A Question from abroad : Tipping ?

[Ramjet159]

As an Aussie I’ve never understood this . How did wage supplement in the form of tipping ever come about and seems almost exclusive to USA as a given . Just a comment I read in an article below and is not necessarily my opinion but I’ve always wondered how and why ?
We generally pay our hospitality workers $25-$35 dollars an hour and if they give great service they may also gain a tip .
Hospitality

Tipping​

Tipping is silly and feels like a bizarre way of the service industry asking the customer to pay a salary to their employees.

Like... no? Why don't you just pay them properly? It's incredibly stressful to have to factor an individual's livelihood into every purchase decision I make? Like I just wanted a glass of wine?

Equally, don't even think about not tipping. This faulty system shouldn't hurt the people at the bottom of it and he's going to be really mad if you just occupied a table for two hours and made him work for free.

 

[Gentlemancorpse]

Don't even get me started. I've been raging against tipping for years, even more so since becoming an employer. Putting the burden of deciding what your employees should earn on your customers is seriously back asswards. I absolutely hate it and would love to see the US move away from it.

Edit: raging against the idea of tipping to be clear. I don't want anyone thinking I don't tip my servers lol.

 

[Ramjet159]

Don't even get me started. I've been raging against tipping for years, even more so since becoming an employer. Putting the burden of deciding what your employees should earn on your customers is seriously back asswards. I absolutely hate it and would love to see the US move away from it.

Edit: raging against the idea of tipping to be clear. I don't want anyone thinking I don't tip my servers lol.

Thanks for your view on it . Although it doesn’t affect me I’ve always scratched my head wondering how this ever came about ? Your Citizens have told me wages for servers can be like $5 an hour . If that’s correct I’m even more amazed . Wow from such a rich prosperous country . Am I missing something?

 

[Amos Otis]

Equally, don't even think about not tipping.

A tip is earned, not an entitlement. Customers that are looking for a cheaper way to dine can find any number of self serve buffets and counter / drive thru establishments.

Why don't you just pay them properly? .... We generally pay our hospitality workers $25-$35 dollars an hour

I was in restaurant management for almost a decade. An excellent server in a busy establishment can make 3 times that easily. The ones that can't get reassigned to food prep.

 

[Ramjet159]

A tip is earned, not an entitlement. Customers that are looking for a cheaper way to dine can find any number of self serve buffets and counter / drive thru establishments.





I was in restaurant management for almost a decade. An excellent server in a busy establishment can make 3 times that easily. The ones that can't get reassigned to food prep.

So in affect your paid what your worth but no Guarantee yeah ?

 

[Gentlemancorpse]

So in affect your paid what your worth

That's the theory, but my experience has been that it frequently doesn't work out that way.

A tip is earned, not an entitlement.

Id argue that's true for all wages. If my employees don't pull their weight they get fired. I just feel like waitstaff should be treated the same as any other employee. You do well, you get raises, you do poorly, you get the boot.

Plus half the time it's not even being a good server that gets the best tips... it's usually a nice rack and tight jeans lol. All the servers I ever dated would get all dolled up when they knew they had a reservation for a bunch of traveling businessmen. They were gonna milk that for all it was worth.

 

[Amos Otis]

Plus half the time it's not even being a good server that gets the best tips... it's usually a nice rack and tight jeans lol.

Unless you're in a Hooters- like establishment, trading on looks over professionalism is a short term, and often dangerous strategy. Especially if you're in a Hooters-like establishment.

I had an aunt that waitressed breakfast/lunch at the same family type restaurant for 22 years. Made a fine living off mostly regulars that would wait until a table in her section came open; put 2 kids through college. She never let a coffee cup get empty, and she'd always find something she could compliment the wife on.

 

[OldG]

If you want to see tips gone awry....VEGAS baby. Everyone wants a tip. That guy looked at your suitcase....that 5 dollar coffee.

An entire workforce driven by tips. In a bar or restaurantor for a hair cut or whatever i get it. A fast food delivery or cabbie too.

But i wont tip for a takeout coffee for example.

 

[Orion]

Tipping Really Isn't A City In China​

 

[Willie]

Tipping.......hmmm
Well lets say that as a parent..........I found myself threatening my childrens employers with their very existence...twice.

Yes the waiters/waitresses can make out good, in the right environment and if they are worth it. But there are a lot of food/wait jobs at lesser establishments. It's basically a free or practically free labor for the owners. Yes, the kids smarten up and move on.......but there is always a fresh crop looking for that first job. They feed off them.

 

[Frimpong]

My old man used to say when in doubt , tip .

 

[Bodean]

I customarily tip 20% to tipped workers. Its dependent on people not being cheap assholes. Which most are unless drunk. I think the minimum tipped hourly wage is 2.15 or something. Its dumb.

I used to deliver ? in my 20's. So many shifts where a majority didn't tip. Got to the point I was happy with at least a dollar. The most hated were the people who would give a card with a religious note inside minus the tip. They should get a regular wage period.

 

[Gentlemancorpse]

Unless you're in a Hooters- like establishment, trading on looks over professionalism is a short term, and often dangerous strategy. Especially if you're in a Hooters-like establishment.

I had an aunt that waitressed breakfast/lunch at the same family type restaurant for 22 years. Made a fine living off mostly regulars that would wait until a table in her section came open; put 2 kids through college. She never let a coffee cup get empty, and she'd always find something she could compliment the wife on.

