I hate

I used to deliver pizzas in my car in Surrey. Nice plush houses never tipped, the council estates always did.

I wasn't in it for the money. I just wanted to bomb about in my multicoloured Fiat Uno listening to happy hardcore.

I used to hate giving the wrong change and being down when it came to the end of the night

We get our cleaner birthday presents and Christmas ones as thank you. Usually fairly large items (often from a list or ideas as she cleans for friends too) We got her a coat for her birthday.

is there something that categorises it differently to you?

My logic at the time (I don't live in the UK anymore) was as @frankenbike said: I've spent £30 on a curry, a £1 coin makes no difference.
To be honest I never really thought about comparing the conditions of other delivery drivers, but yes, there's a difference, in the sense that my ebay purchases would be delivered at work, along with a lot of other parcels, whereas with food the rider comes to the second floor to my front door. It feels more personal somehow.
A few years ago I was for a while on a zero hour contract, where tips would have been welcome...

I don’t use deliveroo, but tbh round here (Wimbledon) they’re a pain in the arse, riding scooters like tossers doing stupid overtakes or they’re wanging around on chipped e bikes, again riding like wankers

I get how the personal element can effect it.

I’ve worked a variety of crap paid jobs. Once at a bar where the people had more money than sense and I didn’t like getting tipped or harassed into taking part in games etc. Something I’d imagine women are more subjected to in certain environments and find even more uncomfortable.

Shall we all agree we fucking hate the gig economy?

Can we add restaurant owners?
Particularly chains owned by funds.

when I worked at B&Q one weekend I sold a £100 shed and a £22000 shed, the guy that bought the £100 shed gave me a £20 tip, guys that were buying the £22000 shed thought they were well above it.

My favourite trick at homebase was to always always offer a hand to the car with a trolley. Managers loved it, and when you took the trolley back and did a half-jog back to the customer's car waving the quid they'd invariably let me keep ot

It would just never occur to me to tip in a shop.

My Grandfather and Grandmother in law were visiting from Canada last year.
For lunch they visited a cheap and nasty chicken shop and ate in. They apparently got in to a bit of a weird passive aggressive cycle when trying to tip as the worker refused to take it. All this despite it being the worst meal they’d ever eaten.
https://www.newsshopper.co.uk/news/15653372.lions-fried-chicken-gets-zero-stars-food-hygiene-rating/

Working a a driver delivering furniture and appliances the customers knew exactly what our job entailed. The ones who had his n hers silver Merc's on the drive expected more, would get shitty if you didn't provide, and never tipped.

It's a weird one tbh that has changed over time.

My folks and grandparents would always tip; waiters, taxis, porters, toilet attendents*, hairdresser/barbers 10-15%.

Now a black cab costs a fortune, so tipping seems insane - although maybe that's the price. Likewise with a hairdresser.

When we lived in NYC I hated the tipping culture. $1 per beer for just flipping the cap off? $100 on a $400 restaurant bill for bringing food to a table, memorising some facts, and learning to perfect a fake smile but retaining an air of condersension underneath? All when minimum wage is $8-something, and there is free state health insurance for low income workers?

Just because you're attractive and presentable, whereas cleaners and checkout cashiers get fuck all.

Seems like BS to me. But then Americans are much more generous and seem to basically view it as a semi-volentary social security payment.

*Smart restaurants rather than Tiger Tiger.

This article seems relevant:

https://www.wired.com/story/why-are-rich-people-so-mean/

minimum wage is $8-something

Say, whadya tryna pull there, Mr Rockefeller!

Sorry it's $13.50.

My point was more that even with tip pooling they'll never get less than other low paid workers, a lot more than elsewhere, but yet they have the opportunity to make what? $2k a shift?(4hr shift, 20 covers @$400 = $2,000)

Maybe it's cause I never worked front of house at a restaurant that I don't appreciate it. But for what is effectively a part time job, the social pressure to provide those people a good income over every other low-semi-skilled worker seems ludicrous.

The bars were the only component I bought new as I just couldn't find any secondhand in 38cm but they're cheap, stiff and are aesth.

aesth

On a recent trip to Baltimore I was still in UK mode, paid my taxi to the hotel and clicked through the tip options as I would at home (no tip) and when the driver realised, actively called me out on it and made me out to be a bad guy.

I think, when it's basically compulsory, the thing is a farce, and it should just be shoved together opaquely into the rest of whatever you're paying for.

A mate of mine went to Miami on a business trip, tipped his taxi driver up to a round number ($30 on a $28 fare, say) and got chased into the lobby with him demanding more money.

Hourly rates are here

https://www.completepayroll.com/nys-minimum-wage-and-overtime-salary-thresholds

Also - most people take bartending jobs as the tips far outstrip the hourly pay. It used to be that hourly rates for bar/waitress staff was $2.80/hr + tips (below the $5.50 standard hourly rate). That was a long time ago (90s) but you get the general gist about the importance of tips. At $15/hour for a 40-50 hour week that's only $600-750/week before taxes. Think of NYC rents and then you get an idea of the importance of tips. Also at good places - your tips are pooled and shared amongst the entire staff - front of house and kitchen. So no waiter is taking $2k home per shift in tips. For your $400 meal - 2/3 of that is simply the ingredients and the rest is for overheads.

The economics of restaurants are fascinating and it boggles my mind how people make any sort of money from it.

I'd agree with how annoying tipping in the US is and a lot of places do take the piss.

I know people who I work with who, whilst eating out in the US, were clearly deemed to have not tipped enough and when preparing expenses back in the UK found that the amount of tip processed on their card was different to the amount they'd put on the bill.

I've been followed out of restaurants when I've forgotten to put a tip on. I've been to places where the recommended tip amount on the receipt starts at 25% and goes up to 40%.

Tipping isn't even indicative of good service in the US, a tip is expected even if they're shit. A system where people just do the job well for their salary is far more preferable than one where arbitrary business areas get tipped and others don't.

On the taxis... when my OH first moved to NYC - so max no. of suitcases with max weight allowance - the driver didn't help put any bags in the car, had a go a her for not giving the address in the "correct" format - i.e. A St. and Y, went a longer route, and at the other end notionally helped remove the last suitcase then got abusive when she asked for a receipt. She didn't tip, equally we only took one other taxi again.

@Aroogah - I don't disagree with income vs cost of living. I just don't agree with the economically disproportionately privileged position attractive people in those jobs have over others, that then gets rolled into some sort of meritocracy argument (they earn more the better job they do) and social welfare argument (they don't earn enough).

As for

no waiter is taking $2k home per shift in tips.

maybe, maybe not. A busier restaurant you could potentially do 30 covers and I've only assumed 25% x $100 p/head. Which in a lot of places is a low estimate imo.

Absolutely agreed. Unfortunately it's at the point in the US that some businesses can legally pay waiting staff below normal minimum wage, as long as tips they receive push them over - otherwise they have to make up the difference though. Meaning there is a big incentive for the business to aggressively push tipping, as you are not just improving some waiter's wages, you are very directly replacing the business' obligation to do so.

Not just attractiveness but other characteristics. There were attempts possibly on going to ban tipping in NY on the basis of discriminative practice.