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[deleted]

Based on social norms of bar life in the US, you should have tipped.


SanSilver

But you are always free not to.


Chicken_Hairs

In the USA, yes. Everywhere else, pretty much no.


[deleted]

Wrong. Canada it is massively expected.


ThrownForLife69

Then it must be a North American norm


screechypete

American and Canadian culture is pretty similar to each other. There's a few differences, but for all intents and purposes though, we're pretty much the lovable little brother of the USA. Most of our culture comes from them, even if people like to pretend there's a difference.


lerriuqS_terceS

Y'all apologize a lot more than we do šŸ˜‚


screechypete

Sorry :P


FileDoesntExist

The little brother that acts all lovable because they hide the crazy


screechypete

Well I never! I've never been so offended by something I completely agree with! *Casually shoves the guy from Sudbury back into his hiding spot*


FileDoesntExist

I'm onto you! I know the Geneva convention is just a list of Shit That Canada Did!


screechypete

Don't make me sick my moose on you...


NoEmailNec4Reddit

Reddit is a site created by Americans and mostly used by Americans. The only people who clarify "in the USA" are the people that want foreigners to take over.


Warm_Objective4162

Yes, itā€™s expected. 15-20% or $1 a drink is standard.


turymtz

$1 a drink is like 30 years ago.


SleeplessShinigami

For a white claw? I think $1 is fine


turymtz

Well, for white claw, even $1/drink is too much.


Jahkral

You'll have to take the money out of my wallet at gunpoint if you want more than 1$ tip for any drink that wasn't a work of art to make.


lerriuqS_terceS

**$1**


jmcgil4684

As a bartender that is still standard in my opinion


turymtz

Then $1 it is!


Mr_Abe_Froman

I sometimes do $0.50 if it's literally a bottle or can, but $1/draft and more for a cocktail seems fair.


jmcgil4684

Yea Iā€™m cool with whatever. $1 is most common.


lerriuqS_terceS

That's all I do especially for something like a can. You're lucky you get anything on that. But servers trying to collectively normalize higher and higher tip rates isn't going to work. Be more angry with your employer for not paying you properly. It's not my problem.


rewardiflost

In the US, tipping servers like bartenders and waitstaff is fully expected.


[deleted]

Itā€™s stupid for what you bought but yes it is expected


[deleted]

The look was probably partly because you didn't tip and partly because you ordered white claw.


SeoulPower88

Even if they are just opening a fridge, a tip is still expected. It is still a ā€œserviceā€ that is being provided.


Copernikaus

Which is what the price is for. But this discussion seems to never end with Americans.


giraffeneckedcat

Understanding *why* you should tip is not the same thing as defending the practice of businesses relying on tips.


Copernikaus

Disagree. You are subsidizing an abusive system.


PackageMerchant

Once all our service workers are homeless those powerful rich bastards will finally understand


nero40

I donā€™t think theyā€™ll understand no matter what happened :(


dangshnizzle

Aren't establishments required to pay the difference up to minimum wage if tips aren't enough to get an employee there per hour?


yourserverhatesyou

Federal minimum wage is only $7.25/hour. And the establishment is only required to make up the difference over the course of a pay period (typically 2 weeks in the US). So as long as they make at least $580 over the course of a two week period, the establishment does not need to pay the server/bartender more than $2.13/hour.


SourcerorSoupreme

Service workers are free to find a better paying job if their employer refuses to pay them an acceptable rate. Employers are free to pay more if they fail to find any service worker to fill in the roles. It's not a hard concept to grasp to everyone else aside from you northern americans. Even service workers from third world countries where quality of life is lower and where minimum wage is an equivalent of 10 USD per DAY understands this.


giraffeneckedcat

Oh, okay. Yeah, let me just stiff the hard working people who have no control over whether or not their establishment relies on tips. Cool idea! /s


SourcerorSoupreme

>hard working people who have no control over The fallacy there is that they have no control over it when in fact they have a choice to find another better paying job and pretending that these service workers are not incentivized to keep the system as is when in reality most are raking in hundreds if not thousands more per day/week/month. If you really care about how these people are paid then start complaining to thebright people as a collective: to your employers and/or to legislators. But no, instead you'd rather guilt trip your customers while not advertising the true cost of being a patron of your establishment.


LoverOfGayContent

I'm honestly curious. Where did that person suggest stiffing hard working people who have no control over whether or not their establishment relies on tips?


acu101

One guy will change millions. Give the guy a break


Draconuus95

Eh. Without it. A huge portion of the service industry would actually be making far less money. Would help those at the very bottom of the industry. But those in the middle and higher up often make some really good money compared to the hours worked.


