AnkleByter 2 years ago
All countries mislead consumers, in lots of different ways, the US definitely doesn't hold the trophy on this, despite the whole tipping fiasco. Politicians, lawmakers, governments...all over the world are ALL corrupt. They all mislead, lie to, and fail their people in countless ways. So one could ask, why does any country like to do this? I'm not sure any of us has the exact answer. The answer to most similar questions is pure greed. Whether that is greed for money, or power, a lot of things come down to just that. I know how we fix it, but getting others on board with that is going to be difficult since it involves removing an entire government's worth of people from their seats of power and not only finding better people but getting them in there to start making changes for the better no matter how difficult to enact (and the answer is the same for ANY country, not just the US). It won't happen in my lifetime, not in any country on this earth currently anyway...eventually maybe.
Load More Replies... Id row 2 years ago
I rarely go out to eat anymore and the aggressive tipping culture + apathetic service from zoomers who don't want to be there, it's just not enjoyable anymore. And I was a bartender in pubs and restaurants for almost a decade. I recently went out to breakfast with my mother on a short getaway and the waitress looked bored af, brought the wrong thing, then said 'oops' in a bored tone and just walked away. Went there the next day and the older waitress was great. You'll only get good service from the older service workers now. Tipping culture needs to stop.
supertall 2 years ago
I think tipping being a percentage is flawed - if I have soup and a soda, it's a tenner. If I have a steak and wine, it's forty - but both are still one dish and one glass. The same amount of work demands, then, vastly different tips. I don't understand why that should be the case. Tipping by person or by time makes more sense - but really, the tip's original purpose, as a gratuity paid for good service, is what we should be paying.
Alexej Dvorak 2 years ago (edited)
You don't have to have worked in the service industry to see that the system is crooked and unfair. It's not about belittling the work of service personnel. Paying their employees a living wage that deserves its name is the fu©king responsibility of the employer, and no amount of servers defending the stupid system because they're butthurt about being underpaid is gonna change that. Where I come from, 10% is a generous tip, for smaller amounts people usually just round up.
FABULOUS1 2 years ago
I hate the argument try being a server and you will change your mind. How about trying being a customer getting crappy service and expected to give someone more because their employers dont pay them enough to survive on. I work in customer service, even though I am on the phone should I get a tip, My job requires me to research customers questions most of the time and go above and beyond to provide great service, why shouldnt I get a tip. I do not feel obligated to tip, if you give me crappy service dont expect an extra dime from me.
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