# One good reason why you should Tip ? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [October 13, 2011, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-good-reason-why-you-should-tip/599503 "2011-10-13T04:49:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2011, 9:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-good-reason-why-you-should-tip/599503/21 "2011-10-13T09:26:39Z")
> [@heathen\_earthling](#): > > Do what, take a beer out of a fridge and open it? It is ridiculous that people get paid to do that. (Does a bar exist that has vending machines instead of bartenders?) Never heard of one, but it would be interesting. Maybe set it up with a [Horn and Hardart](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horn_%26_Hardart) food vending wall also, filled with classic pub grub. With all the interesting bottled microbrews available, it could be fun. There is a beer store in New London that advertises over 1000 microbrews on hand. You would have to ID people and let in only 21 and older though. ---
**Author:** ![doreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/858c86/32.png) [@doreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doreen)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2011, 10:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-good-reason-why-you-should-tip/599503/22 "2011-10-13T10:55:17Z")
> [@One\_And\_Only\_Wanderers](#): > > Out of interest, is there a special minimum wage for bartenders / waiters, or will it vary from place to place just how inadequate their basic wage is? It depends. The federal minimum wage law allows a “tip credit”. The employee must earn minimum wage through a combination of cash wages ( at least 2.13/hr ) and tip credit ( up to 5.12/hr) Some states however, don’t allow a tip credit. In California, for example, the employer must pay the CA minimum wage of $8 hour , and tips are etra. ---
**Author:** ![Harborwolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@Harborwolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harborwolf)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2011, 11:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-good-reason-why-you-should-tip/599503/23 "2011-10-13T11:15:09Z")
> [@heathen\_earthling](#): > > Do what, take a beer out of a fridge and open it? It is ridiculous that people get paid to do that. (Does a bar exist that has vending machines instead of bartenders?) So stay home. Invite your friends over if you’re feeling social. That way you can get the beer out of the fridge (likely for cheaper) and open it yourself. Then you don’t have to tip yourself. Problem solved. ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2011, 11:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-good-reason-why-you-should-tip/599503/24 "2011-10-13T11:41:19Z")
> [@studmuffin](#): > > Why give someone a gratuity for a job he/she is getting paid to do ? > > Why should a surly bar worker expect a tip for getting an overpriced bottle of Bud from the fridge then opening it ? > > It hardly requires any skill or talent. > > This madness has to stop. Why are you drinking Bud when you are in Britain with a lot more options? Why are you buying bottled beer in an establishment that has it on tap? I don’t recall British tipping practices, so you have not yet established that the issue actually demonstrates “madness,” while it has already been explained that in the States, (where, for reasons I truly never undserstood, people actually do buy bottled Bud at a bar), the tipping has been established in law as a result of custom and economy. If you wish to come over here and campaign for a change to the laws regarding server compensation, you are more than welcome. (I’ll let your comment about “skill or talent” stand as a demonstration that you are really not that familiar with the actual requirements of the job.) ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2011, 11:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-good-reason-why-you-should-tip/599503/25 "2011-10-13T11:57:45Z")
> [@One\_And\_Only\_Wanderers](#): > > Out of interest, is there a special minimum wage for bartenders / waiters, or will it vary from place to place just how inadequate their basic wage is? Federal minimum wage is $7.25 but it’s $2.13 if you’re a tipped employee. Interestingly, while looking for that, I found that if your tips plus your $2.13 per hour don’t work out to $7.25, your employer has to make up the difference so even if you work for tips you’ll always come up with at least minimum. [pdf cite](http://www.dol.gov/whd/regs/compliance/posters/minwagebwp.pdf) Of course that’s not to say that someone that’s been working at a $75 per plate restaurant for the last 7 years should expect to work a 50 hour week and get a $280 paycheck with tips included. ---
