DiscussWorldIssues - Socio-Economic Religion and Political Uncensored Debate - View Single Post - What do you think of the custom of tipping?

**JANALA** · 07-18-2006, 07:00 AM

When I was in Japan last month, at the first restaurant I ate at, as a force of habit, I left some money on the table as a tip for the waitress. Only to have the waitress come running after me to give me the money "I had forgotten to take with me." Then I realized, Oh yeah, there's no custome of tipping in Japan.

Is U.S. the only country where there is tipping? I thought about this . . . if I'm eating at a restaurant, shouldn't the server be paid by the restaurant? Or at a barber shop, since I'm paying for the haircut chouldn't that be enough? Or a cab ride? Even call girls demand tips. J/K! But if I go have the oil changed for my car, I don't tip the mechanic. If I go grocery shopping I don't tip the gal who's working the cash register. Who should and who shouldn't get tipped?

I've been a waiter myself in my younger days at a very busy popular restaurant in NYC in the mid 1980s. I averaged $80 a night, five nights a week, which was very good money then. The restaurant also paid us minimum wage (might have been lower) because tipping is compensation for serving the food, and the restaurant can't make the waiters do cleaning, supply-shopping, or other sundry work without paying a wage. The withholding tax on the tips came out of this wage, so the "paycheck" was literally a few dollars each week.

This is what would happen if there was no tipping.

If waiters can't make enough money to live on and the restaurant won't pay them a decent salary, they'd quit and find a better job. The the restaurant would have to raise the wages so that it can attract people to work as servers, and raise the prices of the food to make up the cost. If the restaurant increases the prices by 15 - 20 %, the customers are no better or worse off. If they raise it more, the customers end up paying more in the long run than had they kept tipping the servers.

Since there are many countries that do not have the custome of tipping, yes, the society would still run efficiently if there was no tipping. But in the case of the U.S., I say don't fix anything that ain't broke. However, if I get bad service, I ain't tipping as much, or AT ALL !! View more random threads same category:

07-18-2006, 07:00 AM	#11
JANALA Join Date Oct 2005 Posts 437 Senior Member	What do you think of the custom of tipping? When I was in Japan last month, at the first restaurant I ate at, as a force of habit, I left some money on the table as a tip for the waitress. Only to have the waitress come running after me to give me the money "I had forgotten to take with me." Then I realized, Oh yeah, there's no custome of tipping in Japan. Is U.S. the only country where there is tipping? I thought about this . . . if I'm eating at a restaurant, shouldn't the server be paid by the restaurant? Or at a barber shop, since I'm paying for the haircut chouldn't that be enough? Or a cab ride? Even call girls demand tips. J/K! But if I go have the oil changed for my car, I don't tip the mechanic. If I go grocery shopping I don't tip the gal who's working the cash register. Who should and who shouldn't get tipped? I've been a waiter myself in my younger days at a very busy popular restaurant in NYC in the mid 1980s. I averaged $80 a night, five nights a week, which was very good money then. The restaurant also paid us minimum wage (might have been lower) because tipping is compensation for serving the food, and the restaurant can't make the waiters do cleaning, supply-shopping, or other sundry work without paying a wage. The withholding tax on the tips came out of this wage, so the "paycheck" was literally a few dollars each week. This is what would happen if there was no tipping. If waiters can't make enough money to live on and the restaurant won't pay them a decent salary, they'd quit and find a better job. The the restaurant would have to raise the wages so that it can attract people to work as servers, and raise the prices of the food to make up the cost. If the restaurant increases the prices by 15 - 20 %, the customers are no better or worse off. If they raise it more, the customers end up paying more in the long run than had they kept tipping the servers. Since there are many countries that do not have the custome of tipping, yes, the society would still run efficiently if there was no tipping. But in the case of the U.S., I say don't fix anything that ain't broke. However, if I get bad service, I ain't tipping as much, or AT ALL !! View more random threads same category: Favourite quotations Cannabis and Multiple Sclerosis Should monarchies be? Famous names of nations... Best cities to visit in Asia Its wrong to hit girls
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