How is getting money from an office job worse than getting money from waiting tables? It’s all income and should be taxed fairly.
shareThis is taking a bad situation (tipping) and making it even more convoluted and worse.
This trope that "waitresses are scraping by and this is the only job they can hold that pays a fair wage!" is completely worn out. Waitresses and bartenders aren't getting 10% anymore. We blew past that, and 12%, and 15%, and have now reached the point where 18% is expected and 20%-22% are requested. That's bullshit. These people should be getting paid by their employer not the customer. Bartenders and waitresses make damn good money these days and now they're going to get the bulk of it tax-free? Fuck that. Additionally, it's not just the traditional professions asking for a gratuity. Every damn service is out there rattling a cup in your face. The guy who turns around and pours a drink out of an automated machine did nothing to warrant a gift of appreciation. And more maddening are the self-pay kiosks where you have to actively decline to tip before paying for your food.
Many years ago, I got into an argument with my then-girlfriend. She finished a shift waitressing and stopped by the family-owned hardware store where I was working. We both made minimum wage but she'd pocketed a tidy sum that day through tips. I pointed out that when a customer came into the store with a problem, I walked them over to the location of the item they needed, explained what it was and how to use it, and then brought them back to the counter to check out, sometimes helping them load their cars if it was a bulky item. I never once got a tip. Why not? I wasn't arguing for tips for me, only that her additional income, while nice, shouldn't be expected by anyone working a service job. Service is just that.
We used to have a bit of pride about that, about doing a good job simply because it was expected.
https://imgur.com/uo9Rj24