Why Tipping Feels Like a Scam Now

StarSong said:
The US national minimum wage hasn't gone up since 2009, and is set at $7.25. Some states, counties & cities have minimum wage laws of their own (like CA and Los Angeles) requiring higher wages be paid. CA minimum is $16.90, but Los Angeles's is $17.87/hr.
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Wages aren't in step with the cost of living because the Department of Labor still calculates "living wage" using an obsolete metric. Congress has tried to force them to get modern about it, but they simply haven't; they insist they're doing it right.

They definitely aren't, though. And I'm not sure what we can do about it, but we should probly look into it and find out.
 
In the UK..2026...

UK National Minimum Wage Rates from 1 April 2026:
  • Age 21 and over (National Living Wage): £12.71 per hour = $17.06 USD
  • Age 18–20: £10.85 per hour = $14.57 USD
  • Age 16–17: £8.00 per hour = $10.74 USD
  • Apprentice Rate: £8.00 per hour = $10.74 USD
  • Accommodation Offset: £11.10 per day = $14.90 USD
Key Information for 2026:
  • Implementation: The increases apply to pay reference periods starting on or after 1 April 2026.
  • Real Living Wage (Voluntary): Separate from the legal minimum, the voluntary Real Living Wage rates for April 2026 are higher, at £13.45 ( $ 18.06) USD....per hour (UK-wide) and £14.80 per hour (London). ($19.87) USD
 
I went to America around 2000 and a guy who had been there said that we had to tip because they don't get a normal income. We did that cause he said that and it didn't matter because it was all a lot cheaper than a restaurant in Holland anyway. Tipping made it more the same price. But now? They even sometimes do this when you order from a Dutch restaurant. Do you want to pay 10 or 20 percent? What? I want to pay nothing. It's expensive enough already. I feel guilty though if I don't pay the boy who brings it on his bike or moped extra, cause they earn so little, but I can't pay that, so I pick it up myself with my bike. Hardly ever order food anymore though.
 
Messy said:
I went to America around 2000 and a guy who had been there said that we had to tip because they don't get a normal income. We did that cause he said that and it didn't matter because it was all a lot cheaper than a restaurant in Holland anyway. Tipping made it more the same price. But now? They even sometimes do this when you order from a Dutch restaurant. Do you want to pay 10 or 20 percent? What? I want to pay nothing. It's expensive enough already. I feel guilty though if I don't pay the boy who brings it on his bike or moped extra, cause they earn so little, but I can't pay that, so I pick it up myself with my bike. Hardly ever order food anymore though.
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Precisely, Messy... !
 
From April 2026, the new rates will be:

  • £14.80 an hour in London (up 95p)
  • £13.45 across the rest of the UK (up 85p)
This will help the many thousands of Londoners employed by Real Living Wage accredited employers to keep up with rising living costs.

But not everyone earns the Real Living Wage - which is a voluntary scheme. Many workers are on the 'National Living Wage' instead, which is set by the government.

With all these different 'Living Wages', it can be easy to get confused. Here we break down the different types, and explain why employers should pay everyone at least the real Living Wage.

The National Living Wage - the legal minimum​

The National Living Wage is the legal minimum employers have to pay anyone aged 21 and over.

Right now, it’s £12.21 per hour everywhere in the UK. There's no London weighting, despite the higher cost of living in the capital.

It's set by the government, based on a number of factors - such as what they think the labour market can handle - rather than just focusing on what people need to live on.

The real Living Wage - based on the cost of living​

The Real Living Wage, on the other hand, is worked out based on how much people really need to get by.

It’s voluntary, not a legal requirement, but more than 15,000 employers have chosen to pay it – from small charities to local councils to major firms like Aviva and, recently, Uniqlo.

The Real Living Wage is independently calculated each year by the Living Wage Foundation to reflect the real cost of essentials like rent, food, travel and energy.

Right now, it’s set at:

  • £13.85 in London, an
  • £12.60 across the rest of the UK.
From April 2026, those rates will rise to £14.80 (London)= $19.87 USD........ and £13.45 = $18.06 USD (rest of the UK), helping wages keep pace with rising prices.

​

 

Why is it important to pay the real Living Wage?​

Paying the real Living Wage is the single most important thing employers can do to help lift people out of poverty. It's the only wage rate that reflects the cost of living.

The real Living Wage helps to lift people out of poverty, enabling people to have choices, live with dignity and feel included in society.

