Why should I “have” to tip? It’s illogical..?
Question by judas: Why should I “have” to tip? It’s illogical..?
Every time i go to a restaurant with my friends, they act like i’m some sort of fiend for not tipping. But why should I? I understand that most restaurants pay their wait staff like 2.50 or even less per hour, but who forced them to ACCEPT a job knowing they will have to rely on others for their majority source of earnings? Have we forgotten that one of the fundamental aspects of human life is free will? Some people will say, “Because it’s etiquette”, but just because something is considered etiquette it doesn’t mean it can’t also be illogical or dare i say stupid. Boo hoo, woe is me. I can’t pay my rent or feed myself cause nobody tipped me today. Wahhh.. I don’t even get paid minimum wage. You know some states in this country require minimum wage no matter what your occupation is, wait staff or not, yet it is still considered etiquette to tip waiters/waitresses. Ponder this for a second and see if you can make any sense of this. If you cannot, then it is illogical. If you are so DEAD SET on being a waiter/waitress and don’t want to have to depend on patrons for your living, why don’t you move to a state that offers minimum wage for wait staff? If you are also so dead set on working in the food industry, why not work at McDonald’s instead? You don’t tip the people at McDs, but they get treated poorly by patrons as much as restaurant waiters do. Do you think for a second that wait staff wouldn’t be rude to customers if tips didn’t exist? So why am i paying for them to put on a phony show for me so i’ll tip them? It’s like prostitution what these establishments are doing their wait staff. “If i smile at this guy and am nice, he’ll give me a better tip!” This is ridiculous. So it’s faux pas for me not to tip but it’s not faux pas for restaurants to pay their wait staff crap wages and expect customers to support them? Why is it not faux pas for people to even accept a job as a waiter knowing that people out there in this world trying to make a living just like them will have to pay for their own life expenses as well as the waiter’s? If you read all this, thank you. I know it was a lot. Sorry.. (also, yes, i would be willing to pay extra for my food so restaurants pay their waiters at least minimum wage so tips weren’t expected. It would be much less awkward). If you have an opinion on this, please comment or post constructive, but not insulting, criticism. Thanks!
To Brandi: What you’re saying is “tipping is accepted because everyone does it”. I hate to resort to labeling, but this is beyond stupid.. and you should realize this. You’re also apparently saying that I have to either choose to conform with speculative social norms or never be able to eat at a restaurant again? This is not a very American statement. My God.. If the point of tipping is to help workers who make less than minimum wage then why do some states like California pay all their wait staff at least minimum wage AND have the same tipping customs as states who don’t pay at least min wages? Why the hell should i “have” to help someone through college. Why should i not “punish” waiters when they’re punishing me by taking a job where i’m forced to pay them money or be deemed a rude cheapskate? This is friggin extortion. Do none of you have the capability of free thought? Why do you tip just because it’s something accepted by most people? What country are you from?
To Spindrift: I can eat anywhere i want and not tip because this is America where we don’t force people to give monetary gifts against our will just because “everyone else is doing it”. Are you naive enough to believe that everyone you see tip does so because of the service they received? Or could some of these tippers be doing so because they don’t want to be judged for having beliefs counter to the majority belief? Why not donate your money to something that actually contributes to society? When’s the last time you forked out 5 bucks to support cancer research? The military? Disaster relief? If you do, then my apologies, but you do NOT represent the majority of the country in that regard. How sad that an overwhelming amount of people are more likely to donate to waiters without a thought to how that money could go toward something more productive. Your attitude toward basic American rights is astonishing. Have you ever pondered why tipping is not a legal obligation?
Best answer:
Answer by A True Space Case
Well you are right there is not anything you have to do. But it is nicer to tip people in restaurants where people bring you food or drinks, because these waitresses and waiters make less than minimum wage because they are expected to get tips/ While people at McDonalds make more and are not allowed to take tips
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wow… well you KNOW that tipping is accepted by everyone and if you dont want to tip then dont go to a restaurant. yes that is their income and most of them hardly get a paycheck. so why dont you turn it around on you and if you cant afford to tip your waitress that is running around taking your orders and bringing you every last thing you ask for, then dont go out to eat…that simple. you are being selfish and alot of people dont have the education to get a great job like you or on the other hand that is a temporary job for most who are putting themselves through school. the bottom line is that tipping IS their income. dont punish the waitresses that are just trying to make money because you dont believe in those big corporations. take it to a higher level if thats what you truly believe.
Just as no one forced servers to take the job, no one is forcing you to eat in restaurants where you are expected to tip, that is extremely illogical. Your solution is a simple one, cook and eat at home or go to a fast food place where you don’t have to tip and stop whining and complaining about it; everyone who eats in restaurants tips according to service, you are not exempt. You can, since you’re so worked up about this, start a campaign whereby a tip is automatically added to the bill so it will seem less painful for you, in the meantime, cook your own or have a Big Mac.
Space Case said: “these waitresses and waiters make less than minimum wage because they are expected to get tips”
That’s just IT. That’s circular logic. We expect them to get tips so we won’t pay them as much could just as easily be….they come in to their shift like every other job, do their work like every other job, deal with stress like every other job, so we should pay them fairly for their job.
LIKE. EVERY. OTHER. JOB.
The meaning of a tip has been ruined because now it is expected. Some places even add an 18% gratuity automatically to the bill. The purpose of the tip is supposed to be that someone went out of their way to do something special for you or make the experience a pleasant one. This should be a bonus at the discretion of the tipper. Now tips are expected, and waiters and waitresses I have known complain about getting stiffed or poor tippers and the like.
But that’s not how it’s supposed to be. You’re not supposed to complain for what’s supposed to be a gift. Put meaning back into the word “tip”, make wages fair for people who do their work, if they make extra money off it because they do a damn good job then that’s their own business and they deserve it.
In other places of work people aren’t allowed to accept tips. We can go out of our way a lot more than a waiter can at times but we’re told we’ll get fired if someone tries to give us a tip, because we earn a wage already. If someone wants to show appreciation for something you’ve done, that should be their choice.
It would be nice if tipping were to be phased out so that waiters can just get paid enough, but given the status quo it is obvious that one would be kind to help them out given their situation (chosen or not).
Pretty sure everything at and after you mentioned “free will” is just bs, so I am not bothering to read it. Of course, this validates you as not having to read anything I said since I was not proper enough to do so with your question.
If you do not have enough to tip, you do not have enough to eat out. I think any kind of personal protest against the system as a whole like it sounds you might be doing is silly given that it hurts individuals. People treat you like a fiend because you screw other people all in what seems to be a mentality of people asking for it to begin with and ridding yourself of guilt. Oversimplifying the scenario, should you be doing this, does not make sense. They chose the job, you chose to eat there. If you do not tip, most people at least would feel guilt about this. You cannot have your cake and eat it too, you do not tip, people treat you like a fiend. This is how people relay to you that they do not approve of what can be described as a misguided, and selfish, way code of conduct you have for yourself regarding restaurants/tipping. Deal with it.
If possible, I suggest you speak with your mother about your views.
What do your dates say about this when you do it? lol