**Author:** ![Candyman74](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ad7895/32.png) [@Candyman74](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Candyman74)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2011, 12:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-good-reason-why-you-should-tip/599503/26 "2011-10-13T12:12:28Z")
When I’m in the US (and don’t screw up by forgetting, as I have done on various occasions), I view it as the cost of the meal/drink/service (combined) with the special added option that you’re allowed to pay less than the cost if said meal/drink/service was sucky. Here in the UK, you pay the same but it’s automatically included in the price (and the servers are paid out of it) and you _don’t_ have the option to withhold some of the cost if the service was sucky. So just view it as an extra option in the US where you can withhold some of the server’s wages if it proves necessary. ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2011, 12:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-good-reason-why-you-should-tip/599503/27 "2011-10-13T12:36:49Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > People could seat themselves, get their own food, and bus their own tables at every restaurant in the world. The problem is that it starts to become less relaxing and fun and the whole thing doesn’t work as smoothly. That’s why somebody else gets paid to do with it. And people could make their own food, too. I mean, we usually eat at home, which means that someone has to buy the food, take care of it til we prepare it, then prepare and cook it, serve it, and clean up afterwards. This is much cheaper than eating out, but considerably less fun. And the price of booze is much cheaper if you buy it at a store and take it home to drink it, too. And in Texas, it’s legal to pay servers $2.13 an hour, if they are considered tipped employees. If you like to eat out, but don’t want to tip, then eat at fast food restaurants, but even then, there’s the dreaded tip jar in some of them. ---
**Author:** ![JustinC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justinc/32/8083_2.png) [@JustinC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JustinC)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2011, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-good-reason-why-you-should-tip/599503/28 "2011-10-13T12:50:18Z")
> [@tomndebb](#): > > Why are you drinking Bud when you are in Britain with a lot more options? > Why are you buying bottled beer in an establishment that has it on tap? > > **I don’t recall British tipping practices** , so you have not yet established that the issue actually demonstrates “madness,” while it has already been explained that in the States, (where, for reasons I truly never undserstood, people actually do buy bottled Bud at a bar), the tipping has been established in law as a result of custom and economy. If you wish to come over here and campaign for a change to the laws regarding server compensation, you are more than welcome. > > (I’ll let your comment about “skill or talent” stand as a demonstration that you are really not that familiar with the actual requirements of the job.) Generally in proportion to the size of the barmaid’s ‘talent’ and smile. Or is that just me? ---
**Author:** ![One\_And\_Only\_Wanderers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/838e76/32.png) [@One\_And\_Only\_Wanderers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/One_And_Only_Wanderers)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2011, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-good-reason-why-you-should-tip/599503/29 "2011-10-13T12:52:16Z")
in bars you generally wouldn’t tip at all in UK. You may when ordering say “and one for yourself” and the bar person will withhold the cost of a drink from your change. Whether or not they pocket the cash or have the drink off shift, I don’t know. ---
**Author:** ![Isamu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/7c8e57/32.png) [@Isamu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isamu)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2011, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-good-reason-why-you-should-tip/599503/30 "2011-10-13T13:01:53Z")
The tipping culture serves several purposes. 1. It allows restaurants to operate. If there were no tipping then restaurant owners would have to pay their staff a reasonable pay rate and that would force them into bankruptcy. We’ve all seen how this is true worldwide. 2. It allows people to hide some of their income so as to avoid taxes. 3. It makes some people feel like they’ve done a good deed for the day by giving someone a nice tip for no other reason than whether or not they like their server. 4. It creates tension at the dinner table when one watchful owl spots someone else trying to get out of tipping. Endless drama is the best part of a meal. 5. It confuses people. Just see all the threads on this board alone where US citizens have to question their own tipping behavior to make sure it is not abnormal. ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2011, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-good-reason-why-you-should-tip/599503/31 "2011-10-13T13:28:16Z")
:rolleyes: I’ve never heard anyone claim that restaurants would be “forced into bankruptcy” if we abolished tipping. ---
**Author:** ![Sitnam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2011, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-good-reason-why-you-should-tip/599503/32 "2011-10-13T13:38:53Z")
> [@studmuffin](#): > > Why give someone a gratuity for a job he/she is getting paid to do ? > > Why should a surly bar worker expect a tip for getting an overpriced bottle of Bud from the fridge then opening it ? > > It hardly requires any skill or talent. > > This madness has to stop. At a bar tipping will likely make your buzz cheaper. Tipping could fix the awful service you get at the Post Office. Not tipping is fine, but since it is social convention it is to you to tell the wait staff up front you never tip. Then watch them not punch their give-a-shit clock when it gets busy and your fork is dirty. ---
