Why do the Americans have such a big tipping culture?

Question

sorry by big i mean why do they do it so much rahter than why do they tip so big

Answer 1

Good question and hard to answer. I mean, with waiters and waitresses, they are payed below minimum wage and they are expected to be tipped to compensate for low wages. With all the other stuff, its just like a thanks for doing a good job.

Answer 2

Anyone saying employees aren't making at least minimum wage are either voluntarily ignorant of the facts or are intentionally perpetuating a myth. The law in all 50 states requires tipped employees to make at LEAST the state minimum wage (if not the federal minimum, depending upon the type of job). The employers in SOME states are allowed to use the optional gifts from customers, known as tips, as a credit against what the employer would otherwise have to pay. So, in effect, when you tip employees in those states, you're primarily giving the owner a break on his or her operating costs. Tips are, by definition, optional. If you don't want to tip, nobody can legally force you. On the other hand, if there is a service charge, that is NOT optional and is income to the employer, not to the server. If the delivery driver is an independent contractor, they live on commissions paid by their client, the pizza shop, and thrive on tips by customers too stupid to know they have no obligation to tip. Ever.

Answer 3

I don't think we have such a big tipping culture. In fact I think that a lot of people I know don't tip enough. We are a culture of people who don't want to do anything for ourselves and we expect to have people do everything for us. Carry a bag at an airport, noway.
Anyway, in restaurants here we are left to our own devices to chose how much to tip. In Europe the restaurants add the tip, which makes it much easier, at least waitstaff can't be stiffed, although I've been to some restaurants where they probably should be.
I think that it is the right thing that at restaurants when you go out to eat with parties over usually 8 or so, they add the tip to the bill.
Anyway, usually we tip the people who make minimum wage who do the things for us that we don't want to do. Their jobs are based on making tips, waitresses, taxi drivers, hair stylists,etc. Without tips they wouldn't make enough money to live.

Answer 4

because the yank government suck, they keep all the other yanks poor, stupid and fed on bullshit. whether the "big tipping culture" equates to a sizable tip or many tips over the course of a shift or the fact that every service industry employee has their hand out doesn't really matter, what matters is that there are so many people who actually need those tips to survive, to make ends meet, feed the kids, blah blah blah. Bottom line is we are all little parts of a giant machine and the poor bastards who are more than not the building blocks of this machine are kept at the bottom, to work, to slave, and to be fed the scraps of the employer. plus one other thing, yanks always think they are owed, whether on the world stage or on the street corner. i honestly believe that some americans think that the USA created the world, just another self-centred egotistical fanatical mixed breed. So in short i believe this could be why yanks are so desperate and forceful when it comes to tips.. GOD BLESS AMERICA hehe...

Answer 5

It is expected because a) the service is usually quite good compared to here in Australia where wait staff make upwards of $12 an hour and b) because the average wait staff salary in North America is around the $6-7 mark...good service is rewarded with a tip.

Answer 6

I assume you have never waited tables. :) I was a waitress for two years, so I beg to differ. I got good tips, but not every one of them were great. It all depends on what restaurant you're in, what town you're in and really just how much money people have to spend. Then again, some people have the money to pay for the food and leave a good tip, but they are snobs and don't. I personally don't have a set rate I tip. If they provide good service and are polite, they get a good tip; if my food gets sent back, I don't always blame them. I've been there. Cooks mess up sometimes. I have gotten my meal for free several times for bad service.

Answer 7

If American hospitality employers actually appreciated their staff and paid them decent income, us consumers would not have to foot the bill on top of the product price out of sympathy. Yes, sympathy not courtesy.

The courtesy is paying for the product to keep the staff in a job. That should be all that is required from the consumer.

Sympathy is going beyond that because you feel sorry that they earn barely enough to live on. That is what tipping is.

Really, tipping is just way for the cheapskate employers to get out of paying their employees a decent wage. That's why it's only a strong culture in America and no where else. They treat their employees like expendable trash.

Answer 8

Its like "fuel levies" and "security surcharges" on airline tickets, just a hidden cost that the employer effectively adds on.

I only tip if I get better than basic service and if the service is crap I deduct from the bill as appropriate.

Answer 9

Waiters don't get paid a lot, because they're expected to make up the difference in tips.

Pizza delivery people don't get paid all that well either, and because of higher gas prices, tipping REALLY helps them out.

Other people for tipping... Well, they're doing you a service that they don't have to do or get paid to do. Soo, really, it's good to tip them too.

Really, what it comes down to is that people in these tipping positions don't get a lot of money and from their employers, so the tippee's make up the difference.

Answer 10

Now this is just my opinion & I don't know if its true!
but I suppose it started off because some people were very kind by saying keep the change etc
& just like most things it was taken advantage of & then it became law in restaurants & low paying jobs

Answer 11

I tip 5.00 for a pizza because the poor bastard has to drive 10 miles to get here.

I tip the waitress 20% because they brought my food out fast and kept my glass full.If its terrible service I may only tip 5% and I tell them why.

I'm not sure what other countries tip, but thats what I do. I'm also in a large city too.