Posted 28 December 2023

Tipping in USA out of control?

Anyone been recently and can confirm? I keep reading after COVID it's become out of control with shops swiveling a tablet toward you asking for a 20% for making a coffee or even collecting your towed away car! It's putting me off going to be honest.
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  1. DJSlime's avatar
    In Japan they chase you down the street to give you the tip back.
  2. nopartylikeansclubparty's avatar
    Getting like this in London too , went to the bar for a pint of overpriced beer and the server did the same with the tablet....it's very weird
    TheManFromAnotherPlace's avatar
    Author
    Really? Where was that? That's not good
  3. Laurel-Hardy's avatar
    It is sadly a fact of life over there now. They have out of control inflation and high cost of living. Though wages may have increased, people have less to spend in real terms. The government thinks it wise to print more money by borrowing from itself, which is never a good idea. So, it’s understandable that businesses try to get more money from the pockets of their customers. I’m not condoning the method, but that’s the condition created by the crazies over there. (edited)
    Justintime12's avatar
    Usa inflation rate is 3.14% :/
  4. EndlessWaves's avatar
    Tips have long been considered an essential part of a worker's wage in the US. Their minimum wage laws even allow tips to be used to make up a below minimum wage salary to the minimum wage.
    usa.gov/min…age
    aLV426's avatar
    Yeah, I find that fact abhorrent. In a lot of European countries they don't expect tips and in Australia they find tipping offensive (well not quite, no one is going to ask for a tip although I don't think anyone is going to refuse one either!)
  5. FIFER03's avatar
    Cosmo restaurant in Glasgow added on a service charge without asking me first I wouldn't have minded so much but I put money in the tip jar before I noticed the charge on my receipt
  6. Admast79's avatar
    Tipping is a joke.
    Tipping is for the service that you got, not for everything. I have been in the US a few months ago and they even ask for tip when you are collecting take away pizza or as you say buying a coffee.

    Every time we were selecting "0" or "no tip" with a smile. Even locals find it outrageous.
    sAmeri's avatar
    Service charge here is just as bad. I've been lied to by restaurants stating they removed the service charge, then when I go home and calculate the bill they've lied and charged me a good £10 more than they should have. It makes even less sense considering cost of living.
  7. joyf4536's avatar
    The last tip hubby gave anyone fell at the second fence.
  8. Lil6ix's avatar
    If they ask for a tip just say, "never eat yellow snow" (edited)
  9. Azwipe's avatar
    We have been going to Orlando at least once a year for the past decade and haven't really noticed much change (last trips August and December). If you come across anything like a fast food place asking for tips you just decline it.
    TheManFromAnotherPlace's avatar
    Author
    Orlando every year for 10 years? Isn't that boring?
  10. bozo007's avatar
    In April, I saw service charge, tip and health insurance charge as separate line items at a restaurant in Atlanta. Only the tip line had to be filled in.

    So I would say Yes, it is out of control in some cases. I blame the businesses for trying to hide the real price of the product / service (and refusing to pay a realistic wage) because it is the same with airline fees, resort / amenities charges from hotels, etc. (edited)
    aLV426's avatar
    Some resturants even resort to putting items on the menu - such as "buy a round of drink for our kitchen staff"
  11. Xippi's avatar
    Also common in Canada right across the board in hospitality. Minimum tip now seems to be 15% with 20% the norm. Both my kids have earned a bit of extra cash working in service at some point in their lives so I tend to be a soft touch. I always check for the added service charge and, if present, discretely check with waitstaff to see if they'd prefer me to have it deleted from the bill and to pay them the money directly.
  12. Willy_Wonka's avatar
    Tipping has always been the case in the USA. The culture is completely different over there.

    I doubt there is much difference since the last time I went 25 years ago.
    TheManFromAnotherPlace's avatar
    Author
    It's supposed to be a lot worse now. There are news articles on it all time now
  13. RoosterNo1's avatar
    I'm fully with Mr Pink here...
    Willy_Wonka's avatar
    Great film
  14. Gollywood's avatar
    And our tourists then go abroad to places where there isn't a tipping culture and corrupt them!! (edited)
  15. beanfungus's avatar
    I use a petrol station ( Jet )on the Northbound A12 near Ipswich at least once a week, and every time I go to pay I have to press NO on the card reader as it is primed to charge you 0.25% of what you put in( says it’s for charity). :/
  16. harrythefish's avatar
    In this part of Spain VAT when going out is 7%. Taxis seem cheap. We go out a lot and tip 10%-15% as it feels affordable here. We don't go out in the UK!
    Zardoz's avatar
    IVA?
    No reason we couldn’t do the same. 
    oh, wait, we did for a little while. So called Eat Out to Help Out during covid. 

    10% VAT in a restaurant for food and non-Alcoholic drinks would seem reasonable. 
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