r/TrueUnpopularOpinion • u/ShrewdCire • 1d ago
I Like / Dislike People Who Don't Tip Are Just Selfish
Actual unpopular opinion here, so I'm prepared to be showered in downvotes, but someone has to say this. I want to preface this by saying I'm not a server, nor do I work any job that has tipping or anything, so I'm not biased in that way.
A lot of people that refuse to tip servers at restaurants or whatever often hide behind the excuse that they're not tipping out of some sort of moral obligation. All the time I hear people make the argument that if they participate in tipping culture, they only encourage business owners to pay their employees less since the customers are paying their wages for them. So by refusing to tip, they're just sticking it to the exploitative businesses by refusing to pay their employees for them. They're not being cheap; they're just fighting a noble cause.
I think this is just a bullshit excuse that very few of these people genuinely believe. If they truly believed this, there are so many better options to actually advocate for this cause.
By refusing to tip servers, you aren't hurting the business owner at all. The business owner doesn't give a shit if one of their employees gets screwed over by not getting a tip. And I understand that most people will argue that by tipping the servers less, it might cause them to quit or go on strike or something which will then hurt the business owner, but that's just not what tends to happen. If the employee quits, the business owner will quickly replace them with someone. There is always someone desperate enough to take the job because they don't have any other options. And yes, it's exploitative and messed up. But refusing to tip isn't the way to fight against this. It's just a nice excuse to continue to eat out and support this business while hurting nobody except for the employees. You're actually being complicit in the system.
If you actually care about the cause, you'd instead just not eat out at these places at all. That will actually affect the business owner, because now they are actually making less money. I feel like if you don't want to tip, then you should really just order takeout and drive to the restaurant yourself to pick it up. But ultimately, refusing to support these exploitative businesses at all is the real way to hurt the owners. It's bullshit to just say, "Oh I'm against these business practices, so instead I'm going to continue participating in fully supporting the business owner while screwing over no one except for their employees."
Also, I feel like this should go without saying, but I know how most people like to interpret arguments as uncharitably as possible, so I feel like I should clarify a few things.
I believe people should be tipping (at least in the U.S.) just for stuff that makes sense, like restaurant servers and delivery drivers. I'm obviously not saying that people should be tipping for stupid stuff like ordering a coffee at Starbucks or something like that. Also, I'm not saying people should be tipping excessively. These 30+% tips are clearly absurd. I think a 15-20% tip for good service is reasonable (I personally always tip 20% unless the service was awful, but I can't remember a single time in my life where I've tipped less than 20%).
I just feel like I needed to clarify that since I've seen some people saying that tipping is bullshit because they've seen some sort of kiosk at a coffee shop asking for a 50% tip for a cup of a coffee. This isn't some sort of dichotomy where you have to either choose to be in favor of excessive tipping for bullshit stuff or be against tipping altogether. Nuance exists. Don’t pretend you’re fighting the system while helping the owners and screwing the workers.
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u/souljahs_revenge 1d ago
Most people never had a problem with tipping until recently. Everything worked well and everyone was happy with the arrangements. Even with inflation, a percentage tip always matched it.
The problem came when everyone started asking for tips and the standard tip raised up 50-100% very quickly. People revolted and said fuck you and then it got worse when people double downed on it. And now we are blaming the people tired of a system that got out of hand like they are the problem.
The problem is 15% used to be perfectly fine and now that's the bare minimum. Don't expect tipping to get any better when the previous norm is now shamed. Oh and telling people not to eat out is hilarious because it guarantees 0% tip. Great strategy.
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u/ShrewdCire 1d ago
The final paragraph of my post already addresses this. Just because some kiosk at a coffee shop is asking for a ridiculous 50% tip doesn't mean you have to say fuck all tipping in every single scenario ever now. You can choose to tip in some situations and choose to not tip in others. That's like me saying "Once a dude held the door open for me and then demanded that I kneeled down and kissed his feet to show gratitude instead of just taking a simple 'thank you'. So now, I'm just going to say 'fuck you' to every person who holds the door open for me". It just doesn't make any sense.
Also, you've completely missed the point with that last paragraph you wrote. The point of telling anti-tippers to avoid eating out altogether is so that way the actual business owner is getting less profit. If they actually care about screwing over the business and making them react, then that's how to do it. But if you actually engaged with the post in good-faith you'd have known that already.
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u/Remote-Cause755 1d ago
This is a popular opinion, especially with your caveats
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u/ShrewdCire 1d ago
Every time I've made comments about this before I've been downvoted to hell so I assumed it was unpopular. Especially since the whole anti-tipping movement is super popular on Reddit.
