Here's why more travelers are joining the 'do not tip' movement

[Floyd R. Turbo]

Tipping has reached a tipping point. Many travelers say they're tired of shelling out gratuities to everyone they meet – hotel concierges, luggage porters, tour guides and, of course, restaurant servers. 

Enough is enough. They do not tip anymore.

The changes are happening slowly. Travelers say the ever-present tip jars and outstretched hands leave them confused and frustrated. Gradually, consumers are easing up on gratuities – and businesses are moving away from compensating staff with tips.

Never-tippers might be thought of as rude, but one thing is clear: They are the future. Tipping may be on the way out.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/advice/2020/02/14/tipping-while-traveling-why-gratuities-may-going-out-style/4748441002/

[no_hypocrisy]

1. Reminder that when tipping is reduced or eliminated as a voluntary gratuity,

it somehow is added on the bill as a mandatory stipend.

[wcast]

5. I read an article a few years ago about how tipping hurts businesses like restaurants.

When you tip a waitress or waiter, they are working for you. This drives up the cost of business. I would rather pay an increased cost in order for a server to make a living wage.

[pwb]

2. No tip? Eat spit next visit.

[jberryhill]

9. It would be funny if they caught something and died

[abqtommy]

3. I used to travel for business and tipped anyone for service provided. Of course I could claim

any tip amount on my expense reports and I'd be reimbursed. So let's not be cheap, people. We can't take it with us!

[msongs]

4. good trend. above and beyond maybe a tip, doing you job at a minimal level, not.

but first put all tipped employees on the same pay basis of at least minimum wage

[Squinch]

6. Traveled to Norway last summer. Tipping is rare and not expected there. It was weird, but nice.

[CTyankee]

23. I never tip in European restaurants. It is not expected as servers have very good pay. And of course

health care! However, I always left a tip for the maid at the end of my stay. I think that was expected and I never minded doing it. The hotels were just wonderful.

[SWBTATTReg]

7. Don't neccesarily blame those that seek the tips...their business owners are making them work...

for the tips, and thus, get by with an even less minimum wage hourly rate for these 'tipped' workers. The tipped workers in hand then have to pay a certain percentage of their earned tips to the dishwashers, the cooks, the host(s), the garage parking attendants, everybody else, which is grossly unfair, since the business owners need the different workers and thus should pay them a better wage other than a portion of someone else's earned tips.

As to the tipped workers (my other half was one), they are so glad to get out of being compensated by 'tips', meaning that oftentimes, No tips, or a very minimum tip. A regular tip (15% is standard) is rarely heard of. In what other business does buyers of goods get to compensate the workers instead of the business itself.

My other half is so sick of the tightwads who do either not tip or tip at a bare minimum (and they know tipping is accepted). This behavior wasn't explained by 'bad service' either. It's just that they are being inconsiderate of others who work for this tips, and depend upon the tips. A lot of people seem to not realize that when they tip, they do get perhaps a better quality of service, then those who do not. Everyone knows this. Because I'm very familiar with how most people in the real world tip (due to my other half's experiences), I always tip good (two occasions I did not, service was that bad). When you tip, you get great service, you get service w/o having to tell them what you want (they already know), they'll walk the drinks out to you instead of you having to go to the bar, they'll ask if you need anything, etc., in short, great tips equals great service. You have to pay for what you get. Not the other way around as some people seem to think. The restaurant business will not stay in business long (in San Francisco alone, over 400 of them closed) if they can't retain good workers at decent pay, and if you are paying minimum wage to these workers still (no tips), then you might as well kiss those businesses bye bye.

One business that I heard of, and I don't recall exactly where it was (I am thinking West Coast), implemented a 401K plan that involved the workers, owners, and the business all together, so all made a share of the business profits. This seems like the way to go, as all do have a vested stake in the business (kind of like a co op).

At least businesses, if tips + minimum wage earned didn't equal the standard minimum wage rate (which happens a lot), they had to cough up the additional money so the tipped workers would at least get paid a standard minimum wage rate. Notice I mentioned minimum wage. Try making a living on getting paid w/ a minimum wage.

[lunasun]

8. Why do they bother to come out of the house.?

On a visit to Las Vegas, his sit-down restaurant slipped a laminated card in his menu soliciting a 15% to 20% tip. The notification, left for the benefit of international travelers such as Brennan, infuriated him
Why don't we tip the cashier at Costco while we're at it? Or the bank teller? Or the American Eagle sales associate?" says Brennan, who runs a technology company in the U.K.

