Americans Are Getting Real About Tipping Culture In The US & People Are So Uncomfortable
Even European's are weighing in. 💸
Tipping culture in the U.S. is vastly different from other countries, and Americans are sounding off on TikTok about what they think is acceptable and what isn't...and the conversation is costing a massive divide.
So much so, even Europeans who visit the States have come to the forefront to discuss the differences.
The main topic in question is the wages servers get paid. In the U.S., waiters and waitresses get low wages in expectancy for tips to make up for the gap.
On one hand, the argument is that it's the company's fault for underpaying its servers down to $2-4 an hour. They feel it's not their responsibility to do what the corporations should be doing.
A European creator said many people who visit the U.S. are unaware that there are such low salaries, however, he still believes adding gratuity is optional.
"They probably thought that you was getting paid, $7-8-9/hour. Even though, you're right. You do get paid $2/hour, which, again, is not fair for you," he said. "But that's not their problem. That's the U.S. government's problem."
@delightfulturk #stitch with @GRA🌊IE #waiter #serverlife #waiterslife #ukvsus #tippingservers #tippingculture #waiters #serverproblems
Other Americans are saying the system has changed where people don't even do anything that requires someone to tip.
A man in Birmingham, Alabama said on October 10 that he went to Shake Shack and didn't understand why he was getting asked to tip on the iPad screen when he just walked in and picked up his food.
He said the staff barely did anything and said "tipping culture is getting out of hand."
@charliedesi #tippingculture is #outofcontrol #fairwages are the company problem not mine. #payyourpeople
Then, there's the flip side of the argument. Many creators refuted these people and said that those who don't tip aren't "sticking it to the man," they are really just hurting the employee that wants to put food on their family's plate.
Tipping is what people are calling a "social contract" in the U.S. In other words, it's an unspoken agreement. They say that if you can't afford to tip then don't go out to eat.
@jordxn.simone not tipping isn’t gonna fox the economy Jan! #tipping #tip #restaurant #serviceindustry
Another creator said it's not only the staff member you're hurting, it's your own menu item prices. She explains that wages for servers are low, so restaurants can afford to buy food in bulk, so in turn, your meal doesn't cost "$22 for a burger".
TikToker @theonlyfalon explains that her job has been forced to add an automatic gratuity for this reason.
@theonlyfalon #greenscreenvideo #bartendersoftiktok #barlife #barstories #servers #tippingculture #tipping
Tipping in many establishments is optional, but some even have an auto-gratuity section, and you can even add an additional tip optionally.
One thing most of the accounts seemed to agree on is server treatment. If you weren't properly treated, it is okay to scale your extra bucks accordingly.
After all, TIPS stands for: To Insure Prompt Service.