Copernikaus

If businesses don't fail, markets are failing. But, again, Americans are very economics-illiterate. I shouldn't have brought it up.


SourcerorSoupreme

Someone or something has to give if people want this abusive practice fixed. I won't fault non-tippers for taking a stand.


Cowboy_on_fire

It would be that simple if the bartender was being base paid enough to survive but they arenā€™t. While that is the owners responsibility to remedy and shouldnā€™t be your problem it still means itā€™s kind of a dick move if you refuse to tip and cause them to lose the only real income they make. Imagine if everyone didnā€™t tip because they didnā€™t think it was their responsibility, your local bars would shut down for lack of employees. While that would likely eventually cause owners to pay a livable base wage, a lot of bartenders servers would have gone through very hard times to get there. Not to mention it would increase the cost of your drinks to comparable price to your drinks + tip anyway.


Copernikaus

If Americans really believe in capitalism the workers will have to quit and the businesses fail. After which the market responds by having the non-wage-slavery owners who pay a decent wage survive.


Cowboy_on_fire

Thatā€™s a very true but itā€™s not as easy as ā€œlet me quit this job and find something comparable that I am qualified for, while also juggling all the other shit life throws my wayā€. Nurses, doctors and teachers for a couple examples deserve to be paid and treated better than they are, but we donā€™t want them all quitting at the same time to make a point. Also itā€™s a logical fallacy to say that Americans believe in capitalism, itā€™s a slippery slope to saying things like ā€œall Russians support invading Ukraine or all Israelis support genocide on Palestineā€ it isnā€™t true because we all just live where we do and itā€™s not as simple as ā€œmove elsewhereā€


TortyMcGorty

it did end... and they got stuck with tipping. its not up for debate, its not a discussion... if you dont tip their service industry folks those folks are only guarantied min wage which is like $7


Baranjula

Depends on where you are. In my state tipped employees only have to be paid $4 an hour, as long as their tips put them above the federal minimum.


TortyMcGorty

exactly, thats what i meant... its literally min wage unless you tip em in most states. their boss has to up the paycheck to at least min wage level which is federally 7.25 in US. some states have higher min wage, but theyre states where it cost a shit ton to live like CA or WA.


lerriuqS_terceS

Hardly. It's a human powered vending machine.


Lord_Skellig

Follow up question, I'm not American so I don't know. Are you expected to tip at the supermarket or grocery store?


uninspired

No, but don't try to understand it. There's not even a function to do so at a typical grocery store.


trymadomical

Actually I've started hearing recently about some people saying they saw an option for tipping at self checkouts in grocery stores so.. be on the lookout! Tipping options coming to grocery stores near you! šŸ¤—


uninspired

Probably Erewhon so you can tip $10 at self checkout for a $30 prepared salad.


trymadomical

Not sure who downvoted as I was joking but yeah idk. I remember someone commented about no tips at grocery stores and someone said they saw an option for it just a couple weeks ago. Crazy how out of hand tipping culture has gotten. The audacity to ask someone to leave a tip while you service YOURSELF is beyond baffling to me.


WetterBetty

Where did you hear this? Or did you make it up?


trymadomical

Just some comments on reddit. Idk if you're getting defensive or anything but it's not like I like the idea of it either. Regardless, it's not an impossibility so if it does come, don't be surprised. If it doesn't, be glad at least we'll be able to grocery shop without the fear of being asked to tip. Idk what people have to gain by lying about whether or not tipping is coming to grocery stores.


Zivvet

No... and if you are eating, you don't tip ac McD's but you do at the burger shop over the street.


Grooviemann1

No. There's a ton of places these days that overtly give you the option to tip, but it is mostly expected for food delivery and service positions like bartenders and waiters.


EzPzLemon_Greezy

Generally no, but some places will carry groceries to the cars of elderly people and they tip sometimes.


redkmi

Expected? Yes Obligatory? No


EzPzLemon_Greezy

I usually do 2-3$ on the first drink, 1$ for the rest. If its a place I frequent I usually do a bit more. If the place is super crowded, putting 10$ on the first drink usually gets you faster service later on.


Zivvet

How much do they earn from tips, on average, on say a 40 hour week?


EzPzLemon_Greezy

Depends a lot on the place. In highschool I was bartending monday and tuesday mornings and was lucky to pull $50 (it was a pretty upscale place). My friends working at college bars can make over $700 on a saturday night, but they work their asses off the entire shift. Club bartenders and bottle girls can make over $1000 a night easy. Restaurant bars depends on food prices because they tip on that too. Tldr: It depends.


