Tipping culture in the United States is a sign of honor and respect for the work someone does on your behalf. Typically people in positions of service are poorer working-class people. As a single mother, I’ve done many service-related jobs over my career. Many people who visit the U.S. or even the citizens of the U.S. don’t often understand the most basic culturally normal tipping practices. I believe that based on where you come from, your family culture, or even your socio-economic status will determine how you view tipping or your understanding of it.
Many jobs that require tips are restaurants whether waitstaff or takeout, grocery delivery, food delivery, bellhops, valet, golf cart attendants, or any other service that is provided to you when you could be doing it yourself. What would you tip yourself to do that job you require of someone else?
Working as a waitress and as a grocery delivery person, I can say from personal experience that the majority of people tip well however, you will have people who don’t tip or feel entitled to your service and will not value your time through proper compensation.
Most people don’t know this but it’s not required for employees to pay minimum wage for waitresses. These laws are slowly being changed but in most cases, waitresses are getting paid $3-5 per hour and after taxes are taken out there is no pay left. With grocery delivery and food delivery people they are independent contractors, which means, all of the cost of maintaining their vehicle, gas, taxes, and business cost fall on their shoulders. They get offered a minimal fee to do a job usually under $10 and they have to decide if they are able to do the job for that.
Tipping in the United States has increased over the years due to inflation. The minimum tipping practice across the board is 20% of the total bill or $5 minimum depending on which is the bigger amount. These services provided for people are considered a luxury, not an entitled service. When considering going out to eat or getting groceries delivered include a minimum of 20% of the total cost for the tip.
What happens if you aren’t consistently tipping well but you continue to go to the same restaurant or use the same services? I can tell you from experience you will not be getting the best customer service that is possible. I know of waitresses that spit in food or grocery delivery people who mark down bad tipping addresses and refuse to pick up orders at that address.
Remember what you put out into the world is what you get back. With older generations tipping wasn’t as vital to survival as it is now. The dollar’s value has decreased and the pennies that are being tipped will not do that person any good.
Traveling to foreign countries is a different thing, they don’t usually have a tipping culture depending on where you go. The United States, however, is considered a big tipping culture. If you get bad service then it’s customary to give a lower tip. When an employee does a great job and you still give them a low tip it’s quite an insult to their career and the job that they do.
At times it can be hard to remember how to tip and being busy or not paying attention to the service rendered can often time lead to not tipping well. When you are planning your budget choose to incorporate generous tipping practices. Tipping well expresses value to people who are serving you and will oftentimes help give you get better service, especially in the future if you continue to use the service or frequent that location. Keep in mind the golden rule when it comes to your tipping practices: treat others the way you would like to be treated. If you have a hard time calculating tips here’s a quick tip card to help you calculate the tip quickly.
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