Nobody gets a fair wage but at least food service workers in my area get paid the same as everyone else (Seattle $21/h minimum). Tipping is rooted in racist class division and we really should be pushing to end wage exemptions rather than perpetuate a ridiculous sales-commission structure.
This is always so funny… why would you boycot the restaurant? Don’t hate the player, hate the game. So if you want change, change the rules of the game. Get politically involved, campaign for minimum wage, waiters will get a minimum living wage, tipping won’t be required anymore… this idea that you can and will vote with your wallet is absolutely ridiculous. You will never get critical mass that way.
The thing with voting with your wallet is that it is not permanent. It can help for a while if you somehow manage to get critical mass, but I believe that human willpower is not strong enough of a force, it is more or an exception than the norm. If you create a system that incentivizes exploitation and make it legal, someone who participates in the system, say a restaurant owner, can only whitstand the pricing pressure for so long untill the competition, that uses all legal ways to gain an advantage, will take over. I believe that lasting change can only be achieved by rules and enforcement of those rules for everyone. Voting with your wallet makes you feel good about doing your part and it’s better than nothing, but if you want to really have impact, you have to go through the legislative route. I think you call this an collective action problem
I remember reading that the only way a restaurant can pay less than minimum wage is if the employees make enough tip to make up for it. In other words if everybody just stopped tipping, it would force restaurants to pay normal wage right?
Also keep in mind that wage theft is rampant in the US, to the tune of up to $50 billion per year. I don’t know that it’s safe to assume that all of these employers are gonna do the thing they’re supposed to do.
On paper, yes. That’s how it works. Although let’s not pretend that minimum wage is actually a livable wage.
In practice, most employers have a policy that reads something like “we assume you’ve made enough in tips to hit minimum wage, if you don’t, please inform your manager.” Not only does this put the onus of enforcing the rule on employees, it also makes it easier for the restaraunt to say “you’re the only one having this problem, so you must be bad at your job” (when the reality is that no one else reports it for fear of disciplinary action).
In the US there are so few that prohibit tipping and pay a fair wage. I don’t think this is a reasonable solution either. Legislation is probably the best answer. Even with that it’s so incredibly engrained in American culture it would be really hard to break. It’s a total shit system though that is only becoming more and more prominent as a way for companies not to have to pay people and playing on a deep sense of guilty charity.
Well start with “places that pay a fair wage.” At least there, you can feel better about not tipping, or tipping solely based on service quality. Obviously any restaraunt will still let you tip if you want to, why would they stop you?
Yes, it’ll be hard to stick to only those places. It will limit where you can go and you’ll have to do research before going someplace new. But doesn’t any meaningful action require effort?
There are places like Sugarfish, that actually ban tipping. That’s necessary, because otherwise we still stay in that cycle.
They also are adding a 16% service charge, which is kind of like a mandatory tip, but they have a good reason for it.
The reason is that if they would put actual price on the menu they would be perceived at more expensive (people are dumb) so they impose this service fee to look competitive.
I prefer that approach. Ideally what should be done is as someone suggested is to ban tipping through a legislation.
Understandable to look competitive but I’d prefer it to be part of the actual price with the clear assumption that at a restaurant the service of bringing the thing you ordered out to you is included. I also don’t think percentages make sense. Up charge my beer 2$ or whatever such that if I order 6 of them the server essentially earns more for bringing 6 of them out. But don’t upcharge my bottle of champagne $12 for bringing it out once. There shouldn’t be such a disconnect between service / labor and cost/payment.
Nobody gets a fair wage but at least food service workers in my area get paid the same as everyone else (Seattle $21/h minimum). Tipping is rooted in racist class division and we really should be pushing to end wage exemptions rather than perpetuate a ridiculous sales-commission structure.
Absolutely!
But the people who say “just don’t tip” aren’t fixing anything.
If anything you should boycott the restaraunt.
This is always so funny… why would you boycot the restaurant? Don’t hate the player, hate the game. So if you want change, change the rules of the game. Get politically involved, campaign for minimum wage, waiters will get a minimum living wage, tipping won’t be required anymore… this idea that you can and will vote with your wallet is absolutely ridiculous. You will never get critical mass that way.
So boycotts never work, huh? Sure about that one?
Changing your economic habits can and does work. It’s just difficult, so people would rather not do it.
But yes, also vote, campaign, protest, etc.
The thing with voting with your wallet is that it is not permanent. It can help for a while if you somehow manage to get critical mass, but I believe that human willpower is not strong enough of a force, it is more or an exception than the norm. If you create a system that incentivizes exploitation and make it legal, someone who participates in the system, say a restaurant owner, can only whitstand the pricing pressure for so long untill the competition, that uses all legal ways to gain an advantage, will take over. I believe that lasting change can only be achieved by rules and enforcement of those rules for everyone. Voting with your wallet makes you feel good about doing your part and it’s better than nothing, but if you want to really have impact, you have to go through the legislative route. I think you call this an collective action problem
Why is it an either/or? Do both.
I remember reading that the only way a restaurant can pay less than minimum wage is if the employees make enough tip to make up for it. In other words if everybody just stopped tipping, it would force restaurants to pay normal wage right?
Also keep in mind that wage theft is rampant in the US, to the tune of up to $50 billion per year. I don’t know that it’s safe to assume that all of these employers are gonna do the thing they’re supposed to do.
On paper, yes. That’s how it works. Although let’s not pretend that minimum wage is actually a livable wage.
In practice, most employers have a policy that reads something like “we assume you’ve made enough in tips to hit minimum wage, if you don’t, please inform your manager.” Not only does this put the onus of enforcing the rule on employees, it also makes it easier for the restaraunt to say “you’re the only one having this problem, so you must be bad at your job” (when the reality is that no one else reports it for fear of disciplinary action).
I’m sure they do this, but it sounds illegal as fuck and the DoL should probably be made aware.
They might claim that the onus is on the employee to tell the manager, but that’s absurd. There’s no way that can actually be the case, right?
I’m surprised as well. Do restaurants not track how much tip each person makes?
In the US there are so few that prohibit tipping and pay a fair wage. I don’t think this is a reasonable solution either. Legislation is probably the best answer. Even with that it’s so incredibly engrained in American culture it would be really hard to break. It’s a total shit system though that is only becoming more and more prominent as a way for companies not to have to pay people and playing on a deep sense of guilty charity.
Unionization would probably be the best solution, but not an easy one
Well start with “places that pay a fair wage.” At least there, you can feel better about not tipping, or tipping solely based on service quality. Obviously any restaraunt will still let you tip if you want to, why would they stop you?
Yes, it’ll be hard to stick to only those places. It will limit where you can go and you’ll have to do research before going someplace new. But doesn’t any meaningful action require effort?
There are places like Sugarfish, that actually ban tipping. That’s necessary, because otherwise we still stay in that cycle.
They also are adding a 16% service charge, which is kind of like a mandatory tip, but they have a good reason for it.
The reason is that if they would put actual price on the menu they would be perceived at more expensive (people are dumb) so they impose this service fee to look competitive.
I prefer that approach. Ideally what should be done is as someone suggested is to ban tipping through a legislation.
Understandable to look competitive but I’d prefer it to be part of the actual price with the clear assumption that at a restaurant the service of bringing the thing you ordered out to you is included. I also don’t think percentages make sense. Up charge my beer 2$ or whatever such that if I order 6 of them the server essentially earns more for bringing 6 of them out. But don’t upcharge my bottle of champagne $12 for bringing it out once. There shouldn’t be such a disconnect between service / labor and cost/payment.