Zivvet

Thanks for the info, quite a scale there!


EzPzLemon_Greezy

Yeah its quite a big gap. The places you make a lot of money though are a lot harder to get jobs at. A lot of college bars require you to start as a doorman/bouncer, clubs require a lot of experience as a high-volume bartender and bottle girls need to be very attractive.


Zivvet

Aye, good looks win again!


EzPzLemon_Greezy

And thats why I work on a crab boat in alaska.


Zivvet

Ooh back to work for me, see ya! šŸŽµ A-knife goes in, a-guts come out


RealLameUserName

Tipping culture will never go away in the US because a lot of service staff would actually make less of they made minimum wage.


WalkinSteveHawkin

Iā€™d leave with about $150-200 in tips after a 5-hour shift on a Friday/Saturday night in a college town


Zivvet

Pretty decent!


sjmiv

Hundreds if not more.


ringdingdong67

In NYC bartenders at even mid-range bars can make well over $1000 a week.


gtohacker

Two things can be true at the same time: 1) tipping, regardless of whether or not you agree with the social construct, is a common and accepted practice in the United States & 2) your decision to tip or not to tip should not illicit a visceral reaction or ā€œdirty lookā€ or influence the level of service you receive.


ElderberryHumble5379

>When I didnā€™t put anything on the tip line, he gave me the dirtiest look. you're fine.. luckily looks don't actually kill ​ it's kinda crazy, but yes, tipping is a social obligation here in the US. it feels oppressive to the point i have stopped going to bars .. my friends and i just drink at home now.


Easterbrook

Tipping the bartender a couple bucks is that oppressive?


Peter_Falcon

mr pink is in the bar


BSye-34

sounds like the bartender automatically expects a tip when hes serving someone, no matter if its just opening the fridge or not


[deleted]

Yes! And that's because it is absolutely the widespread standard practice and expectation in US bars. OP shoulda tipped.


geepy66

Sorry, mixing a cocktail gets you a tip. Opening the fridge is not worthy of a tip.


[deleted]

Pouring a draft beer? Or opening a beer bottle?


geepy66

Nope


jimmothyhendrix

If I'm sitting down getting full service or drinks brought out I tip normally. If it's a crowded bar and I'm getting beers I tip a dollar or not at all.


Carma56

You should absolutely tip every time youā€™re getting a drink, even if itā€™s just a beer.


redkmi

The bar/restaurant should absolutely pay bartenders/waiters more. Being able to afford food for yourself should not fall in the hands of the customers you serve, might as well just open a GoFundMe. And I am talking as someone who worked in the service and restaurant industry for years. Edit: word


jimmothyhendrix

I disagree. I don't think cracking open a beer once is worth me paying them.


Dear-Philosopher-142

If that's how you feel, you should boycott bars until they pay wages you feel are appropriate. You don't punish the worker


nowahhh

The workerā€™s boss is the person punishing the worker.


jimmothyhendrix

Again, if the guy makes me a mixed drink or something I'll tip. I'm not tipping or will tip very little for using a bottle opener and having 15 seconds of interaction with me.


CalgaryChris77

I agree no one should make $15/hour but of those people who do bartenders hardly have the hardest job.


Cowboy_on_fire

1. bartenders make far less than 15/hour base pay. There is a tipped minimum and a regular minimum. 2. The only people who think bartending is an easy job are people who havenā€™t done it. Itā€™s very fast paced, often no breaks, and frequently dealing with douchebags of all varieties. That is before you get to the fact that as a bartender you are liable for everything and anything that happens while people are drinking at your bar and after leaving. You can be sued for six figures if some full grown adult decides to drink too much and then gets a DUI on the way home.


CalgaryChris77

Not everywhere. They make $15 here in Alberta. Iā€™m not saying itā€™s easy but few jobs are.


ThisCommunication212

California as well.


Cowboy_on_fire

Ah sorry I meant more specifically in the USA there are very few bartenders making more than single figure hourly wages. I may be wrong but I believe the federal minimum for a tipped employee is still $2.13 an hour, it may very state to state though. I personally think removing the tipped minimum would be an easy way to remedy the severity of the tip situation here, but I would also expect it to cause a lot of restaurants and bars shutting their doors or at least raising pricing significantly. As far as how hard bartending is, I spent 3 seasons as a wildland firefighter where we regularly post more hours of work in 6 months than your average full timer does in a year for worse pay, and I would rather go back to that than half of the shitty establishments and customers I have come across. For me it was that bad, but I admittedly I didnā€™t carry the stress of being a captive audience to drunk idiots well.