Your tale reminds me that this is an issue that may resonant differently across generations and/or location, 20+ yrs ago tips probably did cover most expenses, especially in a lower cost of living area. We also had a TV show where a bumbling shoe salesman could afford a single family home for his family with two children and it was believable... neither of those scenarios seem likely anymore, certainly not where I live. Cost of living has increased much faster than the tips

 

[Frimpong]

There are also a lot of shit bag owners out there that take the tips

 

[Ramjet159]

No one still seems to know the answer to my question in that why is this almost exclusive to USA . How did this become the normal way of trading / forging a living based more so on tips than a fair initial wage ?
As far as I’ve seen on my world travels around the globe tipping is a nice added bonus and not a make or break way of accumulating a decent wage ??‍♂️.
Someone or something somewhere initiated the system in place at some point .

 

[Bodean]

No one still seems to know the answer to my question in that why is this almost exclusive to USA . How did this become the normal way of trading / forging a living based more so on tips than a fair initial wage ?
As far as I’ve seen on my world travels around the globe tipping is a nice added bonus and not a make or break way of accumulating a decent wage ??‍♂️.
Someone or something somewhere initiated the system in place at some point .

I didn't really have an answer to the question, so Google to the rescue. This is what I found.

10 things no one tells you about tipping in the US ‹ EF GO Blog | EF Global Site (English)

How do you know who to tip and how much? Tip with confidence on your next US trip with the these top tipping tips no one tells you about.

www.ef.com

 

[Ramjet159]

I didn't really have an answer to the question, so Google to the rescue. This is what I found.

10 things no one tells you about tipping in the US ‹ EF GO Blog | EF Global Site (English)

How do you know who to tip and how much? Tip with confidence on your next US trip with the these top tipping tips no one tells you about.

www.ef.com

I was just thinking ok Google to the rescue again . An interesting read and insight into its evolution and standard good practice .
Notes to take on my first trip to the States one day hopefully . I got a wishlist and the Grand Canyon is on it ?. Yeah yeah most are probably thinking been there , done that but I haven’t and I wanna see it for myself before I’m converted to fertiliser

 

[jaguarlax]

As an Aussie I’ve never understood this . How did wage supplement in the form of tipping ever come about and seems almost exclusive to USA as a given . Just a comment I read in an article below and is not necessarily my opinion but I’ve always wondered how and why ?
We generally pay our hospitality workers $25-$35 dollars an hour and if they give great service they may also gain a tip .
Hospitality

Tipping​

Tipping is silly and feels like a bizarre way of the service industry asking the customer to pay a salary to their employees.

Like... no? Why don't you just pay them properly? It's incredibly stressful to have to factor an individual's livelihood into every purchase decision I make? Like I just wanted a glass of wine?

Equally, don't even think about not tipping. This faulty system shouldn't hurt the people at the bottom of it and he's going to be really mad if you just occupied a table for two hours and made him work for free.

LOL I wish more Americans asked this question.

I worked in resturants in my 20's and always seemed to make decent money. Generally, 20 percent is the standard for "good" service, and its a pretty well known fact that servers in up-scale restaurants in Metro areas can make upwards of 6 figures.

Lately though, I think there has been a trend, especially in chain restaurants where workers are becoming increasingly disgruntled with their wages. This is most likely tied to inflation and increasing costs for every day goods. Im not entirely sure if people are upset with the tipping system, or the economy as a whole, but when I really start to think about the issue, certain questions pop up. Mainly is a tipping system the most effective in a world that can be shut down at any time? Should we move to a wage based system in restaurants? If a restaurant owner is only responsible for 2 dollars an hour wages, shouldnt they be responsible to at least cover health insurance? And on and on down the rabbit hole I go.

 

[Bodean]

I was just thinking ok Google to the rescue again . An interesting read and insight into its evolution and standard good practice .
Notes to take on my first trip to the States one day hopefully . I got a wishlist and the Grand Canyon is on it ?. Yeah yeah most are probably thinking been there , done that but I haven’t and I wanna see it for myself before I’m converted to fertiliser

Its still on my to do list too. Along with many other spots.. so much to see so little vacation time/ money ?

 

[Ramjet159]

Y

LOL I wish more Americans asked this question.

I worked in resturants in my 20's and always seemed to make decent money. Generally, 20 percent is the standard for "good" service, and its a pretty well known fact that servers in up-scale restaurants in Metro areas can make upwards of 6 figures.

Lately though, I think there has been a trend, especially in chain restaurants where workers are becoming increasingly disgruntled with their wages. This is most likely tied to inflation and increasing costs for every day goods. Im not entirely sure if people are upset with the tipping system, or the economy as a whole, but when I really start to think about the issue, certain questions pop up. Mainly is a tipping system the most effective in a world that can be shut down at any time? Should we move to a wage based system in restaurants? If a restaurant owner is only responsible for 2 dollars an hour wages, shouldnt they be responsible to at least cover health insurance? And on and on down the rabbit hole I go.

Being not local Im obviously not privy to the mindset and feel of your workforce in your current climate but your question seems more than fair of where exactly does that margin of profit afforded by low hourly rate end up and why can’t that margin accomodate health insurance or perhaps other benefits . Im not sure if like in Australia employers have to provide a minimum percentage of wage on top of gross pay to the employees superannuation fund ?