This is really hard for me but I have had to put my foot down in recent times. It still makes me uncomfortable but I just can’t support this anymore. If I’m sitting down at a restaurant with a server I tip 20 - 25% but I’m tired of tipping for takeout and I absolutely refuse to give extra when checking out at a store.
This is very occasionally popping up in restaurants in Australia. Whether you live here or travelling. Do not tip unless they did something incredible. I’m talking the fish brought your grandma back to life and the chef reconnected you with your long lost father. We don’t want to encourage tipping culture. We want to increase minimum wage. It’s like $23 now and we need that to keep growing with the economy.
I recently had a pretty crappy experience at a restaurant for a few reasons, the last being their tipping system. You won't believe how they asked me to tip, it was mad.
- There was no menu, I had to Google their name and find their website (which was some obscure subdomain on some obscure food payment site).
- Their site didn't work in Chrome (on any of the phones we had with us), luckily I had a backup browser installed that worked.
- I had to order and pay on my phone, unable to use the cash I had budgeted and brought with me for the meal.
- It asked me how much I would like to tip, but this is paying DURING MY ORDER, when I had not yet received any service or food. I chose not to tip.
Tipping, here in the UK, is only something you do when you were very happy with the service (and have the extra cash you don't mind giving away as charity, basically). Our waiters, as with every worker in the country, are paid a real wage that isn't designed to be subsidised by begging.
So, being asked to tip for the good service BEFORE receiving the service? That's INSANE.
Due to the various ridiculous issues we had just trying to order food and pay for it, and the audacity of being asked to tip that way, I will not be going back there again.
What's wrong with the tried and true system of a waiter taking your order, you eat, they take your payment at the table either with a normal wireless chip-and-pin machine or by cash, and then you leave? It's simple, easy, smooth and fast 🤦♀️
Not tomorrow either. Flashing that in front of me doesn't mean I'm tipping you for grabbing a donut 6feet away from you and putting it in a bag. That's literally your job. Charge me the amount it costs for the item and your labor don't try to prey on my charitabilty. I use those feelings to distribute the limited extra I have to give to research for sick kids, educational charities, housing initiatives, and anti-gun lobbyists. Fuck if you're anywhere near those categories donut slinger. Tell your boss to fuck himself for even putting that shit in front of customers.
It's getting ridiculous though like even gas stations are starting to ask. Like sorry why should I leave a tip to get a Snickers and bottle of water rung up?
Reminder for everyone that when there are efforts to change the system and have employers pay higher wages instead, the majority of workers are vehemently against it.
You'll see people in this thread telling you that it's not the workers' fault, and that taking it out on the workers by not tipping is not fair, as if they're victims of the system.
Most pressure to maintain the system (or add tips to new industries) comes from the workers, and I feel that not tipping is entirely appropriate if you want it to change.
When the workers themselves start clamoring for raising wages and getting rid of tipping culture, I will empathize with them more.
Over here in the UK we don't tip as a rule, unless we've been directly served by someone, and even then it's mostly just to leave whatever change there may be.
But it's become very fucking common for chain shops to ask if we want to round up to the nearest £ and donate that money to whichever charity they're working with.
And my answer is always, always, no.
Tipping culture is just a way that disproportionally affects workers in such a way that there should be a mathematical equation that compares titty size of the waitress to how much you will tip. Theres a reason why people think there is misandry in fields that require tipping. I try to not tip whenever I can unless I am friends with the people there. Why? Chances are, you get paid a minimum of 10+ an hour wage and you get pissy if I even think you didn't deserve that cherry on top. No I dont want to pay you more than I make an hour for serving my food. Its not up to me to decide how much you deserve for your efforts. Yes Ill be bitter, i dont care, i fucking hate tipping culture. Ill fight anyone that thinks otherwise... in a videogame of course.
Edit: also I want to give a shout out to BJs for being the most toxic environments for tipping. They only allow electronic payments on some proprietary website and it auto adds 20% and they cross their fingers hopeing you didnt see. Then it asks if you would want to tip ON TOP of that. If you bring it up to staff they will actually announce that you arent tipping. Like fuck you guys
I only tip dine in (if there is actually a server) and delivery.
Fast casual with no server or takeout/pickup I am no longer tipping
everyone else in the restaurant:
A few places tried this when I was in Greece over the summer.
Step one - NO CHANCE, STAVROS
Step two - Straight onto my favourite review sites and leave one-star reviews for spoiling my fuckin lunch, you cunts 😂
Fuck bringing that shite over here
Me, reaching over from the POS side paying for the transaction I'm ringing up, leaving no tip for myself
My local vape shop has started asking for tips when you pay now. I'm definitely not tipping for a D8 cart that's already 20% more expensive than buying it online from the makers.
Did you bring it to me or otherwise preform extra effort for me ik the ordering process? No? Then fuck off you've already earned your pay
Why is there never a button for just the tip?
And the tip defaults to 20%.. and a lot of times there's no service involved, or it's before service is provided.
Tipping is why I carry cash for restaurants I don't need to let the server know the number of audible beeps I'm hitting on the machine as they loom over me to guilt me into that 25% tip for whatever ungodly reason exists on the machine.
I think I'm in the smallest minority, but I haven't tipped in close to a decade. When people ask me why, I answer with the question "when was the last time you tipped your grocer l, fast food window attendant or the person at the hardware store that brought out your 100lbs of lumber? " answer is always never and I say exactly.
if I have time, I will Google the starting pay at whatever place and see if they are paid above minimum wage or paid that ridiculous $2 an hour that wait staff get since they also get tips.
Jesus, there's a lot of hate for workers in this thread... 😬
Edit: I understand why employers do this, but the fact is they DO do it, and denying tips isn't going to make employers pay their workers more money. They only understand money, not sympathy, and all you're doing is taking away the employees' money, not theirs. If it's not hurting them, they're not going to raise wages because they simply don't care.
So while one stands there refusing to tip out of a (not entirely incorrect) philosophical viewpoint, those workers reliant on tips will be starving because without said tips they can't afford rent let alone food.
In other words, I agree with the general logic behind the conclusion but not the specific logic.
TL;DR:
Making the employers pay the employees more money? Great!
Attempting to do it by hurting the employees but not the employer? Not so great!
If you’re in Europe, the UK or Australia: fair enough If you’re in the US: that’s low.
It is a sad fact that raging against the tipping system by not tipping is only making the lives of tipped workers more miserable under the current system.
You aren't proving a point or changing anything when you stiff your bartender/server, you are only guaranteed lesser service should you choose to return to the place.
The system sucks, but not tipping isn't solving anything. Voting and political action are needed to change the current state of affairs.
Or, vote with your wallet, buy a bottle of liquor, and drink at home.
