History of Tipping in the USA

[Axtremus]

Short video on the of history of tipping in the USA:

Link to video

There was a time when several states banned tipping.
There was a time when workers were “charged” to work for certain venues just for the “privilege” of earning tips by performing labor to serve those venues’ patrons.
Didn’t know any of that before. :man-shrugging:

[xenon]

Tipping is such a curious, cultural thing.

I tried to tip a cab driver when I was on a trip in India. He was insulted. (I think he saw it as a young western kid trying to give a grown ass man charity)

I overtip - but hate the concept of tipping. I'd rather pay more and have an agreed upon up-front price.

[George K]

@xenon said in History of Tipping in the USA:

I overtip - but hate the concept of tipping. I'd rather pay more and have an agreed upon up-front price.

Same here.

Sadly the quality of service that one sees might be a result of what one tips.

Many people tip their sleeping car attendants on the train before the trip ends, hoping that will provide better service. Others think that, if they delay the tip until the end of the trip, it will "incentivize" the attendant.

At restaurants, I think the "incentivization" theory works well. For taxis, etc, it's probably not a consideration.

At hotels, I always tip the housekeeping staff by the day, not at the end of the stay.

'Tis a puzzlement.

[Aqua Letifer]

@george-k said in History of Tipping in the USA:

At restaurants, I think the "incentivization" theory works well. For taxis, etc, it's probably not a consideration.
At hotels, I always tip the housekeeping staff by the day, not at the end of the stay.

That's it, precisely. People like Ax like to conflate "this system doesn't work" with "I don't like this." But it really depends on the business, service, and environment. In many scenarios, tipping is better for all involved. In others it's ridiculous.

[George K]

Mrs. George and I tip $20 per night when we travel in a sleeper. I tip the attendant as we depart Chicago. Of course, beds will be turned down that night, and made the next morning. That's the job. However, "Hey, Jim, we could use some ice. Next time you pass the diner, can you bring some back for us?" always works when tipped up front. It's also a question of how "available" they are, how often they check in and ask if there's anything they can do.

We had one guy, back in 2017, who introduced himself when we left Portland. Didn't see him at all for the next 48 hours, other than when "bed detail" was being performed. He got $20 when we left, and that was it. All the other attendants got tipped $20 per night, every night.

Taxis, as I said are a captive environment. My rides in a cab are usually short. But on a $10 ride, I'll tip $5, especially these days when these guys are hurting. Ditto Uber and Lyft.

In the case of Amtrak, without a tip to "incentivize" service, it's a rush to the bottom, with service being what's required and little more.

[Doctor Phibes]

Tip sounds so much better than bribe, but if I took a 15% cut of one of our projects, apparently that's what they'd call it.

Personally, I dislike the concept enormously. It's an extremely patronising way of saying 'Hey, asshole, thanks for doing your minimum wage job without fucking up too badly!". I still tend to overtip because I don't want people to realise I'm a douche.

[Copper]

While in school, I worked at Fenway Park as a vendor for 8 years.

I can only remember 1 tip, I think the guy was drunk.

Nobody ever got tips there, then.

Now I bet that tips are a significant part of the pay.

I demand reparations.

[taiwan_girl]

I hates tips, and for me at least, I really dont think that they improve service in a restaurant.

Tips have been slowly been growing stronger in Asia, which is unfortunate.

I agree with Xenon, I would rather have the list price higher and have no service charge.

[Klaus]

@taiwan_girl said in History of Tipping in the USA:

I agree with Xenon, I would rather have the list price higher and have no service charge.

Same here. I always feel like a condescending idiot when tipping.

[Doctor Phibes]

@klaus said in History of Tipping in the USA:

@taiwan_girl said in History of Tipping in the USA:

I agree with Xenon, I would rather have the list price higher and have no service charge.

Same here. I always feel like a condescending idiot when tipping.

That's hardly going to change if you stop tipping.

[Klaus]

@doctor-phibes said in History of Tipping in the USA:

@klaus said in History of Tipping in the USA:

@taiwan_girl said in History of Tipping in the USA:

I agree with Xenon, I would rather have the list price higher and have no service charge.

Same here. I always feel like a condescending idiot when tipping.

