Hacker News new | ask | show | jobs
by derefr 3946 days ago
If everybody stopped tipping, wouldn't the law change?

It's sort of the same as the problem of automation: the people at the bottom get screwed for a while while the system self-corrects.

2 comments

Probably not, because assholes like me make it a point to tip anyone who does me any personal service, even when abroad, and even when it isn't of a profession that typically demands it.

I don't know why I do it, and I don't really attempt to justify it beyond "This guy did something nice for me and made me believe he enjoyed it, so that is worth at least something" mixed with not wanting to worry about whether or not a tip is expected.

Apologies if I'm screwing up life for everybody else. I do at least pocket tips when I'm told that they aren't required/desired/expected/wanted, but I would much rather err on the side of over-tipping than under.

Yes, your behavior is insulting in many cultures and is the reason we even have a law in the US that allows minimum wage exceptions for waiters. Over-tipping is worse than under-tipping on a macro scale.
This might be news, but I'm pretty sure that most people, when they receive a larger than expected cash tip just lie about it and pocket the difference.

Otherwise, sorry that my immoderation has caused so much irreparable harm. Regardless, I'm not likely to change until/unless the system is changed.

And when the system inevitably doesn't self-correct it just turns out that the people at the bottom get screwed. Nothing new there.