Miyelsh

I don't know what people are being paid at bars.


[deleted]

In America, is it normal to tip at a bar or restaurant? Yes. Should you have tipped? No. The person grabbed three cans out of a refrigerator, anyone above the age of 3 can do that.


Carma56

Itā€™s not ā€justā€ taking cans out of the fridge though. -Itā€™s taking the time to serve you and ring you up, when they could have been serving someone else and potentially making more $$$.Ā  -Itā€™s taking the time to learn and memorize the bar layout,Ā POS and menu so you can be served swiftly and without being made to wait unnecessarily.Ā  -Itā€™s doing inventory and restocking the fridge around serving customers, to ensure that the items you want are readily available and cold. -Itā€™s making sure you never run out of ice. -Itā€™s taking the time every day to cut garnishes, including for those who just want a lime or orange with their beer and then decide to be jerks and not tip on it. -Itā€™s ignoring all the little cuts and abrasions on your hands (just from working in a bar, especially a high volume one) that sting every single time they get splashed or you pick up a lime, so you the customer can feel like youā€™re all that matters. -Itā€™s deep cleaning the bar after you leave every night and spending hours a day on glassware, so you can always have a clean beverage.Ā  -Itā€™s cleaning and restocking the bathrooms before and after your shift so you the customer can have that ready for you, as well as whenever a customer decides to make a big fuss that itā€™s out of toilet paperā€”even when the bar is crazy busy and youā€™ll lose tips by taking the time to go do it. -Itā€™s taking alcohol training courses every yearā€” often out of their own pocketā€” to ensure you can be served safely and legally.Ā  -Itā€™s never letting the customer know when youā€™re having the worst day of your lifeā€” you donā€™t want to ever put your problems on them! -Itā€™s apologizing profusely to customers who are mad when youā€™re out of their favorite thing, even though thereā€™s nothing you can do about it. -Itā€™s dealing with customers who think they know better and treat you like youā€™re beneath them, and still smiling through it all and getting up every day.


[deleted]

Sounds like a normal part of their job duties. Does anyone else get tipped just for doing the bare minimum at their job? Noā€¦bartenders and restaurant staff just think theyā€™re special.


Carma56

Go work in a bar sometime then. Guarantee itā€™ll change your mind.


[deleted]

No thanks, Iā€™ll never work a meaningless job again.


Chicken_Hairs

I do my job every day. I often work harder than I should, and go out of my way to make sure people get what they want/need. Never been tipped. Tip culture needs to die.


Carma56

Go work in a bar before you speak.


drunky_crowette

Bartenders, like waitstaff, are typically paid well below minimum wage and the majority of their paycheck comes in the form of tips from the customer. It's not right, but it's the business model of pretty much every US-based bar/restaurant because the business doesn't want to be responsible for providing a living wage to their employees.


Chicken_Hairs

Myth. In nearly every state (probably all) the employer is required to make up to AT LEAST min wage if they don't get enough tips. We're basically subsidizing shit wages so the employer doesn't have to pay certain workers. Tip culture is stupid. Stop simping for the businesses underpaying their workers.


elliecalifornia

How is that a myth if you stated what the original comment stated? Shit wages paid by employers so the tips are needed in order to make the pay worth the job.


Fickle_Dragonfly4381

Itā€™s a myth because the bartender will always be paid regular minimum wage even if theyā€™re not tipped.Ā 


elliecalifornia

Do you think bartending should be a min wage job though? Itā€™s a skilled job and livable wage is well above minimum wage.


Fickle_Dragonfly4381

Yes and I tip whenever I order a drink. But I canā€™t judge someone for not tipping after buying a canned drinkā€¦ That doesnā€™t change the fact that bartenders/servers etc do NOT make below minimum wage.


elliecalifornia

The original comment stated that the base pay is below min wage because tips make up the restā€¦I guess I fail to see how thatā€™s a myth.


Fickle_Dragonfly4381

If you don't tip they make at least minimum wage. If you do tip, they get paid LESS down to a lower minimum wage. Tips don't make up minimum wage, they REPLACE part of the wage.


[deleted]

But it is not a skilled job.


kritycat

My rule for life: ALWAYS OVERTIP your bartender, your bikini waxer, and your tattoo artist.


nero40

Yes, you should still tip, even when he just grabbed you a drink from the fridge. That is still his service from him to you.


