Hey Folks!
I’ve been living abroad for over half my life in a country where tipping is not the norm. At most you would round up. 19€ bill? Here’s a 20, keep this change.
Going to the US soon to visit family and the whole idea of tipping makes me nervous. It seems there’s a lot of discussion about getting rid of tipping, but I don’t know how much has changed in this regard.
The system seems ridiculously unfair, and that extra expense in a country where everything is already so expensive really makes a difference.
So will AITA if I don’t tip? Is it really my personal responsibility to make sure my server is paid enough?
It’s optional, but you have to admit if you don’t tip, it sends a clear “I didn’t enjoy my service/meal” message. Lots of things are optional, but you make it sound like it “doesn’t matter”. Its also optional to ignore someone when they say “how are you today”, but that doesn’t make it not rude.
15% is a good compromise. Not tipping at all shouldn’t really be considered an option from a cultural standpoint if the service was of good quality.
I’m definitely with you on putting a limit to it. fuck the 20+% tipflation. CoL already is reflected in the meal price going up, and a percentage of that will naturally yield a higher value cuz that’s how percentages work. No reason to raise the percentage itself.
I don’t disagree but tipping has become so egregious in the U.S. that I think it is important that we understand that it’s optional.