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Comment by ccktlmazeltov | Hacker News Reader

This is all a shit show because the infrastructures in place are currently doomed for the market to succeed:

- no healthcare means you're a slave of whatever you can find,

- tipping culture means your employer can pay you shit

+1 for tipping culture. I just dont get it, why can employers pay their fair share, instead of expecting customers to foot the bill.

I wouldn't mind at all if tipping culture disappeared, but I think it's naive to think that costs wouldn't go up dramatically for customers. Customers are footing the bill one way or another, it's just a matter of whether we're willing to pay enough to ensure everyone gets a livable wage.

The real problem of tipping culture is it transferred the conflict of interest from businesses/employees to customers/employees. Yes customers may end up paying the same, but when the employees want more, they will not ask for it from the customers.

so you're saying you're hopping that tipping goes away like that you can save by not tipping and letting other people tip? Sounds good to me!

I don’t think there’s any possible interpretation of my comment that lines up with what you said...

> instead of expecting customers to foot the bill.

Either way, the customer will be paying this bill.

I’d rather my cost go up and tipping disappear (leaving the total the same) if it means I don’t have a societal obligation to tip. Then I can actually use tips for what they’re supposed to be for: above and beyond service.

I think the idea of a tipping is demeaning personally. You wouldn’t tip a doctor who worked extra hard for you, would you?

No but I’d leave a good review and maybe write a card.

I'll do that at the restaurant next time

Do you want spit in your burger? Because that is how you get spit in your burger.

I do that after I get the food : )

OP's point is that you don't have to tip right now, but if tip goes away then the tip will be included in the price and mandatory

I've not tipped a few times, usually in anger, and one shameful time when had less money than I thought I did. Still, this is just a few instances out of probably thousands. I'm certain that I am not saving money because of tipping.

I'm on the same boat. But if you're living in America, you tip. Several projects have been undertaken over the years to try to eliminate it but time and time again it's failed.

https://www.grubstreet.com/2018/12/restaurant-tipping-return...

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/20/dining/danny-meyer-no-tip...

https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2016/05/15/478096516/wh...

Sad, but true.

nope, it's not mandatory to tip, I never tip

The drivers wanted in app tips. I think Lyft and Uber set rates assuming no tips, because usually people don’t tip and they get enough government heat already. They don’t want to end up like Door Dash and start using tips to explicitly cover base rates.

Just don't tip, you're contributing to the problem if you do

This is a myth. Tipped employees typically do way better than the minimum wage.

Tipping encourages good service. Go to your average European restaurant and you can see what the alternative is: lazy and often outright rude waitstaff who resent their customers.

I’ve been to many European restaurants, being European myself, and I don’t usually find that waitstaff are rude or lazy. I actually think I would be a bit nauseated by a waiter putting on some sort of over-friendly spiel for me to encourage a higher tip.

It makes sense that receiving tips can be more lucrative than a low fixed wage. Is it the case across the board? I imagine that young and attractive people do better in that regard, irrespective of actual performance.

in the US every 5 min your waiter comes to ask you if you're OK, I fucking hate that

And as a result, whenever you want something, you get it quickly. Be it drink refill, sauces, an extra order, the check if you’re in a hurry to leave, etc. A skilled waiter can make himself available without interrupting too, by being on the lookout for eye contact and walking around his tables. I find it very pleasant.

I once worked for a company which was already established in many markets, no tips allowed and fair pay. When the company entered the US market we got asked about tipping left and right. Workers seem to like the gamble on getting a huge tip and for certain industries customers just assume that workers aren't well paid.

But do you tip at Mc'Donalds, the gas station or the supermarket?

The larger issue with employers paying insufficiently is minimum wages that are too low. Federal minimum wage still applies for tipped workers, as far as I can tell, so employers are required to compensate the difference if workers make less. The same seems to apply to most states that have higher minimum wages, and in a few the minimum wage (excluding tips) is the same regardless of tipping.

EDIT: Adding a source, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tipped_wage

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