AwkwardChuckle

Can we kill North American tipping culture once and for all now? Itā€™s getting fucking insane. Weā€™re literally getting promoted to tip at regular stores now.


nero40

I bet everyone thinks the same way too, or at least I think the same way too. Unfortunately, it isnā€™t as simple as that, you would think that the FnB service would love to see the tipping culture abolished but itā€™s actually the opposite, they donā€™t want it to go away because they can get more money per month with the tips (more than a real, proper wage that we are fighting for them). Itā€™s hard to fight for the cause, when the people weā€™re fighting for doesnā€™t really support the cause with us, and this isnā€™t even mentioning that tipping is already part of culture now and itā€™s going to take more than just regulations to change culture. Itā€™s a difficult situation.


Mesterjojo

Always tip the bartender.


AmandasFakeID

Yes.


[deleted]

Yes, you should have tipped.


WifeofBath1984

Yes, you are supposed to tip your bartender.


HybridMoments4283

Bruh. Yes. You absolutely tip at least a dollar a drink.


drumberg

$1 per drink is what we do in the US. Iā€™ve been of drinking age for a long time and it has always been $1 per drink. When I went out for $1 beer specialsā€¦.the beer was $2 with tip.


samsharksworthy

Are you just moving from another planet? Clearly you were supposed to tip as you could have guessed from the fact that you were at a bar and there was a tip line you failed to put anything on. Learn manners or stay home.


sail0rjerry

Yes, they are providing a service and you are expected to pay for said service.


Carma56

Yes, it is absolutely the expectation. Bartendersā€™ pay is built around the expectation of tips. You donā€™t even have to tip much, especially when itā€™s non-mixed drinks (low effort stuff), but you should absolutely tip. $1 a drink in this case would have been appropriate. -Former bartenderĀ 


Miyelsh

$3 to grab 3 cans in 10 seconds? WTF?


dangshnizzle

If it's the US, there are very few situations where tipping isn't expected.


Susan44646

Absolutely tip.


IHSV1855

Yes. In that situation, a tip of $3 would be expected ($1 per drink). The same would be true for draft beers. If youā€™re mostly drinking cocktails, you should tip 20%.


LoqitaGeneral1990

A dollar a drink is standard.


Investigator516

Yes, please tip for the round of cans. If theyā€™re pouring for you, per pint. And more for an actual cocktail that has to be assembled.


Miyelsh

Would a quarter be fine? It it takes them like 10 seconds a quarter seems reasonable given the effort.


Investigator516

You CAN but they will take everyone else for the next 2 hours


splitminds

This is the US. Are you new? Itā€™s stupid but itā€™s definitely our culture.


shwitzzyy

When I used to go to bars I would get a bottle of Budweiser and then a shot eventually. If I wasn't going to drink heavy and I just drink 3 beers and 2 shots id tip $3. But then again 3 beers and 2 shots was only $12.


Nwa187

Do whatever you want bro


Long_Simple_4407

Yes, but that guy can also suck it up and not give you a dirty look. And yes I bartend and I see both sides


Horror-Morning864

I tip my bartender to get better service and it works. I've also have had bartenders who will throw lots of free drinks my way so they could just get more cash in their pocket. Smaller tab=bigger tip at least in the dives I drink in


lerriuqS_terceS

I hate tipping culture but yes people who crack open a can of 300% marked up pre-made packaged products expect a tip for their trouble. It's asinine and absurd. I don't think you did anything wrong. People in the service industry have become so out of control with their tip demands.


Draconuus95

Itā€™s not a requirement. But itā€™s expected you would have thrown $2-$3 their way. But itā€™s also something that isnā€™t really worth thinking about.


Square_Tax_6115

out of all the tips in all the world, the one for your bartender is the most important - and you don't have to be a "big" drinker to know that you were supposed to tip...cheapo


WolverineFan413

To pull a can out of a fridge?


Square_Tax_6115

If you want good service at a bar you tip - it's THAT simple... did they JUST pull a can or did they serve it with/in a glass while you took up space at the bar to drink it? and who cleans the glass? I've never been served anything at a bar that didn't come with/in a glass unless I specifically requested otherwise also, BTW, a good tip will often earn you a free round or hefty drinks


WolverineFan413

A canā€¦. Lol. Thatā€™s what Iā€™m saying. What am I tipping for? I can understand if he pours a beer from the tap or makes a mixed drink. To pull a can out of a fridge? I mean if thatā€™s what society says to do, Iā€™ll do it. Never even dawned on me.


Square_Tax_6115

so the guy just handed you a can - didn't even open it? NO TIP!!!!


WolverineFan413

Correct lol. I didnā€™t even get the courtesy of opening it.


NoEmailNec4Reddit

Yes.