Hey until they get paid better that’s how it works for those servers here at the sit down restaurant and don’t use some better future arrangement not in place as an excuse to just be cheap or they don’t do that where I come from who cares you are not there right now boob

And it claims tipping your hotel housekeeper is a “gray area” do people on du not tip in hotels and sit down restaurants . I always do unless extreme bad service which I have had in both but rare

This below is hilarious and if someone doesn’t get the joke and it pisses them off or guilts then oh well that’s funny too

Even when a credit card slip or tip jar doesn't overtly demand a gratuity, you might have to deal with signs guilting you into leaving money. My least favorite is a picture of Jesus captioned, "I saw that tip you left."

[Midnight Writer]

10. I grew up in a poor family in a poor neighborhood. Those tips mean a lot to struggling people.

I had lots of family and friends working in restaurants and motels. It is heartbreaking to see them work a shift that nets few tips. And it is gratifying to see them come home after a good tip day, smiling and cheerful.

[Cartoonist]

11. I got a hundred dollar tip once

That customer got the gold treatment thereafter.

[frazzled]

12. Perhaps the reason is ...

that more people are just cheap? I'd be happy for a mandatory gratuity, but until that becomes the standard, I will always tip the server or cab driver or hotel maid.

I have to order groceries online to be delivered to my elderly mother in another city. There is a 5% tip added on to the bill, but I always change it upward. Jeez, these shoppers/drivers I doubt are earning very much, and when they do you the service of schlepping heavy canned goods or bottled water to your dear old mom, don't you think they deserve a bit extra for doing a good job?

Tipping, for me, is a way of saying thank you for doing something for me. It's a gratuity because you're supposed to feel grateful. Rarely you don't. When traveling, for example, and I only have a roll-aboard suitcase, I just tell the porter no thank you and take my own bag. But I wouldn't let him take it and then not tip!

[musette_sf]

13. When I travel domestically, I always carry enough five- and one- dollar bills

to properly tip out housekeeping, bellhops, valet parking, concierges, waitstaff, taxi driver, and any other service worker that delivers acceptable to excellent service.

It's the right thing to do.

signed
former service worker

[SCantiGOP]

20. thumbs up, musette

(assuming of course that one can afford it)

[sinkingfeeling]

14. In many countries tipping is not expected. In some there is an automatic

service tax on your bill. In America, I have started reducing the percentage of my tips in restaurants that have those stupid pay machines on the tables.
Just try to get a check in one when you wish to use cash.

[lunatica]

15. As an erstwhile waitress during one of the hardest times of my life

I can say that non tippers are cheap and nasty people who should only frequent buffets. Want water? Serve yourself. Want bread, a drink, some wine, your steak cooked to your liking, your table cleared and dessert and coffee served? Want to be able to call your waitress over to get you another drink. Then leave a tip.

[csziggy]

16. I'm used to tipping when in my home area

Since I usually pay by credit card, I like to add it onto the charge in the space provided so I don't have to carry much cash. When I was in the UK I was a little puzzled by not being given the opportunity to do so. I know that servers in the UK tend to get paid more than those in the US, but I like giving extra for good service.

Then one day when paying the server forgot to pass by the screen on her tablet for tipping . I think many of the servers just automatically do that since they don't expect tips - I asked and the server was embarrassed and apologized for leaving that screen up. After that I tried to carry more cash to leave for the servers when the service was very good.

I would prefer that all servers get paid a living wage but until then I tip and unless the service is very bad, I tip generously.

On shipboard (we took cruises to and from the UK), we left cash tips as well as the gratuity that the cruise line added on for our cabin stewards. They provided great service and made the cruise more pleasant. On the way back, not only did we tip all the UK cash we had left, we left the Tesco cell phone - it is no good to us here in the US and it had only a few minutes left. The ship uses Tesco cell phones over WiFi so the steward could use it onboard and could buy time when the ship went back to the UK.

[Laffy Kat]

17. Service workers are not paid a livable wage.

Until they are, we need to tip. End of story.

[smirkymonkey]

18. +1000

[dalton99a]

19. FWIW Tipping is considered rude in some Asian countries

Tipping is neither expected nor accepted when you're in a hotel/taxi/restaurant in China, Japan, Korea, Singapore, etc.

[SCantiGOP]

21. In rural areas of China and Japan

tipping is actually considered an insult. A Chinese business associate told me that it would be the equivalent of someone walking up to you on the street and handing you a dollar, assuming that you were desperately poor.

In the areas where most tourists visit, however, they have gotten quite used to the practice and don't feel upset at all.

[bucolic_frolic]

22. Your baggage went to Houston and you're in Buffalo

Don't say you weren't warned.