Visiting the US soon - do I really have to tip?
Visiting the US soon - do I really have to tip?
Hey Folks!
I've been living abroad for over half my life in a country where tipping is not the norm. At most you would round up. 19€ bill? Here's a 20, keep this change.
Going to the US soon to visit family and the whole idea of tipping makes me nervous. It seems there's a lot of discussion about getting rid of tipping, but I don't know how much has changed in this regard.
The system seems ridiculously unfair, and that extra expense in a country where everything is already so expensive really makes a difference.
So will AITA if I don't tip? Is it really my personal responsibility to make sure my server is paid enough?
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you absolutely are the asshole if you don't tip. if you can't afford to tip, then don't eat out/just hit up fast food/go anywhere where people are paid a decent wage. most servers make under $5 an hour. if you're not tipping, you're directly exploiting them.
How is an hourly salary that low allowed? It's not the customer exploiting the server, its the business surely.
because they're supposed to make it up in tips. yeah, it's the business' fault, but if you're going there and supporting the business through your purchases while knowing you're supposed to tip, and then not tipping, you're the asshole. don't get me wrong, it's unethical. but OP knows you're supposed to tip and is trying to wrangle their way out of it. if you can't afford to tip, just don't go.
most servers make under $5 an hour.
This is factually wrong. the minimum wage is the minimum wage. You don't make less because you are a server. The business effectively gets a rebate from the worker on what they make in tips.
If you're not making minimum wage doing a tip-able job then the business is screwing you and you can report them. It's not the customers job to make sure the staff is paid minimum wage. It's the businesses job to track it and pay out if minimum wage isn't met.
if you’re not tipping, you’re directly exploiting them.
Or rather, indirectly exploiting them. But yeah, if you refuse to support tipping, then just don't go to those businesses. Don't take it out on the employees.
No, the business is the asshole, not you. But when in Rome, this is the way it is in America so play along, it's not like you're murdering someone