Originally Posted by
brewdog11
Although I do agree that tipping should be voluntary and based on the level of service received, I must admit that I find the attitudes of some posters toward working people in this thread obnoxiously ignorant and appalling.
Many people are dependent on tips. Here in the United States, the minimum wage for tipped employees is somewhere around $2.00 (give or take a few cents). That is not enough to buy a pot to piss in, especially if you work at a restaurant that is not very busy. On top of that, a tipped employee is responsible for paying for rent, transportation, health insurance and health-care-related expenses, childcare, etc.
Think about that. If you're so bent out of shape about tipping, why don't you lobby for higher prices so working people can be paid a living wage. That way, you'll never have to worry about grubby poor people extending their calloused hands for "handouts."
You are so wrong on so many levels, but I will name just a few:
1. People who dislike the ripoff of tipping do not have an attitude about those who work in what is normally thought of as a tipped job. You are flat out wrong, most of us care more for the employee and do not wish them to need to rely on the generosity of others for their wages. Wages are the responsibility of the employer, not the customer. Take your angst our against those employers who refuse to do the right thing and properly compensate their employees.
2. No employee will ever make less than minimum wage, as explained above.
3. Not all states allow the employer to play the tipping game with their employees by paying them $2.13 an hour and hoping the tips make up the difference. California for one mandates that all employees make the minimum wage, and the CA minimum wage is higher than the Federal minimum wage.
Instead of getting angry at those who refuse to play the game why don't you contact your government officials and pressure them to adopt California's law instead? This will do FAR MORE for these employees than whining here. And it will force the employer to pay the costs that he should be paying in the first place.