That's hardly going to change if you stop tipping.

The only thing that could stop it would be me whupping your ass

[Doctor Phibes]

Sorry Klaus, I actually thought Jon made that comment. 'Condescending' doesn't apply to you, at least.

[Catseye3]

@copper said in History of Tipping in the USA:

I demand reparations.

Good luck with that, my friend.

[Catseye3]

I can't say I've given it as much thought as most of y'all. I used to fret about tipping in restaurants, until I got tired of fooling with it and filed it in the life's-too-short department. Now I'll arbitrarily tip 15% for service that's ordinarily competent, more if it's warranted. If the service is really bad, I'll either stiff him/her or leave an insultingly small amount, and if I'm feeling chatty I might say something to the manager.

[Horace]

@doctor-phibes said in History of Tipping in the USA:

Sorry Klaus, I actually thought Jon made that comment. 'Condescending' doesn't apply to you, at least.

Here's jon tipping his landscaper. "Hey, José, come over here for a second. Listen, José, I don't want you to feel bad about taking this, because honestly this amount of money is meaningless to someone like me. But for you, I feel like it would be life-changing. And jon-nyc is in the business of changing lives, José. Today, it is my great privilege and honor to change yours. Take this 20 dollars, José, and go buy your five kids a Happy Meal. Tell them it's from uncle jon. There's a good lad. Now run along."

[Doctor Phibes]

@horace said in History of Tipping in the USA:

@doctor-phibes said in History of Tipping in the USA:

Sorry Klaus, I actually thought Jon made that comment. 'Condescending' doesn't apply to you, at least.

Here's jon tipping his landscaper. "Hey, José, come over here for a second. Listen, José, I don't want you to feel bad about taking this, because honestly this amount of money is meaningless to someone like me. But for you, I feel like it would be life-changing. And jon-nyc is in the business of changing lives, José. Today, it is my great privilege and honor to change yours. Take this 20 dollars, José, and go buy your five kids a Happy Meal. Tell them it's from uncle jon. There's a good lad. Now run along."

I'm sure nobody has ever accused you of being condescending, Horace.

Not within earshot, at least.

(Friday is Insult-the-board day. Or mybe insult-the-bored day.)

[Jolly]

@catseye3 said in History of Tipping in the USA:

I can't say I've given it as much thought as most of y'all. I used to fret about tipping in restaurants, until I got tired of fooling with it and filed it in the life's-too-short department. Now I'll arbitrarily tip 15% for service that's ordinarily competent, more if it's warranted. If the service is really bad, I'll either stiff him/her or leave an insultingly small amount, and if I'm feeling chatty I might say something to the manager.

I've been known to leave a penny.

[Catseye3]

@jolly said in History of Tipping in the USA:

I've been known to leave a penny.

When my peeps were stationed in Germany, the Germans had a custom of complimenting the server by leaving a shiny new penny in addition to the regular tip. It was intended as a gesture of high praise. The penny had to be very clean and shiny. Don't know if they still do that.

I thought it was a charming habit.

[Horace]

@doctor-phibes said in History of Tipping in the USA:

@horace said in History of Tipping in the USA:

@doctor-phibes said in History of Tipping in the USA:

Sorry Klaus, I actually thought Jon made that comment. 'Condescending' doesn't apply to you, at least.

Here's jon tipping his landscaper. "Hey, José, come over here for a second. Listen, José, I don't want you to feel bad about taking this, because honestly this amount of money is meaningless to someone like me. But for you, I feel like it would be life-changing. And jon-nyc is in the business of changing lives, José. Today, it is my great privilege and honor to change yours. Take this 20 dollars, José, and go buy your five kids a Happy Meal. Tell them it's from uncle jon. There's a good lad. Now run along."

I'm sure nobody has ever accused you of being condescending, Horace.

That is correct. Thank you for recognizing my humility. Few people do. In fact it's one of my most-overlooked qualities. The masses have proven unable to recognize many of the things that make me superior to them, but I appreciate your perceptiveness in this regard.

[Klaus]

@doctor-phibes said in History of Tipping in the USA:

'Condescending' doesn't apply to you, at least.

If I were condescending, you wouldn't understand it anyway.