230
Tipping Isn’t about Service – It’s a Psychological Con Job (thewalrus.ca)
submitted 2 weeks ago by Sunshine@lemmy.ca to c/canada@lemmy.ca
47 comments fedilink hide all child comments
you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[-] Kolanaki@yiffit.net 6 points 2 weeks ago

I only tip if the service was above and beyond expectation. As you said: it's not meant to subsidize their actual pay. It's a tip. And if I tip, I make sure the person I am tipping gets cash directly in their hand. Under the table if necessary.

[-] agamemnonymous@sh.itjust.works 0 points 2 weeks ago

That would be a valid point in cases where the employee isn't being paid below minimum wage. In restaurants in America, it literally, legally, does subsidize their pay.

[-] Kolanaki@yiffit.net 3 points 2 weeks ago

You misunderstand. It's not my job to subsidize their pay.

[-] agamemnonymous@sh.itjust.works -2 points 2 weeks ago

You're a customer, you don't have a "job". You have a bill for goods and services. You choose which goods and services you purchase. The bill presented to you at an American restaurant is calculated based on sub-minimum wages due to the tipping convention. There are some restaurants which calculate their bill with a living wage, and do not solicit tips, and this is reflected in higher prices.

By patronizing a restaurant that pays based on tipped wages, and not paying a tip, you are saving money by exploiting the system at the literal expense of the employee. Choose not to purchase from companies that secure low prices by exploitation, or write your representative to end the tipped wage laws that perpetuate that exploitation.

Just remember that the only one who suffers when you didn't tip a tipped-wage worker, is the worker.

[-] FireRetardant@lemmy.world 1 points 2 weeks ago

If a server is struggling to make enough tips to compete with minimum wage, what is stopping them from quiting that restaurant and getting a minimum wage job somewhere like retail or fast food? Most of the servers i know make A LOT more than minimum wage, some can easilly pull an extra $300 on a weekend night.

[-] agamemnonymous@sh.itjust.works -1 points 2 weeks ago

If your justification for a behavior is that it's fine because all the people who don't behave that way will compensate, your behavior is unjustified.

[-] Someone@lemmy.ca 2 points 2 weeks ago

You could argue it's kind of a gamble. You're just betting on people tipping you and risking being paid below minimum. But in any case, it's not relevant here as it's not an issue in Canada, don't most states require the employer to top up the difference?

[-] Someone@lemmy.ca 3 points 2 weeks ago

It's a good thing we're talking about Canada then.

[-] agamemnonymous@sh.itjust.works 1 points 2 weeks ago

Huh, just noticed that.

this post was submitted on 11 Dec 2024
230 points (98.3% liked)

Canada

7280 readers
366 users here now

What's going on Canada?

Related Communities

🍁 Meta

🗺️ Provinces / Territories

🏙️ Cities / Local Communities

Sorted alphabetically by city name.

🏒 SportsHockey

Football (NFL): incomplete

Football (CFL): incomplete

Baseball

Basketball

Soccer

💻 Schools / Universities

Sorted by province, then by total full-time enrolment.

💵 Finance, Shopping, Sales

🗣️ Politics

🍁 Social / Culture

Rules

Reminder that the rules for lemmy.ca also apply here. See the sidebar on the homepage: lemmy.ca

founded 4 years ago
MODERATORS
otter@lemmy.ca