[monksy]

I mean that's super easy.

Go to a restaurant. Oh you better tip 20-30-50% (Because thats how they hide the bill, and put the lowest value on there). Bad service? YOU MONSTER YOU TIPPED 15% (15% is standard, and on top of higher prices- that is more money.. service+restaurant owners basically forced a 5%+ pay raise for no value). On top of that.. oh no menus.. get your own device so you can order from us.

Walk into a grocer.. no cashier so you can avoid the stupid self checkouts, oh wait now they want you to comply to scan to get out. Don't do that you'll get some employee trying to lecture you about "required behavior". (That was in the Freiberg (Germany) grocer) Not doing that. (Also apparently thats in the Edeka in the Munich airport as well)

Go to Walmart, they brought back receipt checkers at times. And they get pissy when you tell them to go pound sand.

Overall, security guards at these places have such an ego and power trip that affects the average honest customer.

Removing checkout staff for self checkout machines that grade and judge you on your cashier role. Yet you don't get paid.

Let's not forget that Walgreens over exagerated the loss.. and then ramped up their money recovery systems to lock up items + raise the prices. Then they admitted they were crappy.

[danaris]

15% was standard—15 years ago. Then it ticked up to 18%. Then 20%. I've heard that some people are saying it should be 25%...but that was before I moved out of the country, to where tipping is purely for exceptional service.

But see, this is the problem with tipping: it's all informal, so what's "standard" can only be determined by actually talking to people and getting an overall average. I bet there are a lot of people who still think the "standard" is 15% (as it was through most of my life)—or even 10%.

[devsda]

The debate should have been about why there is even a "standard" tip not what the standard percentage is.

I think the vocal minority advocating for tipping are probably the ones that receive (unaccountable) higher tips while the ones that are scraping by would actually feel more comfortable with a good wage than unpredictable tips.

[danaris]

Unfortunately, that's a debate you need to be having with the collective restaurant owners of the nation. Until and unless they start paying living wages, there will be a "standard", however unofficial, that tips of some level are expected for every server who's not actively terrible.

The picture you paint of there being a "vocal minority advocating for tipping...that receive higher tips," at the expense of those who want good wages, suggests that you have very little contact with the type of people who work these jobs. Absolutely, all of them would love good wages. But that's not something they have the power to push for (because labor power in the US is abysmally low, and frequently vilified as if corporations were the entities the country—nay, the entire world—is set up to serve, rather than human beings).

So rather than snidely grumbling about how greedy these people are who want tips, instead of good wages, maybe put that energy toward telling your representatives you want a higher minimum wage? ...Or are you also one of those who thinks that minimum wages are counterproductive and will necessarily be inflated away (despite the fact that many locales, in and out of the US, already have higher minimum wages, and are thriving for it)?

[throwaway-11-1]

The only people who think tipping is a good system is business owners who use it as an excuse to not pay living wages. Tips are a highly variable subsidy to workers so the owner's can maintain a higher profit margin

[senordevnyc]

It gets easier if you stop worrying so much about what these strangers think. Tip 15%, let the receipt checker roll their eyes when you walk past, let them judge you on your self-checkout speed, etc. Who cares?

[monksy]

Oh I agree with you. However, the stress does add up, and the businesses escalate to get worse.

I.e. costco introduces self checkout, don't use it, then they start putting people to pester you to use it/try to check your card before you get to where you need (because non-members use self checkout), then they introduce door checking of membership.. all of this is over their desire to reduce staff in the store and force self checkout.