The whole tipping culture in western countries is unfair and totally wrong!

[Synchronice]

This is something that I can't still understand, why is there so much pressure to tip in restaurant, in taxi, tip to the delivery guy, etc.
They are doing their job, right? If they are getting low salary from the company and can't live without tips, that's not my fault. The business model that restaurants have is that they pay very low salaries to their employees and get most of the profit in their own pocket. Why is it socially accepted in western countries? Especially in the USA and Canada? Instead of social pressure to leave tips, why isn't there pressure on business owners to pay them more? Why is it socially accepted that pig businessman should get high profit, work his employees on low wage and the customer should compensate it?

Why do we tip people who work in restaurant, delivery, barbershop, etc instead of people who work in constructions? I have never seen anyone tipping to someone who works as a manual laborer. Do you guys really think that manual labor is easier than being a waitress? Or a delivery guy? Or do you think that they are paid higher? Manual laborers are working very hard with very little wages, their wages can be smaller than the wages of people in service industry. Also, working in manual labor is very dangerous for health and most of them have health problem while they aren't offered insurance and other benefits.
It's unfair that people in service industry are tipped but people in manual labor - not. And if the manual laborer somehow managed to go in restaurant, some shit waitress will get mad if he won't tip her.

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[cabron]

Its not mandatory but we're used to it already.
And its also because the guys in the restaurant will remember you don't give tips to them, they will spit and piss on your drink which I'm sure you won't like it.  This is why I also give tips to some waiters who will serve me on a restaurant because I've seen it first hand what they did to someone's food.

Seem unfair indeed. But for construction crew, it should be the foreman that has to give the tip.

[Upgrade00]

This is something that I can't still understand, why is there so much pressure to tip in restaurant, in taxi, tip to the delivery guy, etc.

As you stated in your topic title, it's the culture, i.e, way of life of the people there. Same way there are places where it's rude to tip, places where strangers are welcomed easily without questions and so on.
Culture as a whole doesn't take on a practical approach, it's more traditional and historical, and while there are many cultures which are not generally acceptable, stopping them is a hassle.

And its also because the guys in the restaurant will remember you don't give tips to them, they will spit and piss on your drink which I'm sure you won't like it.

To be sure, do you pay the bill at a restaurant before you order or after you're done?
I'm used to it being paid after, so except you are a regular at a particular place, they would not suspect whether or not you're going to tip.

[mu_enrico]

I can't confirm your statement that "social pressure to leave tips" exists in the US & CA since I don't live there. But, assuming that it's correct, I disagree with this culture. A tip shouldn't be mandatory, but as a gratitude for great service other than simply saying "thank you." Before thinking about it deeply, I was sold on the idea that giving tip money is always good and felt good about it. But the days of me tipping is over. Now, in most cases, I only say thanks and save the tip money for other purchases in the same shop if I like their service, or tipping if the service gets extra personal. It's the best way to keep the business run and profitable. Tip money is an unnecessary overhead that can make a business less profitable in the long run and generally get a bad customer experience. Hence, many service companies now ban tipping for the same reason in the country I reside.

[hugeblack]

In my country, this culture is not widespread as many restaurants give a fixed tariff in the bill and all you have to do is pay that bill, even giving a tip to the waitress is considered a strange thing or an attempt by the person to woo her.

The same thing is related to the delivery worker, as the delivery company takes a percentage and you are the one who pays the money of the delivery worker, not the company, as there is a fixed amount for each kilometre.

[davis196]

I have never visited a restaurant in my entire life and I don't use food delivery services.
What's the point of visiting restaurants nowadays? Just buy food and learn to cook.
I don't use food delivery services because I'm not lazy enough to just sit in my home, instead of going to the store and buy some food.
I've never lived in a western country and I don't know about such "social pressure" of giving tips to waitresses and food delivery people.
Maybe there is such social pressure, but giving tips shouldn't be mandatory. The restaurant industry is really competitive and the profits margins are low, so the restaurant owners give low salaries to the waitresses. Perhaps in the not-so-distant future, the waitresses will be replaced by robots, so the customers won't have to give tips.

[Lucius]

Some professions in Western countries have simply attached to them an additional way of earning through tips, so although it is somewhat understandable to me that a man who is in a good mood and celebrating something in a restaurant or cafe rewards the waiter with a tip (because it is not an easy job as some think), when it comes to delivery or barbershops/hairdressing salons, tips don't really fit in there.

However, with more and more digital payments, I think that the situation is changing and that tips will slowly become a thing of the past - because if you pay by card, then you pay the exact amount for the service, and the waiter or delivery person will have to accept that times have changed and not expect a tip.

However, if we consider payment with Bitcoin, tips could still remain part of the culture, but that would mean that everyone should adapt to new technologies. If you pay your bill with LN, then theoretically you could tip the waiter the same way, which wouldn't be a bad promotion for Bitcoin as a currency.

