America's Tipping Slowdown Isn't Slowing Down | Hacker News Reader

America's Tipping Slowdown Isn't Slowing Down

businessinsider.com

17 pointspg_123411 comments

As a Western European, American tipping seems out of control and arbitrary.

I tip the waiter but not the cook or the cleaner. I tip the cab driver but not the bus driver or the train conductor. I tip a bell boy (maybe a maid too?) but not the front desk. Do I tip a barista but not a McDonald’s worker? Don’t tip the cashier at the big box store?

15%? 20%? Why should someone’s tip depend on the price of the bottle of wine that I had them open and pour, especially if it was equal effort for each bottle?

Absolutely bizarre to me.

I just booked a cruise with a Norwegian operator and this is their tipping policy:

> On board Hurtigruten Expedition Ships, it's not common practice or expected to tip. However, we have learned that many of our guests wish to give special thanks to our service crew on board. It is at the individual's discretion to honour the service provided by the crew in the bars, restaurants, cabins, and behind the scene.

> The money collected […] will then be divided equally among all crew members after the voyage, we ask not to tip individual crew members during the voyage to ensure the people behind the scenes also are included.

> Please Note: Officers and Expedition Team are not included in this breakdown.

I mean, you pretty much figured it out and explained it in a paragraph. It's not that hard.

The point was that it's arbitrary, not hard.

It absolutely is arbitrary. The idea is that, if you like the service more, you'll tip more, so service providers are incentivized to give you better service. But how it is that you like your service is completely up to you. You can tip more or less based on speed of service, accommodations of personal preferences, server's skin color, advice on which dishes and drinks are best, whatever you want.

Yeah, it's weird and arbitrary.

It wasn't always "out of control". There was a fairly well defined set of tipped employees. It was a legally recognized category -- they were usually paid almost entirely in tips. It was weird and arbitrary, but controlled. You just memorized the custom, like other mandatory social customs.

Tipping got "out of control" during the pandemic, when we realized that a lot of face-to-face service employees were absolutely essential, and had to take their lives into their hands. People understood and wanted to do something. The existing tipping system was easily co-opted.

It made sense, except that it steps right into the ugly "tipping is optional except that it's not" problem. Now that people aren't really risking their lives any more it should just fade out. That won't resolve the underlying weirdness, but it'll at least revert to the status quo ante.

Tipping is currently a bit out of hand. Tip jars are everywhere. Fast food registers, convenience store counters, pretty much anywhere cash changes hands.

There’s also card readers for the pool guy, the water treatment guy, etc. All have the uncomfortable tip step before the signature. Suddenly everyone is an unabashed panhandler.

A reversal was inevitable, particularly with steep inflation.

The adoption of tip screens in PoS terminals seems to have trained me not to tip.

I imagine I'm not the only one.

Same experience here. PoS terminals at counter service restaurants asking for tips has made me a lot more comfortable not tipping. I still restaurant servers, food delivery, and for certain services (e.g. hair stylists), but everywhere else I got over myself and started tipping 0%.

Just don't try this is the developing world if you enjoy your health and belongings. In resort areas of Mexico, you will experience unforeseen, subtle unpleasantness and inconveniences if you don't tip what's expected.

Are you serious? Never heard of that. Did something actually happened, how such type of revenge work?

Tipping (along with often poor service and exorbitant prices) is a big reason why I rarely eat out unless it's on someone else's dime. Cheaper, more educational and more rewarding to learn to prepare something at home.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com