At least half a million people in London are paid less than the London Living Wage. In-work poverty remains all too common across our capital city.

By getting accredited as a Living Wage employer, organisations show that they want to go beyond the legal minimum to help tackle this problem. They also become part of a fantastic movement of people doing business the right way.
 
PeppermintPatty said:
We went to Swiss Chalet a while back while our dogs were getting groomed and our bill was $64 and change. We tipped 15%.
I don’t mind tipping waitresses. I DO mind tipping over the counter food places. I agree with the others that everyone these days is expecting to be tipped.
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That's my take as well - If I sit down and you bring me my food, extra napkins, more water etc ... I'm happy to tip.

If I stand in line, order my food at a counter and you hand me a bag --- I should not be expected to tip. Many of the payment kiosks make it very difficult to bypass the tip screen in these situations - and they really put you on the spot.

I agree, in the USA the tipping culture is out of control.
 
Messy said:
I went to America around 2000 and a guy who had been there said that we had to tip because they don't get a normal income. We did that cause he said that and it didn't matter because it was all a lot cheaper than a restaurant in Holland anyway. Tipping made it more the same price. But now? They even sometimes do this when you order from a Dutch restaurant. Do you want to pay 10 or 20 percent? What? I want to pay nothing. It's expensive enough already. I feel guilty though if I don't pay the boy who brings it on his bike or moped extra, cause they earn so little, but I can't pay that, so I pick it up myself with my bike. Hardly ever order food anymore though.
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That guy was wrong; you don't have to tip. Tips are a "thank you, good job" but you can say that verbally, right? Many Americans do not tip servers and delivery people; some can't afford to, and some just think it's ridiculous. But I'm pretty certain that most Americans do.

In my state, restaurant servers are paid at least minimum wage. When I was a waiter, I got paid whatever the restaurant owner thought was "fair" and had to use my tips for groceries and bills and whatnot. If I remember right, my wage was $1.75...two dollars less than the normal low wage in 1974...and an average tip was two dollars per table.
 
hearlady said:
I tip like I always have which is based on service. If I get good service I tip well. Bad service I'll probably still tip 10%.
I rarely do tip jars or anything like that.
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see.. with all due respect...why are you tipping for bad service ?

These people have no incentive to do their job well..if people are still going to tip them regardless..
 
There have been a few times, when service was so incredibly bad - I did not tip, or I left a penny as a "message".... but thankfully, only a few times.

Most of the time, at a sit down restaurant, the service is at least decent. DH will tip no matter what, I tend to adjust based on the level of service I've received.
 
If tips are stopped in restaurants in order to raise wages, menu prices will rise accordingly. The restaurant cannot both increase wages and keep prices the same.

That might work out about the same for the consumer, but worse for the worker, since tips (at least for 2026-2028) are tax exempt from income tax, whereas all wages are taxed.

I tip 15% (only at a sit down restaurant) as long as I get my order, and there is nothing wrong with the food. It's just part of the cost in my view. If there is something wrong with the food, or it's inedible, I ask for the manager. Since I do not request extras, or drink refills, or "to go" containers, I do not increase the amount of my tip no matter how "great" any extras might be that I don't need.
 
MACKTEXAS said:
If tips are stopped in restaurants in order to raise wages, menu prices will rise accordingly. The restaurant cannot both increase wages and keep prices the same.

That might work out about the same for the consumer, but worse for the worker, since tips (at least for 2026-2028) are tax exempt from income tax, whereas all wages are taxed.

I tip 15% (only at a sit down restaurant) as long as I get my order, and there is nothing wrong with the food. It's just part of the cost in my view. If there is something wrong with the food, or it's inedible, I ask for the manager. Since I do not request extras, or drink refills, or "to go" containers, I do not increase the amount of my tip no matter how "great" any extras might be that I don't need.
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perhaps if they stopped serving massive amounts of food in a serving..and endless refills.. they could charge a reasonable price like the rest of the world for the meal..and pay their staff a proper wage

You shouldn't have to factor in a tip for the waiting staff as part of the cost of your meal.

if I go out and pay £25.00 for a steak for example.. I think that's as much as I would pay, taking into consideration their overheads even tho' at home I could make it for a quarter of that price..but I'm certainly not going to add in another 20 % to pay the waitresses light bill..or buy her kids shoes... ..it's not being mean.

The rest of the world can do it.why can;t America ?
 
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