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371 points greggyb | 27 comments | | HN request time: 0.694s | source | bottom
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not_a_bot_4sho ◴[] No.41978402[source]
Funny story. I used to see Steve almost every weekday for a couple of years.

I can't speak to his business skills, but I can attest that he never once offered a tip for his daily black iced tea. We'd even have it ready for him before he showed up so he never had to wait! He would pay with cash, and I'd hand him his change and drink, and that was that.

It's funny to me now: one of the richest men in the world and he never once offered a tip.

Frugality aside, he was always very polite and warm so I can't be mad. Makes for a good ice breaker story.

Edit: holy moly, this is a sensitive subject. Please remember this was from a time before tipflation. Tipping meant you left your change behind once in a while only if you felt the desire to show appreciation. It wasn't an obligation. Yes, I still do think it's a funny story. Roast me for being entitled lol

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1. pensatoio ◴[] No.41978555[source]
[flagged]
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2. 01100011 ◴[] No.41978614[source]
We allow wages you can't live on but then expect customers to randomly make up the difference but only for some jobs.

Make too little to afford an apartment, healthcare and food and you work in the food service industry? You deserve a tip. You work in a meatpacking plant? Oh, get screwed.

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3. cryptica ◴[] No.41978653[source]
Yes it's weird. It's basically charity re-framed as capitalism. As if it's the waiter's performance which determines their tip as opposed to just blind luck.

If each waiter could provide their own menu on which they could set their own prices individually and take their own hidden cut, then that would be fair capitalism.

They'd make a lot more money because consumers would be too lazy or too embarrassed to ask a different waiter for their version of the menu...

That would be a much better culture for workers.

Unfortunately the current system is set up to make every form of payment for labor into a charity. So workers are always in the position of begging their boss or customers and they are never in the position of intermediating transactions.

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4. booleandilemma ◴[] No.41978670[source]
Absolutely. I hope the tip screen on tablets goes away soon.
replies(2): >>41978819 #>>41980326 #
5. geodel ◴[] No.41978819[source]
I think they are just getting started. Soon there will announcement on speakers for non-tippers "Congratulations! You won cheap ass of the day award"
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6. adventured ◴[] No.41978822[source]
Waiters in the US make more than their peers in: Britain, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Japan, Canada, New Zealand, etc.

That's thanks entirely to the tip system.

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7. cryptoz ◴[] No.41978859{3}[source]
Got a citation for that? Lots of waiters in the US make $2/hour or something before tips (can anyone correct me here?) where the expectation is that tips will bring them up to $7-8/hour, more in line with other minimum wage jobs.
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8. datavirtue ◴[] No.41978909[source]
Lick the hand.
9. labcomputer ◴[] No.41979087{4}[source]
In California (the most populous state), there is no “tipped minimum wage”. Everyone earns at least $20/hr. In fact, about 1/3 of states don’t allow employers to pay less for tipped employees.
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10. kevin_thibedeau ◴[] No.41979108{4}[source]
If they get insufficient tips to meet the minimum, the employer makes up the difference. Nobody makes $2/hour.
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11. cryptoz ◴[] No.41979144{5}[source]
Right. Are waiters in other countries listed above making less than US federal minimum wage?
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12. walthamstow ◴[] No.41979391{3}[source]
Britain has tips. Every restaurant adds 12.5% as an 'optional' charge but they know full well that Brits are allergic to causing a fuss and will never ask it to be removed.

Do US waiters really get paid more than UK with PPP/forex? You seem to have the data to hand.

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13. miffy900 ◴[] No.41980084{3}[source]
This ignores how feast-and-famine tipping is; there's a high ceiling for potential earning, but it's not always a reliable income; and this also ignores how only those working in front-line service roles benefit.

Are you the kitchen hand washing dishes? Are you the chef or cook who makes the meals and food that the customers eat? Are you a cleaner mopping the floors after business hours? Nope - none of you get a tip, unless the restaurant has a policy of collecting all tips and redistributing them to all employees. But how often does that happen? It's really easy to just pocket the tip and keep it for yourself.

14. cryptoz ◴[] No.41980105{5}[source]
Oh wow really, 2/3 of states let employers pay below minimum wage for tipped employees?
15. AuryGlenz ◴[] No.41980144{4}[source]
Back in 2008 my sister would easily make $200 a night working at Red Lobster in a town of 80,000. That was just the tips, not wages. Prices have probably doubled now, along with the tips.

Very few waiters are making as little as you say. Just think of what you pay as a tip for one table for 2-4 people and remember they’re handling quite a few tables at a time. Quite often if they get a bachelors degree and the attached salaried job they take a significant pay cut, but the hours are better for having a family.

16. bityard ◴[] No.41980326[source]
Not even close. They are showing up anywhere a person might open their wallet. I have seen tip screens in gas stations, fast food restaurants (where you order at a kiosk), vendor booths, etc.
17. CoastalCoder ◴[] No.41980456{3}[source]
Being part way through the third Dungeon Crawler Carl book, this really amuses me.
18. Al-Khwarizmi ◴[] No.41980737[source]
I'm going to the US in a couple of weeks and I'm already abhorring the prospect of spending some time looking at the specific tipping requirements of the state I'm going to, to then spend a week awkwardly guessing if I'm tipping enough, too much, or offending someone in the process; while having uncomfortable feelings about the people serving me food, drink, tour guidance, etc. (on the one hand because they all seem to be hunting for my money and being a foreigner, they might be hoping that I will tip too much, on the other hand because they might be underpaid and I might be an asshole to them if I tip too little).

I suppose people who have lived there all their life just don't notice it, but for me as an outsider the amount of stress and awkwardness that the tipping culture produces in daily life is ludicrous.

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19. ywvcbk ◴[] No.41981241{4}[source]
Seattle is allegedly about on par with London CoL wise.

Min wage for tipped workers is $17.25 per hour. London is ~$18. So with exorbitant tipping it should be considerably higher?

Also taxes might be lower.

20. ywvcbk ◴[] No.41981260{4}[source]
> will bring them up to $7-8/hour

Maybe 20 years ago? Almost nobody in the US is making that little these days regardless of the Federal minimum wage.

And in nicer states you get $15-20 + tips.

21. ywvcbk ◴[] No.41981277{6}[source]
Do costumers in Washington, California, New York etc. tip less, the same or even more than in those other states?
22. ywvcbk ◴[] No.41981293[source]
Seems a bit more like price segmentation. Basically everyone is socially forced to pay as much as they can regardless of the actual price.
23. ndsipa_pomu ◴[] No.41982074{3}[source]
> Waiters in the US make more than their peers in: Britain, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Japan, Canada, New Zealand, etc.

That seems unlikely - do you have any figures to back that up?

24. ndsipa_pomu ◴[] No.41983153{4}[source]
> Britain has tips. Every restaurant adds 12.5% as an 'optional' charge but they know full well that Brits are allergic to causing a fuss and will never ask it to be removed.

That "service charge" is usually (mandated?) listed on the menu, so it would lead to quite an awkward conversation if you then complained after sitting and eating the meal. It's quite often specified for groups over a certain size and it makes more sense than getting into a "tipping" argument after the meal.

25. throw16180339 ◴[] No.41987002[source]
If you don't want to think about it, just consistently tip 20%. It's generous and no one will complain.
26. dang ◴[] No.41989277[source]
Please don't post nationalistic flamebait to HN.

https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html

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27. pensatoio ◴[] No.41989959[source]
I apologize, dang. I thought that was an appropriate response.