As the South Side 'yuppifies' what's a 'bro' to do?

[Aqua Teen Carl]

Originally Posted by that412

Sorry, that was meant to be the "universal you." Definitely wasn't intending to single out you, personally, as a bad tipper or anything, since obviously I don't know you. I just happened to quote you because you were the one complaining about the "tipping culture" here.

I guess I just have a semantic issue with it being described as "tipping culture," as if it's just a habit or custom that arises because people are doing something for fun, as in, "drinking culture," "pop culture," etc. Just makes it sound like you're placing more blame on the tippers themselves for propagating this aspect of American life.

I don't think anyone here is justifying anything but their own personal actions. Most people have a huge problem with the way service employees are treated in this country. Until they are paid a living wage outright, though, I'm going to happily continue tipping generously.

Don't sweat it.

The reason I use the term "tipping culture" is because this behavior/social acceptability/employer setup is really a cultural part of being an American. It's not that I'm pointing the finger anyone directly, but rather taking a step back to question why this culture exists and why it continues to exist without questioning. In my view it's just backwards and completely unneeded (unless again, you are directly benefiting from it in a selfish manner).

Everyone deserves respect and everyone deserves to be treated like a human being. But with the tipping culture in the way, sometimes those basic concepts get muddled.

[BarqCider]

I usually aim between 20-25% tip and not much more, even for crap service. at times bartenders amaze me mostly because once you establish yourself at a certain location, they almost feel that they deserve more from a regular than say, someone who walks in once, tips 50% and never returns. this applies to all restaurants, not just in this city and I wonder why. clearly most of them don't understand basic business 101 here.

[_Buster]

Originally Posted by Aqua Teen Carl

Don't sweat it.

The reason I use the term "tipping culture" is because this behavior/social acceptability/employer setup is really a cultural part of being an American. It's not that I'm pointing the finger anyone directly, but rather taking a step back to question why this culture exists and why it continues to exist without questioning. In my view it's just backwards and completely unneeded (unless again, you are directly benefiting from it in a selfish manner).

Everyone deserves respect and everyone deserves to be treated like a human being. But with the tipping culture in the way, sometimes those basic concepts get muddled.

Well, everyone does not automatically deserve respect. Actual respect has to be earned - otherwise it is meaningless. I would say that civility is deserved by anyone who is acting in a civil manner themselves. Tipping is very useful, it provides for overall better service when done correctly. It also provides a reward for those who excel at their job. Just like a bonus for white collar workers, I never hear people complain about the "bonus culture" in corporate settings.

If everyone just tips everyone the same regardless of service quality, then yes it's pretty useless except as a tax dodge.

[that412]

Originally Posted by _Buster

Tipping is very useful, it provides for overall better service when done correctly. If everyone just tips everyone the same regardless of service quality, then yes it's pretty useless except as a tax dodge.

Tipping is pretty useful to the many people who would not be able to afford to live adequately without it.

[Aqua Teen Carl]

Originally Posted by _Buster

Well, everyone does not automatically deserve respect. Actual respect has to be earned - otherwise it is meaningless. I would say that civility is deserved by anyone who is acting in a civil manner themselves. Tipping is very useful, it provides for overall better service when done correctly. It also provides a reward for those who excel at their job. Just like a bonus for white collar workers, I never hear people complain about the "bonus culture" in corporate settings.

Basic human respect is pretty easy to give if the person is being cool with you. In my opinion, the "respect has to be earned" mantra is a meaningless statement when you're interacting with a person for an extremely limited amount of time. As I mentioned before, Japan and other places do not have a tipping culture and their service far surpasses the United States.

I think the reason you don't hear about bonuses is because they're mostly a relic of the past.

[that412]

Originally Posted by Aqua Teen Carl

As I mentioned before, Japan and other places do not have a tipping culture and their service far surpasses the United States.

I do wonder if that's more simply a factor of the prevailing customs and mores of Japan, i.e. their emphasis on politeness and respect, as opposed to whether people tip or not. I've traveled pretty extensively throughout Europe, where you're not expected to tip much, if anything at all, and I can't say I've noticed a discernible difference in the quality of service compared to here. I'd say it was largely the same as it is here in that most people in the service sector put in the effort, but there are always those individuals that don't.

[_Buster]

Originally Posted by Aqua Teen Carl

Basic human respect is pretty easy to give if the person is being cool with you. In my opinion, the "respect has to be earned" mantra is a meaningless statement when you're interacting with a person for an extremely limited amount of time. As I mentioned before, Japan and other places do not have a tipping culture and their service far surpasses the United States.

I think the reason you don't hear about bonuses is because they're mostly a relic of the past.

If someone is not offending you, then yes a basic amount of "human" respect is deserved ( I just call that civility). But there are more than a few people who don't deserve it, even if you choose to act with respect just to be polite. Japan and a lot of asian countries have a different class culture than here - it would not work the same in the west. I have to say, westerners tend to be lazier as well, so they need the extra incentive.

Corporate bonusing is still very common here.