[Nhazwrath]

This is something that I can't still understand, why is there so much pressure to tip in restaurant, in taxi, tip to the delivery guy, etc.
They are doing their job, right? If they are getting low salary from the company and can't live without tips, that's not my fault. The business model that restaurants have is that they pay very low salaries to their employees and get most of the profit in their own pocket. Why is it socially accepted in western countries? Especially in the USA and Canada? Instead of social pressure to leave tips, why isn't there pressure on business owners to pay them more? Why is it socially accepted that pig businessman should get high profit, work his employees on low wage and the customer should compensate it?

Why do we tip people who work in restaurant, delivery, barbershop, etc instead of people who work in constructions? I have never seen anyone tipping to someone who works as a manual laborer. Do you guys really think that manual labor is easier than being a waitress? Or a delivery guy? Or do you think that they are paid higher? Manual laborers are working very hard with very little wages, their wages can be smaller than the wages of people in service industry. Also, working in manual labor is very dangerous for health and most of them have health problem while they aren't offered insurance and other benefits.
It's unfair that people in service industry are tipped but people in manual labor - not. And if the manual laborer somehow managed to go in restaurant, some shit waitress will get mad if he won't tip her.

so.  lets try something else.

Pizza delivery driver.   95% of these people use there own car own gas own insurance 100% there own risk.  

Most dont even get a salary.  Accident rate among pizza drivers is high due to the nature of the job.  

They get to pay for their own gas, oil change which is about once a month due to the very high mileage  brakes tires ball joints tie rods most of that is once a year, brakes twice.  If they live in snowy regions then add Winter tires to that added costs.

Pizza car maintenance is high.   Many don't bother and buy utter crap and drive it in to the ground.   Can be cheaper to replace crap car with another crap car then to fix them.  So they also get to spend time replacing the car.  


Tip your fucking driver!  Be happy hes even working!   He might even be an asshole but he gets to deal with shitheads all day long on the road and at the door.  saying to him... but you got your delivery fee right?

[cabron]

This is something that I can't still understand, why is there so much pressure to tip in restaurant, in taxi, tip to the delivery guy, etc.

As you stated in your topic title, it's the culture, i.e, way of life of the people there. Same way there are places where it's rude to tip, places where strangers are welcomed easily without questions and so on.
Culture as a whole doesn't take on a practical approach, it's more traditional and historical, and while there are many cultures which are not generally acceptable, stopping them is a hassle.

And its also because the guys in the restaurant will remember you don't give tips to them, they will spit and piss on your drink which I'm sure you won't like it.

To be sure, do you pay the bill at a restaurant before you order or after you're done?
I'm used to it being paid after, so except you are a regular at a particular place, they would not suspect whether or not you're going to tip.

That's why I said REMEMBER. because the 2nd time around. You get get what you deserve.
The more you behave well if you are in the fastfood restaurant because you pay first in this restaurant.

Taxi driver's are from the city and they know well where the criminals are. When I go to a new city, its always the taxi driver that I ask where to go if I wanted something done.  They are good to be friend with.

[naira]

It's unfair that people in service industry are tipped but people in manual labor - not. And if the manual laborer somehow managed to go in restaurant, some shit waitress will get mad if he won't tip her.

Tipping is not in the rules and it is all done according to the will of the giver. Even if there are rules about tips, don't they all mean things that are mandatory to give? Moreover, this is a cultural problem where culture is thick with western habits, they do it because it is considered a form of concern. If we look at the other side of the construction workers, of course they rarely even never interact with customers or provide services. Let's say they work in the open field, conditions that never bring in customers to serve.

[gantez]

And if the manual laborer somehow managed to go in restaurant, some shit waitress will get mad if he won't tip her.

The manual laborer is also part of this culture of tipping because he will do the same like all is well for him and tomorrow he is in the rag clothes and doing the laborer job again. Is this not the way that the society is finding herself to believe the workers in service industry to be rewarded for the service they done. If the laborer is guilty to this every sector is guilty. The owners of business believe that they do not do too many jobs and running on shifting may be reason for low salary to them.

[dothebeats]

I don't understand as well. If the industry doesn't pay well enough, shouldn't there be lobbyists that will help the plight of the workers that are "underpaid" and needs to receive tips to compensate? I understand there is nothing mandatory about it, but the fact that this culture is so spread far and wide in the United States makes a foreign visitor feel bad and ashamed that he/she will be forced to tip even if it's out of the budget. Then again, perhaps it's a form of a personal and direct acknowledgment on a job well done for the server, the driver, or whomever that did something for you, and I'm okay with that. But there are some exceptions though. There are restaurants there in the US that make it seem like tips are mandatory and doesn't directly give the tips to those who actually did the service for their customers. That's just straight up hustling the workers and being greedy for the restaurant's operations managers part, and I guess that's what ticks people off in the tipping culture there in the US.

[lovesmayfamilis]

Who limits you from tipping the builder? Let's be bold. And why are you counting other people's money? It's a poor man's speech, but the tip also serves as a help for the waiters and all the wait staff. I don't see any problem, and I always leave it for a tip. Read the parable "The Boy and Ice Cream" on the Internet; it speaks of a person's culture.

