Excerpt from the article:
Schenker says that after his years in the service industry, he has watched tipping evolve into a major part of his pay.
“If there is some means of tipping that’s available to you, that should signal to you that workers there aren’t being paid enough,” says Schenker. “Tipping is sort of an acknowledgment of that fact.”
To Schenker, customers who don’t tip are not understanding that businesses treat tips as a baked-in part of workers’ wages.
“They subsidize lower prices by paying employees less,” he says. “If you aren’t tipping, you are taking advantage of that labor.”
He was so close… Especially for someone who says himself does not make much money.
True but other than sit down restaurants where do you tip after the service is rendered? I agree that it is just an added fee and we are just subsidizing capitalists.
I don’t know how to fix it though. Not tipping does nothing but hurt the workers.
At some point the responsibility falls on the workers to unionize. I’m aware that is painful. It is also the only true answer because if we wait on the corporate overlords to benevolently raise wages to an acceptable living standard and disband tipping, we’ll be waiting forever.
Honestly - I can’t see any way but this.
If those jobs no longer pay enough to survive, nobody will take them on, and the capitalist will have to adapt or die.
This is something the government should be protecting workers against, but people are so scared to even unionise, it’s tragic.
Barbers, taxis and full service restaurants. Aka the only places you tipped 10 years ago.
Hair salons, nail salons, valet, dog grooming, any sort of contract work around your house like lawnmowing, bars…
Oof really good examples.
Nobody tips lawn mowers and contractors!
When I was well off I’d try to tip everyone who did even a half-decent job. Gas station attendants, grocery store workers, doesn’t matter…unless they refused as part of their work rules (some are like that) I would try to tip them.
A business which can’t afford to pay their workers a livable wage doesn’t deserve to exist. If people stopped paying tips then that work no longer provides a livable wage and it becomes difficult for employers to find employees.
In the end they may even decide to pay their employees a livable wage. Some businesses have already done so.