Why do some people think *gratuities* should always be paid?

Andy_L

IvanOpinion said:

On most cruise lines they are clear about the expectation of tips with that being how their staff earn money. Some more progressive cruise lines have done away with this.

UK restaurants are different though. Many years ago wait staff were asked if they would prefer a higher wage or tips and they chose the wage. There is therefore no legal or moral requirement to pay tips in a UK restaurant (except were explicitly stated e.g. large tables). Other countries though expect tips - I would suggest it is a backward tradition for control freaks.

I personally do not tip in UK restaurants  - they set their prices and that is what I pay. If I am in a hurry I may round up a few pence to the nearest pound.

When, how & by who?

Seeing as how lots of waiting jobs are NMW it doesn't seem to have been maintained

electriccactus

itsthelittlethings said:

I would be ashamed not to tip. You presumably earn a decent wage as a consultant,  why shouldn't a waiter earn a decent wage. Although having said that even including tips, wages vary wildly from restaurant to restaurant. 

Because it's not a job that is valuable enough to command a "decent" wage.

It is a low-skilled job that requires little in the way of training, is low responsibility and low-risk. If it paid the same as being a heart surgeon, why would anyone bother being a heart surgeon?

If the pay is insufficient people should refuse to do the job. In any other time in our history that would result in employers paying more to get the staff. Currently, the response appears to be to hire from abroad. Once people finally realise that mass immigration is for the benefit of employers and not them we might see a return to normality in the job market.

electriccactus

Andy_L said:

IvanOpinion said:

On most cruise lines they are clear about the expectation of tips with that being how their staff earn money. Some more progressive cruise lines have done away with this.

UK restaurants are different though. Many years ago wait staff were asked if they would prefer a higher wage or tips and they chose the wage. There is therefore no legal or moral requirement to pay tips in a UK restaurant (except were explicitly stated e.g. large tables). Other countries though expect tips - I would suggest it is a backward tradition for control freaks.

I personally do not tip in UK restaurants  - they set their prices and that is what I pay. If I am in a hurry I may round up a few pence to the nearest pound.

When, how & by who?

Seeing as how lots of waiting jobs are NMW it doesn't seem to have been maintained

I think it was because some years back employers were making staff wages up to NMW by counting tips towards this. So they paid them say £6 per hour. If NMW was £10 per hour and they got £4 in tips, voila, minimum wage achieved.

So they said they would rather have NMW be their actual salary. I suspect because they thought they'd also get the tips on top. Didn't quite work out like that.

itsthelittlethings

electriccactus said:

itsthelittlethings said:

I would be ashamed not to tip. You presumably earn a decent wage as a consultant,  why shouldn't a waiter earn a decent wage. Although having said that even including tips, wages vary wildly from restaurant to restaurant. 

Because it's not a job that is valuable enough to command a "decent" wage.

It is a low-skilled job that requires little in the way of training, is low responsibility and low-risk. If it paid the same as being a heart surgeon, why would anyone bother being a heart surgeon?

If the pay is insufficient people should refuse to do the job. In any other time in our history that would result in employers paying more to get the staff. Currently, the response appears to be to hire from abroad. Once people finally realise that mass immigration is for the benefit of employers and not them we might see a return to normality in the job market.

You could say the same about being a chef but they get paid well. Nothing to do with the fact that chefs are mostly male and the opposite is true of waiters?

Emmia

itsthelittlethings said:

electriccactus said:

itsthelittlethings said:

I would be ashamed not to tip. You presumably earn a decent wage as a consultant,  why shouldn't a waiter earn a decent wage. Although having said that even including tips, wages vary wildly from restaurant to restaurant. 

Because it's not a job that is valuable enough to command a "decent" wage.

It is a low-skilled job that requires little in the way of training, is low responsibility and low-risk. If it paid the same as being a heart surgeon, why would anyone bother being a heart surgeon?

If the pay is insufficient people should refuse to do the job. In any other time in our history that would result in employers paying more to get the staff. Currently, the response appears to be to hire from abroad. Once people finally realise that mass immigration is for the benefit of employers and not them we might see a return to normality in the job market.

You could say the same about being a chef but they get paid well. Nothing to do with the fact that chefs are mostly male and the opposite is true of waiters?

Do you mean "waiters" (who are also men) or "waitresses"(female)... "waiting staff" or "servers" which is gender neutral (and could therefore be either)

Murphybear

itsthelittlethings said:

electriccactus said:

itsthelittlethings said:

I would be ashamed not to tip. You presumably earn a decent wage as a consultant,  why shouldn't a waiter earn a decent wage. Although having said that even including tips, wages vary wildly from restaurant to restaurant. 

Because it's not a job that is valuable enough to command a "decent" wage.

It is a low-skilled job that requires little in the way of training, is low responsibility and low-risk. If it paid the same as being a heart surgeon, why would anyone bother being a heart surgeon?

If the pay is insufficient people should refuse to do the job. In any other time in our history that would result in employers paying more to get the staff. Currently, the response appears to be to hire from abroad. Once people finally realise that mass immigration is for the benefit of employers and not them we might see a return to normality in the job market.

You could say the same about being a chef but they get paid well. Nothing to do with the fact that chefs are mostly male and the opposite is true of waiters?

When we left school and were waiting to go to University,  my BFF and I got jobs as waitresses in a local Department store.  It was very hard work and if we wanted any tips we had to be polite and helpful the whole time, not always easy. This was before the minimum wage came in and a lot of employers assumed that waiters/waitresses made a fortune in tips, not always true.

One day a lovely man came in, (he looked a bit like the late Prince Philip) and just had a cup of coffee and left me a big tip and a hug.  Fathers are wonderful 

Arthurian

The tipping culture in the USA puts me off booking holidays there now.  Definitely seems mandatory there - and often 20%.

sheramber

Why do some people get upset by the fact that other people want to leave a tip?

lookbook

I always tip just like I tip the taxi driver. 

IvanOpinion

sheramber said:

Why do some people get upset by the fact that other people want to leave a tip?

I can't be sure, since I don't care one way or the other, but I would guess it might be for the same reason that some people get upset by the fact that other people do not want to leave a tip.