[amiramir]

Canada seem to have imported the tipping culture and default tipping amounts (a la Square Register) from the US.

The explanation for tipping in the US has been the lack of national healthcare and a social safety net.

I live in the NYC and grew up in London and Paris. In Paris tipping was culturally seen as optional and generally reserved for instances of great service. London was similar way back when with 50p or a quid being a tip.

When I got to the US tipping was a much bigger deal and has only grown over time. The explanation was that service workers don't get paid enough and unlike in the UK, France, and Canada there is no universal healthcare or safety net so we need to subsidize the employers to make the workers whole and safe which seems like a weird concept all around, unless you are an employer.

[hervature]

As a Canadian who lives in the US, I actually think this is playing a large role. When I was growing up, 15% was considered "good" and customary. In the US, that's basically the minimum and the expectation is higher (18-25%). Canadians have a reputation of being poor tippers in the US for this precise reason. Coupling the COVID tip creep with the American expectation has been a double whammy for Canadians.

[cholantesh]

I mean, the cost of living in Canada is high despite the presence of a social safety net. Not saying that tipping is justified, but wage stagnation and employment precarity isn't a phenomenon unique to the US.

[Beldin]

> The explanation was that service workers don't get paid enough

The fact that this custom is not only not illegal but even outright defended by folks from the US, was always weird to me.