[Lucius]

so.  lets try something else.
Pizza delivery driver.   95% of these people use there own car own gas own insurance 100% there own risk.  
Most dont even get a salary.  Accident rate among pizza drivers is high due to the nature of the job.  

Maybe it's like that in the country where you live, but here where I live, every delivery person has an official pizzeria/fast food vehicle and a normal salary. Therefore, your attitude towards how delivery people should be treated is completely opposite to mine - although in recent years, food delivery in my country has changed because they are delivered by young people on bicycles/electric scooters for companies that have appeared as intermediaries between fast food chains and customers.

I'm not a fan of fast food, so I don't use such services, but when I see these young people delivering in all weather conditions, I would be very happy to give them a tip in addition to what they will officially receive for each delivery.

[Obito]

I do think so too, the tipping culture only enables the capitalistic institution to continue ignoring the plight of the working class to increase the minimum wage and help those people not worry about tipping as a means to gain an advantage in life. It's going to be difficult to remove this culture though as there are some people that are so used to it and benefits big time to it that are going to defend it.

[Rikafip]

I do agree that people from some western countries are overdoing it (at least compared to us in Europe) and its not fair that some don't get tips (like for example people that work in McDonald's) but to simply put, you gotta be good with the people that bring you food! At least that's how I look at it, but maybe that's because food is very high on my priority list lol and I eat at the restaurant at least few times per week.

Some professions in Western countries have simply attached to them an additional way of earning through tips, so although it is somewhat understandable to me that a man who is in a good mood and celebrating something in a restaurant or cafe rewards the waiter with a tip (because it is not an easy job as some think), when it comes to delivery or barbershops/hairdressing salons, tips don't really fit in there.

Don't know about you, but in 99% of the cases I tip both my barber and delivery guys (extra bonus if weather is shitty), even though I try not to order if weather is bad (like heavy rain).

However, with more and more digital payments, I think that the situation is changing and that tips will slowly become a thing of the past - because if you pay by card, then you pay the exact amount for the service, and the waiter or delivery person will have to accept that times have changed and not expect a tip.

Technology is adapting to that as well and in some apps (for example Wolt) you can simply chose the tip if you are paying with card. Whether delivery guys actually get the tip is another question and for that reason I am always paying with cash so I can be sure that they get the tip.

Maybe it's like that in the country where you live, but here where I live, every delivery person has an official pizzeria/fast food vehicle and a normal salary.

We live in the same country (AFAIK) and both me and all my friends usually tip delivery guys (unless they fuck up which is rare) so I wouldn't say that is uncommon around here, even before Wolt/Glovo and all the other 3rd party services that are popular now.

[Jemzx00]

Why do we tip people who work in restaurant, delivery, barbershop, etc instead of people who work in constructions? I have never seen anyone tipping to someone who works as a manual laborer. Do you guys really think that manual labor is easier than being a waitress?

Most of the jobs you've mentioned offer services which is why people tip them to be able to receive great service and avoid receiving bad service, especially in restaurant service. We all know what happens to our food when we are either rude to our waiters or if we don't provide tips to them. Also, those who work on construction also gets tips from their clients however some of them already add it on the pay slip. However, those who work by contract usually don't get tipped as they get paid on time and some of them usually add a service charge of 10% on the pay slip.

These kinds of tipping culture from western countries especially from the USA has gone way back and it's already a tradition to pay at least 10% for the service that you receive.

[Fara Chan]

In any structure of life the tip is not mandatory, people do things based on the responsibility of the party providing the work, overall I can't confirm the truth like the post you made, because we don't live in the area.
However, I often see giving tips to any employee, based on the assistance given to consumers, even though the culture is categorized as not good, but that's how someone appreciates the help given by workers in any place.

[virasisog]

This culture is not compulsory or mandatory. You still have a choice whether to tip them or not because tipping those who provide good services is just a simple act of kindness and consideration. You're lucky if you are the one who gives tips than the one who is asking for them. It shouldn't be a burden for you because the tip that you're giving them is already a big help. If it's against your will then just avoid this practice. It isn't against the law though. Some laborers are trying to look for better opportunities to earn better but still get unlucky getting one. Not everyone could have the same opportunity as others have so we should be considerate in simple ways. Some laborers are risking their lives just to provide good service in exchange for a minimum salary so we should be kind towards them.

[YinShuiSiYuan]

Its not mandatory but we're used to it already.
And its also because the guys in the restaurant will remember you don't give tips to them, they will spit and piss on your drink which I'm sure you won't like it.  This is why I also give tips to some waiters who will serve me on a restaurant because I've seen it first hand what they did to someone's food.

Seem unfair indeed. But for construction crew, it should be the foreman that has to give the tip.

There is no compulsion in giving tip to waiters at restaurants , this is just a goodwill gesture on your behalf. So I dnt feel it wrong ,yes little unfair for the workers in different sectors as tipping culture is just restricted to restaurants.  Everyone deserves extra income or benefits for their services .