I don’t mean to berate the original poster, but Andrew Cain has a point; it’s these kinds of topics that the people at RevLeft laugh about, the ones where we try to strike blows against an ideology using purely ancedotal evidence.
I have free market friends who sometimes don’t tip. Does this mean that charity will collapse under a system of anarcho-capitalism and we need a welfare state, or does it just mean that my friend is sometimes forgetful?
If you read the post the case I presented was just an example to make things clearer. If you want more I’ll be happy to oblige though it would be pretty tedious since the matrix is always the same.
Also note: I am the only member of my family who isn’t involved in the food/drink business. I helped out my brother a bit in my spare time when he was starting his first establishment but that’s not for me. Listening to him it’s clear that, apart from my semi-humorous reference, tipping is a cultural thing.
This reminds me of a facebook status update a local news anchor posted. Someone was rude to her in traffic and she thought it was funny that he turned into a church parking lot. Going on no other evidence, everyone commented about how rude Christians can be.
I spent over a decade in the industry, as a waiter, bartender and manager, in small towns and NYC. Pooling tips is exteremly common among bartenders, which makes sense. In a busy bar, with 4 or 5 bartenders working, customers are rarely getting served by the same bartender each round. On the other hand, as common as pooling is behind the bar, it’s about as rare for waitstaff to pool their tips, unless you count “tipping out” as pooling. That is, waistaff gives a portion of their tips to bussers, runners, and the bar staff. Kitchen staff almost never receive tips. Only in rare instances are all of the tips pooled and evenly distributed, and then it is generally only among waitstaff, and only in either very high-end establishments or in over-the counter-places like Starbucks and Dunkin Donuts.
“If you read the post the case I presented was just an example to make things clearer. If you want more I’ll be happy to oblige though it would be pretty tedious since the matrix is always the same.”
But you seem to be associating the absence or dislike of tipping to socialist viewpoints. How does the example of not tipping show someone’s socialist beliefs?
“I am the only member of my family who isn’t involved in the food/drink business. I helped out my brother a bit in my spare time when he was starting his first establishment but that’s not for me. Listening to him it’s clear that, apart from my semi-humorous reference, tipping is a cultural thing.”
Well who’s culture? Is it really based on culture or on the sentiment of rewarding a satisfactory effort? Is the latter a cultural phenomena and if it is then again who’s culture?
Rcder,
I have free market friends who sometimes don’t tip. Does this mean that charity will collapse under a system of anarcho-capitalism and we need a welfare state, or does it just mean that my friend is sometimes forgetful?
I find it interesting that you present only one choice. That is the choice between tipping or forgetting to tip… as though not tipping was something people would only do out of some level of incompetence.
I’m an advocate of free markets. I’m not convinced there is a case for obligatory tipping. In fact it is apparent to me that tipping is about voluntary charity and has nothing to do with any obligation to fulfill a contract viz. paying the bill for your meal.
And why is it expected only in particular sectors. Why shouldn’t every worker - in fact every person who works for a wage - expect a tip for a job well done?
jimaustri123,
My apologies for unintentionally setting up a false dichotomy. I was merely trying to illustrate the ridiculousness of attacking an ideology based on a mundane action like not tipping someone.
Rcder,
Okay, got it.
Must say, I find the topic of tipping to be quite an interesting foray into the collectivist mindset. Very revealing.
I’m still waiting for someone to explain the grounds on which anyone is expected to subsidize someone else’s salary. At which point did negotiating with your employer cease to become the appropriate means with which to agree an appropriate wage?
“At which point did negotiating with your employer cease to become the appropriate means with which to agree an appropriate wage?”
Around about the 18th century.
I forgot that European feudalism and present-day corporatism are both considered to be laissez-faire capitalism by Marxists. My mistake.
Actually I was reffering to the end of Feudalism and specifically the enclosure of traditional lands by corrupt governments. And I’m not a Marxist.