To me, tipping is just a sign that a business isn't charging enough for the service.
It's a much tighter feedback loop than "if you suck, maybe your manager eventually notices, then complains to you, then fires you."
To be clear myself, in ~15 years of being the paying party I have done this precisely once, so I'm not advocating making a habit out of it. I'm just saying, it makes the point that much more.
I did not get it. Where i live we usually tip 10% and in other countries i have been they sometimes refuse to take tips at all.
For me it looks like in many restaurants in the US the tip is part of the paycheck.
Americans are used to receiving customer service of a quality much higher than the rest of the world. (This is true of both service staff who receive tips and others.) For that reason, they don't recognize that the surly attitude of a waitress or supermarket cashier is just a cultural difference rather than a personal affront.
Should've waited a few years and outfitted with Squares.
Or better yet, a NYC-based Square competitor if there is one!
Anyone who'd like to learn more about that stuff and is in NYC (and not affiliated with other companies in the same space), drop me a line and I'm more than happy to chat about the space in more detail :)
Moreover, in some cases I have seen that all tips are put together and then split after work, so you lose the direct connection between doing a good job and getting more $.
I have always found american's standard tipping uncomfortable, but the few times I've made a point to not tip, and the generally more attentive service there, keep me convinced that the system in fact works.
Sales people work on commission typically, and that system is absolutely not harmed by that on average. It's enhanced dramatically by it. A tip is a commission system that encourages the same way a traditional sales commission pay system does, including rewarding up-selling and efficiency.
The difference between earning 10% and 20% on average for tips can make a very large difference for a waiter. At a good restaurant that can add up to anywhere from $15k to $30k per year in difference. In the US, waiters can often make more than their managers because of the tip system.
The incentive is to earn as high a percentage as possible by doing as good of a job as possible. Everyone should not get paid fairly if they suck at their job and treat people poorly.
Waiters also have an opportunity to earn even more money by up-selling when it makes sense.
Not everyone would agree with your assessment. Case in point:
Typically, around 15% is acceptable - if you want to go bare minimum, 10% would probably suffice. Any less and it would be considered rude or indicates that you were unhappy with the service.
Why? Because I always went the extra mile to satisfy customers, entertaining them, telling them a joke, compliment, whatever. Telling jokes wasn't part of my job description but I did it anyway. And the only way for customers to let me know they enjoyed me serving them was by giving me tips. And it was an expensive lounge/club so they were charging enough for the beverages/service.
I guess the same goes with taxi drivers. They don't have to chat with customers. They drive them from A to B. But most of them do. To some customers, this means a lot - and they show their gratitude with tips.
Yes, if: 1) you had no reason not to tip 2) that person still works there 3) that person remembers you
Ideally though if the person serving you is bad enough that they aren't getting tipped, they won't be there long. Waitstaff have to report their tips, so management very quickly knows who's bad and should fire them.
If the person is good though and you're the lone dick who didn't tip him or her, don't expect good service from that person the next time you're there.