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It’s a terrible practice and ultimately hurts workers. It should be banned simply because it promotes worker tax evasion, which is not what I really care about here, but it’s a good reason to make it illegal. Making it illegal is only way to stop it in the US. It’s absolutely rampant. You pick up donuts At the dunkin store and they ask for a tip now.
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I’m sorry but I have to take issue with “service is miles ahead”.
American table service is weird. It’s an uncomfortable experience for anyone who isn’t used to it. You can call it a cultural difference but it genuinely gave us a feeling of revulsion - the fake friendliness, the platitudes, the hovering near the table, the constant refilling, the fucking survey mid-meal, the attentiveness barely concealing the determination to extract your money and shove you out and get another mark on the door.
Perhaps because most of these things seem to primarily seek to recreate the experience of a slave owner and their chattel.
I’m an American and this stuff has always bothered me. I do hate having my drink empty, but I don’t need a refill when I have half left either.
Service in Japan and South Korea is better than in American restaurants and you don’t have to bribe the staff to be nice to you. The price on the menu is usually cheaper too.
Also, pooled tips are basically a slush fund for wages since the entire point of tipping is supposed to be to reward good service and if the tip isn’t going directly to the person who provides the service, what’s the point? Ditto for any tip on a service that hasn’t even been performed yet, such as delivery services.
All that said: Outside of higher end catered meals in Europe, service at even a halfway decent restaurant in the US is miles ahead. Mostly because the staff knows that is how they get their bonuses.
If your idea of good service is having a waiter with faked cheer jump at you every five minutes loaded with a jug of ice cubes to check if “everything is great”, then sure, the US style is miles ahead.
If you just want a professional to do his job as unobtrusively as possible, the European way is the one to pick.
Tipping culture does not create better service, have you ever been to Italy? People tip because its the social norm, not because they like the service.
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it promotes worker tax evasion
this is the only argument I’ll hear in favor of tipping. People should cheat on their taxes until they pay as little as the wealthy.
The thing is, America is culturally really influenctial. Here in Germany we have a wide variety of jobs that typically pay minimum wage. Some are service related, others aren’t. It’s roughly 20% of the workforce.
But we listen to american podcasts, watch your movies, your series and so on.
So waiters tend to get minimum wage + tax free tips, while cashiers just get minimum wage. Granted, tips are more like 10% here. I hate tips being an expectation.
Oh America, come on:
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end (and stop exporting) that vicious tipping culture of yours. Just pay decent wages to people in customer service.
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change the design of yours bills, make them easily recognizable, with different colors and sizes like normal curencies.
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take religion out of the money.
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and since I’m at it, end gun culture and disarm your people. Also SUVs, end that too. And introduce controlled prices in health services, regulate, regulate, regulate, till it becomes a functional system affordable by everyone.
Thanks. I would love you so much more.
Lost me at guns, everything else I agree with.
I keep forgetting that there are people who still use cash.
I love using cash. I feel like I am thwarting The System since it keeps pressuring me to use credit cards or some other form of electronic currency. I mean I use some of those too when necessary, but I use cash whenever possible.
That’s fair.
A lot of low-income households in the USA don’t have bank accounts and only use cash.
The motto of the US is in god we trust, which is why it’s on money. It became the motto in the 50s when Christian nationalism became a prominent position, which is the root of the evil that is the gop. The gop would need to be a minority in government in both houses of Congress in order to change the motto, unfortunately.
It’s a change that is definitely needed, however the Christian nationalists are controlling the conversation, as was designed by McCarthyism. In TX, schools are required to hang a poster that says the motto if it is donated by a citizen. In the last legislative session, there was also a bill that would have required every classroom to post the ten commandments.
It is going to take an effort to go vote by the populace at large. In 2022, only about 80% of the Voting Age population was registered and of that 80%, only ~46% cast a vote despite the fact that it was a major election. A large portion of the judicial branch, almost all of the executive branch, and the entire legislative branch of TX were up for election and we only got 37% of the Voting Age population to the polls. Even with polls open for at least 9 hours a day the first week of voting and 12 hours the second week and final day of voting. Being the first state to have early voting, it’s common knowledge that there is virtually no line during early voting, but we still don’t have turnout.
Anyway, on top of needing people to go to the polls, we need a cultural revolution that rejects far-right ideology. McCarthyism purged centrist and left leaning ideology from the country and we are only in the last couple decades starting to see more centrist policies come into play.