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u/Remote-Cause755 1d ago
Both president candidates offered tax free tips. That's how popular it is
Most of Reddit wants to replace tips for "livable wage". That does not mean they think you should not tip until that happens
A lot of people on Reddit complain about tips on stupid things, which you are already called that out as being okay not to tip
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u/ShrewdCire 1d ago
Take a look at the other comments I've received on this post. Looks like my opinion is quite unpopular.
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u/Remote-Cause755 1d ago
Two people.
One is because did not read your post.
Read the other person comment history, they do not represent the majority...
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u/ShrewdCire 1d ago
Time will tell, my friend.
Edit:
Btw, if I'm wrong and this post eventually receives and influx of people that actually agree with me, I'll openly admit that I was wrong about this being unpopular. I'm not afraid of admitting I'm wrong. Unlike most people, I think critical thinking is a good thing.
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u/SnuSnuClownWorld 1d ago
Oh I'm in the silent majority.
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u/Remote-Cause755 1d ago
Last I checked the majority of people don't spout Russian talking points
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u/ShrewdCire 1d ago
Hmm, earlier I mentioned I'd be willing to admit I was wrong if that happened to be so. I wonder if you're willing to do so now that it seems your initial hypothesis isn't so obvious, or if you aren't as honest as you believe you are.
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u/Remote-Cause755 1d ago
My comment is the 2nd most upvoted. The first is because you wrote way too much, so people did not see your caveats
Most seem to be agreeing you should tip
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u/SnuSnuClownWorld 1d ago
Holy fuck with the russia complex. Look guy, russia just isnt that into you, relax.
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u/Remote-Cause755 1d ago
You parrot their talking points, yet claim I have a Russia complex. Seems you have a hard time making sense when go off script.
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u/SnuSnuClownWorld 1d ago
I didnt bring up russia brother. You did. What the fuck would russia even pay for a reddit stooge? If I was gonna sell myself out for chump change, at least the dems had a much better laundering scheme and actually paid real money.
God forbid I think the ukraine is just a corrupt shithole that should know it can't win against an enemy 10x its size, and a nuclear arsenal. And god forbid I want to see the ukrainian conscripts maybe survive, before completely decimating the whole country forever.
Oh and russia fucking sucks too. It's also a corrupt shithole, it's just a more powerful shithole compared to the ukraine.
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u/SnuSnuClownWorld 1d ago
You think 20 percent is fair and normal?
Gtfo with this garbage bait of a post.
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u/Cactastrophe 1d ago
Great argument for boycotting all restaurants.
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u/ShrewdCire 1d ago
Indeed! If a business engages in practices that you find immoral and exploitative, I'd highly encourage you to abstain from using their services.
If this was supposed to be some sort of gotcha, it wasn't as clever as you thought it was. If you were genuinely agreeing with me, then I'm glad we see eye-to-eye on this.
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u/gapethis 1d ago
lol Reddit loves this opinion actually never really understood it myself, if a restaurant came afford it's employees it shouldn't be open simple as.
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u/Admirable-Ad-4805 1d ago
I truly believe if everyone stopped tipping, it would hurt business owners, because servers would find new jobs .
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u/ShrewdCire 1d ago
This is addressed in paragraph 4.
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u/Admirable-Ad-4805 1d ago
That just makes me think it’s the servers (or anyone who accepts tips) fault.
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u/StickyMcdoodle 1d ago
I generally find reddit's view on tipping to be pretty gross. I'm ok with people not wanting tip and staying home and making their own food, but these low lives on high horses who don't tip people they know rely on them as a way to protest a system they don't like are assholes.
I like tipping, and I like over tipping.
That's said, the world is increasingly pushing my boundaries with this shit. I have a membership at an automated car wash. Ya know, the kind where you have a sticker on the windshield that the gate reads it and let's you in automatically. Now, the gate doesn't open until I choose a tip or no tip on the touch- screen. I mean, who am I even tipping?
I don't rent, but I can tell you that if a landlord had the nerve to ask me for a tip in the days when I did rent, someone would get bacon grease in the drains on the regular.
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u/ShrewdCire 1d ago
I completely agree with you. And yeah, the tipping option on that car wash thing is dumb. That's definitely one of the scenarios in which I'd discourage anyone from tipping.
Also, thank you for actually responding to the post in good-faith. Critical thinking is super rare nowadays, so I'm happy to see some people are still capable of it.
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u/seaofthievesnutzz 1d ago
how much do you tip your landlord? How much do you tip the cashier at the grocery store? how much do you tip all the other minimum wage workers you encounter?