**Author:** ![Isamu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/7c8e57/32.png) [@Isamu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isamu)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2011, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-good-reason-why-you-should-tip/599503/33 "2011-10-13T13:45:46Z")
> [@Labrador\_Deceiver](#): > > :rolleyes: > > I’ve never heard anyone claim that restaurants would be “forced into bankruptcy” if we abolished tipping. Well, then you’ve lived a charmed life. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2011, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-good-reason-why-you-should-tip/599503/34 "2011-10-13T13:49:36Z")
> [@heathen\_earthling](#): > > Do what, take a beer out of a fridge and open it? It is ridiculous that people get paid to do that. (Does a bar exist that has vending machines instead of bartenders?) How do you think that beer got in the fridge? Who changes the keg? Who cleans up the mess you make? Who cleans that bathroom? You’ve obviously never been a bartender, and obviously couldn’t do the job. You and the OP should stick by your principles though. Next time you go into a bar, before you order tell the bartender what you think about their job. ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2011, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-good-reason-why-you-should-tip/599503/35 "2011-10-13T14:16:07Z")
> [@Isamu](#): > > Well, then you’ve lived a charmed life. No, you’re just making shit up. ---
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2011, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-good-reason-why-you-should-tip/599503/36 "2011-10-13T14:21:37Z")
Even though I do my part and tip where applicable I still think it’s a dumb system. I never got the argument that it encourages good service since there are plenty of jobs in the service industry where tipping doesn’t apply. I’m supposed to tip a bartender for opening a bottle of beer for me yet I don’t tip the kid at DQ for making an Oreo Blizzard? I’m supposed to tip the waitress that dropped off a large pizza and a couple Cokes at my table but I don’t tip the kid at Best Buy who just spent an hour educating me on the latest flat panel TV technologies? I’m supposed to tip a taxi driver but not the plumber? None of it is consistent or makes sense. We’re at the mercy of some tipping gods to tell us who gets a tip and who doesn’t. Just a dumb dumb system. ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2011, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-good-reason-why-you-should-tip/599503/37 "2011-10-13T14:22:27Z")
> [@Labrador\_Deceiver](#): > > No, you’re just making shit up. If you’d like to demand a citation for a claim, go ahead, but [avoid accusations of lying in this forum](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=448632). [/Moderating] ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2011, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-good-reason-why-you-should-tip/599503/38 "2011-10-13T14:27:12Z")
I don’t think he’s lying, I think hes engaging in hyperbole. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2011, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-good-reason-why-you-should-tip/599503/39 "2011-10-13T14:28:30Z")
I love the whole tipping scheme. I tip well. The bartender/waitperson/whatever sees that I appreciate good service. I then get continued excellent service, plus a smile. I get a full pint glass, and if there is too much head initially I get my glass topped up once I’ve had some. Even if the bar is crowded, my glass never sits empty. Love it. ---
**Author:** ![El\_Kabong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_kabong/32/496_2.png) [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2011, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-good-reason-why-you-should-tip/599503/40 "2011-10-13T14:53:16Z")
> [@Hampshire](#): > > Even though I do my part and tip where applicable I still think it’s a dumb system. > I never got the argument that it encourages good service since there are plenty of jobs in the service industry where tipping doesn’t apply. > I’m supposed to tip a bartender for opening a bottle of beer for me yet I don’t tip the kid at DQ for making an Oreo Blizzard? > I’m supposed to tip the waitress that dropped off a large pizza and a couple Cokes at my table but I don’t tip the kid at Best Buy who just spent an hour educating me on the latest flat panel TV technologies? > I’m supposed to tip a taxi driver but not the plumber? Well, certainly not inherently advantageous to the consumer, but I’m not sure I’d say it’s dumb from the standpoint of vendors who have successfully managed to offload a considerable amount of their overhead to their patrons. In any event, it’s not quite as complicated as you make it out to be. As others have stated, tipping is most often done with food/drink service employees who may be paid considerably less than minimum wage. Fast food employees are paid minimum wage and above. Best Buy guy gets a commission on his sales. Now taxi drivers, I have no idea why I’m supposed to tip them, especially given a general reputation in the US for padding fares. Anyway, if you happen to be from a country that doesn’t have a tipping culture, this is not some sort of plot to make you look stupid or rip you off, it’s just a local custom. If you’re from say, the UK, complaining about it does make one sound like something of an ingrate, since I’m pretty sure prices in US food/drink establishments with tipping still end up, on average, less than prices for equivalent services in the UK. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-good-reason-why-you-should-tip/599503.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-good-reason-why-you-should-tip/599503.md?page=3)