A major problem with voting in this country is that it’s not a national holiday, If your working minimum wage you likely can’t afford to take the time away from work which means politicians that campaign on a higher wage lose preventing a wage rise creating a loop. The people that are best suited to vote are those that are well off and retired and statistically they lean republican because of people not wanting to help others disadvantaged while seemingly forgetting that they used those programs to get there. People working at minimum wage or even generally low wages and paycheck to paycheck just can’t afford the time to vote and their best chances are mail in voting which republicans know, that’s why they’re pushing so hard against them to make it as inconvenient as possible, because if its easier to vote in person and the people you don’t want voting cant vote in person then you just eliminated them from the voting pool by circumstance.
There is also a lack of push for midterms and local elections, the presidential race is very big and public and made a whole spectacle, like you can still remember the 2016 and 2020 elections but be honest with me, what can you remember about the campaigns of the 2018 midterms. The 2022 midterms were basically an exception to the rule because the abortion ruling happened so close and it created such visible lines in the sand but I truly think if the abortion ruling happened in February 2021 not long after Biden got into office the turnout for 2022 midterms wouldn’t have had as big of a turnout because it wouldn’t have been in the public mind quite as much, the debate on abortions is still big but its mostly shifted to individual states rather than country wide at this point.
I do remember 2018 because it was a huge race in TX with Beto going against Cruz.
I understand that it can be inconvenient, but most people aren’t at work from 7 AM-7 PM when the polls are open for an entire week. Some are even open an hour or two later (law allows polls between 6 AM and 10 PM and we should be pushing for those late times). People just don’t wake up early or leave for the pills before or after work. I’ve lived in all the major cities in TX besides San Antonio and have never waited more than 15 minutes to vote. There’s a lie going around that it takes forever, when that’s only true on the very last day that you can cast a vote. I’ve seen posts on social media from poll workers saying that there were no lines during early voting at all.
I can understand not making it the first week of voting when they are only open from 8-5, but with some effort, most people should be able to make it when polls are open 7-7.
Should we have mail in voting? Yes. Should we have polls open until 10 PM on weekdays and polls open on the weekend (as already allowed by law)? Yes
We just aren’t going to have some other those things until people use the system that’s already in place and vote.
Could have sworn I was “E Pluribus Unum”.
After a quick search I see they changed/never officially adopted it.
Lame, so much cooler!
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Tipping isn’t bad. Being underpaid is bad. If we as consumers want to add a little more for good service, I don’t see a problem.
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Make dollar coins a thing again.
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Remove presidents too.
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Guns are for weak people. 100% of gun owners I know are massive cowards. Tell your friends. If we can’t get legislation, maybe we can change the culture. SUVs are fine, it’s the massive pickup trucks that are getting out of hand. Give us the Hilux already, and make it electric. Healthcare should be universal and single-payer. End the health insurance industry.
We are trying…
Edit: Please tell me why you disagree, don’t just downvote me. Downvote is not a “disagree” button. I’m just trying to share my thoughts the best I can.
Tipping had devolved from customers saying “I’ll give something extra for extra service” to restaurants saying “since you pay for the food, why don’t you pay for the staff too?”
Only real way to get rid of this culture is to ban it to start. Workers need to demand living wages at the same time as ban comes into effect.
Only real way to get rid of this culture is to ban it to start.
A ban would be a bit extreme. Is tipping banned anywhere?
For me, the fix is to establish a fixed tip like some parts of Europe used to have. E.g. $1—2 per person for good service regardless of bill. This would accomplish two things:
- The tip cannot be an income supplement (thus wages increase if the resto wants to have staff)
- There is still a quality control signal in place
Tipping isn’t bad. Being underpaid is bad. If we as consumers want to add a little more for good service, I don’t see a problem.
The two are at odds with each other; that’s the problem.
I think in this case, “banned” is referring to “paying workers below minimum hourly wage because they’re expected to make up the difference by convincing our patrons to generously donate +20% of their dinner bill”, not “citizens will be fined/incarcerated if they give someone money of their own free will”
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Nobody but your boss has to give you the pay you deserve
Who the fuck is downvoting this?
If you can’t afford to tip, you can’t afford to eat out or order delivery. Just because the tip system is a terrible system doesn’t mean you have an excuse to fuck over the victims of it.
Until there’s a national strike on tipping that could lead thousands of tip reliant workers to quit (like the writers strike), be a decent person and have some sympathy. Instead of eating out and not tipping, don’t eat out. The restaurant gets the same amount of money whether you tip or not, I guarantee they don’t give a shit.
I see what you mean, but I’m not the one fucking over the employees.
On the short term you are right, but as long as customers keeps tipping, the system works well enough for nothing to change.
The more people stops tipping, the closer we get to change.
