When you think of the United States, you probably think of the Statue of Liberty, Hollywood, and that love-hate tipping culture.
That's right, today we're going to talk about this headache tip, which is more than just a few coins for a waiter in a restaurant.
First of all, we have to figure out why tipping in the United States is so important.
In the United States, where many waiters' basic salaries are pitifully low, some even below the federal minimum wage, tips become a lifesaver for them.
According to incomplete statistics, the governments of the United States and Canada receive as much as $60 billion in tax revenue from tips every year, which is not a small amount. Therefore, tipping is a real "lifeline" for them.
However, this tipping culture is not all smooth sailing.
Have you ever wondered why there is a tipping option next to the supermarket self-checkout machine? This sounds a little funny, after all, there is no service at self-checkout? This is a "gray area" in the tipping culture.
For example, sometimes the waiter will use all kinds of clever words to "remind" you to tip, which is not illegal, but it always makes people feel a little "forced".
Moreover, tipping culture also has a "subtle relationship" with the quality of service.
In theory, a tip is a reward for good service, but in practice, it often becomes an expected extra. Sometimes, customers even feel that if they don't tip, will the waiter look at him, and this psychological expectation makes the tipping culture complicated.
When it comes to the "unspoken rule" of tipping, it's even more interesting.
In a big city like New York, the percentage of tipping can be even higher, and in some high-end restaurants, the percentage of tipping can even reach 30%. This makes tipping culture even more complicated.
Moreover, the amount of tipping is often related to the customer's social status and personal habits, which makes the tipping culture more elusive.
However, tipping culture is also facing calls for change.
With the development of society, more and more people have begun to reflect on the tipping culture. Some argue that tipping culture should be abolished and waiters should be paid a fixed, reasonable wage. Others argue that tipping culture should be more transparent and that there shouldn't be so many "hidden rules."
Speaking of change, we have to mention the attempt of the Union Square restaurant group in the United States.
They started by abolishing tipping and trying to change the landscape of the restaurant industry in the long run. While abolishing tipping on a pilot basis, the group's restaurants have also increased the wages of kitchen staff, from 11.75 yuan to 15.25 yuan per hour.
In turn, this is conducive to improving the competitiveness of the restaurant, retaining the excellent chefs, and satisfying the growing number of young customers who only value the quality of the dishes.
However, the change in tipping culture has not been without its challenges.
Some argue that abolishing the culture of tipping would shake the old American way of life and be unfair to most waiters. But as the owner of a San Diego restaurant put it, "We believe that a broad change in the tipping system will come sooner or later."
I would tell those who don't want to change that if being good at change is the way of life for Americans, then let's take action first. ”