And I’m sorry that the change will hurt the employees, but it’s not my battle. And tipping does not support the employees battle, just this days income.
Tell me another way I can support their battle, and I’ll listen.
(I tip when the employees seems to rely on it, or if I feel extraordinarily well serviced.)
If you can’t afford to live without tips, don’t volunteer to become a potential victim of a terrible system.
If it wasn’t so depressing I might find it funny you think people work in bad environments because they want to.
Minimum wage is not a livable wage, I shouldn’t have to tell you this. Your arrogance is genuinely disgusting.
And I find the arrogance of telling people if they can’t afford to tip, they shouldn’t eat out disgusting. If they can afford it and are just being cheap, that’s one thing, but you don’t get to act all morally superior while being arrogant the other direction.
If you can’t afford something you shouldn’t buy it. Just because you don’t agree with the system doesn’t mean you get to ignore it and then justify it by taking a moral high ground.
You know the servers wages are dependent on tips and you choose not to pay them. THAT is the social contract. Whether you agree with it or not.
If you cared about changing the system you’d take steps to change it without screwing the workers. You’re just being cheap.
I tip. But there’s a difference between “I know the system is terrible, but I rely on tips and would really appreciate it if you’re able” and “Don’t go out if you can’t afford to tip.” The second is arrogant and condescending. Not being an asshole goes both ways.
No. It’s not. Don’t go somewhere you can’t afford (including the tip) is not arrogant.
I have sympathy for underpaid workers. But I don’t think I’ll change my tipping attitude just because you said such and such. Actually your commands sound a bit condescending.
“I have sympathy for underpaid workers.”
…but they should feed me while I do nothing to help them, instead I’ll be here actively enriching the people exploiting their labor.
“But I don’t think I’ll change my tipping attitude just because you said such and such.”
I’m sure that sounded cool in concept, but basically all this says is that you find the idea of changing your mind due to dialog silly. How sad.
“Actually your commands sound a bit condescending”
Oh wow, I hope my analysis doesn’t come across like that. You might stop tipping - oh, wait…
All good points. But since tipping is supporting this broken system, and not tipping seems to be worse, what do you suggest then?
I could just not go out, sure. Just stay out of it. If enough people do that, this wil lead to less customers, more employers closing their business, more employers loosing the job they couldn’t afford to quit. I don’t see how that helps either.
So I’m listening. What do you suggest?
It’s similar enough to a real bill for the distributors to be charged under 18 U.S. Code § 475 (Imitating US notes for advertising).
Have they ever charged those churchs who hand out chic tracks on fake folded 50s?
Those don’t look enough like real money to be illegal. These do.
They removed god and placed Trump. Are evangelicals fine with that?
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Tipping is dumb, but tipping in Trump propaganda 10x dumb.
Tipping seems to be a cultural thing in the States.
Here in the UK we take the Mr. Pink approach to tipping.
It stopped being a cultural thing decades ago. Now it’s about about companies not paying employees a living wage and America’s right wing constantly blocking legislation that would force employers to pay people enough to have shelter and food.
Fuck tipping culture. Rather than begging tips from customers, DEMAND it from your employer.
I agree with the sentiment, but I think it’s important to remember that it’s the employers we should be mad at, not the employees.
Funny thing is that this guy hates tipping, but they’re going to vote for the candidate and political party that want to keep service salaries so low that tipping is required to live.
If this person really wanted to kill tipping, they should vote for the other party. Those are the folks seriously talking about solutions that would make it unnecessary.
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They’re too dumb to realize that it will have the opposite effect. It won’t work like “omg i got an ad for [CANDIDATE X] instead of $20, gonna vote for him!!”
I would remember that guy, and spit in all his food when he came back.
I would say they’re not dumb enough to go back, but, you know, Trump supporter.
What a horrible person to do this.
My mom was a waitress when I was growing up, and I know how hard they work. I always tip at the minimum 20%.
Goddamn Trump supporters just keep showing us what broken people they truly are.
ELIF: How is this not illegal? That seriously looks like a 20-dollar bill… I might be missing something.
It is clearly marked as not being a $20 bill. That 2024 is huge compared to the real thing. The flip side probably includes a picture of Donnie T instead of Jackson.
If you accept that as legal tender, it’s on you. On the bright side, there’s no indication that they were trying to pass it off as real money. It’s like those screeds where it looks like a $20, but you open it and it says, “I bet you would have been happy if this was real money, but let me tell you, Jesus is better than money.”
Gee, thanks. Let me ask the HEB of they’ll accept Jesus in exchange for milk and beef.
