I never understood tipping for certain services and I typically don’t. Tipping a waiter? Sure, they make almost nothing hourly and the tip is for the service, the bill is for the actual product (food). But with tattooing and haircuts, the product IS the service, so I don’t know why the double dipping is expected.
Tipping a waiter? Sure, they make almost nothing hourly and the tip is for the service, the bill is for the actual product (food).
Yes and the waiter can't just up and decide to charge 10x the price because that's a business decision for the restaurant. Tattoo artists not only can do this, but they do and prices vary from <$100/hour to >$1,000!
IDK, I recently visited another tipping country and whats done by ppl as 500$ job, when you supposedly dont have much options earning 3000$+ with tips, much more than doctors, many engineers, etc. in said country.
I suspect its same for US, so waiters would be first in line against livable wage.
It’s crazy to me, a waiter is like one of the least deserving if a tip jobs out there. Yet it’s the one most engrained into our culture that you have to tip well.
“Oh you wrote down what i want to pay you for and then you brought it out to me. Here’s 25% of the cost of the meal for doing your job”
The cooks should be the ones getting tips more than anyone
I also still will never understand why a waiter should make more simply because I ordered a steak and a nice beet instead of chicken fingers and a water.
The waiter might actually work harder for the chicken fingers and water.
The problem is American waitering now is not what it was before. Being a waiter used to hold some elegant prestige, why?
They had many roles
Memorizing the menu and specific ingredients that one may not expect, like maybe their chicken uses curry variant
Wines and their pairings was a huge part of their training. Adding the history of how some wines were made and where because it mattered.
When serving they would offer to cut meat, pour drinks at table, replace cutlery, dishes, rags etc.
Conversationalist, you needed a little charisma and be able to entertain guest. Tell stories about the restaurant, the food, you added to the experience while guests waited for food. Which was a huge tactic if it was a quiet table.
They had to memorize different dining rituals think of how it's improper to eat before everyone is served, stabbing food with your chopsticks is bad manners, etc etc. specific way some religions say the man must be served first or the the children and women are to take first bite etc etc
Basically waiting used to be a very educated position.
Its really fun too, if you make a mistake you are fucking someone's tips and life up. If the sever makes a mistake you also get yelled at, even though that server just fucked up the flow for atleast the next hour maybe whole night on a busy day.
It's because way back when service jobs were for people who otherwise wouldn't get hired. PoC and women in other words. They didn't make money otherwise because there was no laws for it. Then we transitioned to where it is now and never changed it because people who work service jobs now don't want it changed. They know they can make more in a good night than a cook makes for the week so they'd rather it stay that way.
Bonus points, tipping out a bartender is an easy way to get fast tracked if you're at a busy spot. Even something minor like a 3$ tip on a 7$ beer can get you faster service for an entire night out.
Meh, most of the time at a busy bar the bartender is so busy it doesn't seem like they even clock how much i've tipped them unless it's one of those cash exchanges where you hand them the cash and say "keep the extra" or whatever. That said, I do tend to follow this advice regardless.
Just fucken adjust the prices and pay your workers. I'm not gonna be playing the stupid game of paying some arbitrary amount and wondering if its enough.
A tip should remain a TIP. Whatever I want to give; not some expected amount. If you expect a tip, its no longer a tip.
I just got back from Japan and South Korea, and my god it was so refreshing not having to tip. And don’t get me wrong, I always tip in the US. I want people to get livable wages, it just sucks that US culture hoists that responsibility onto the consumer
It's a bit like a "prisoner's dilemma" at this point, because the best outcome for everyone (including the owners of the restaurants) would be for tips to be illegal and to have the minimum wage apply to restaurants.
The reason I say it's like a prisoner's dilemma right now is that if a restaurant wanted to refuse tips, then they'd have to raise their prices. That means people considering going to that restaurant probably wouldn't know that tips are not accepted and that the high prices reflect that, so when they see $20 for a burger they might go "that's a ridiculous price" since in their mind they are comparing that price to competing restaurants that charge only $17 for a burger or whatever.
In order for something to change, the government has to change the rules of the game. It's not realistic that restaurants in isolation will change, because they have competitive disadvantages for trying to refuse tips.
I'm not sure it would be net gain for the employees in general, unless minimum wage were also heavily adjusted. Someone making tips serving at Chili's isn't gonna make nearly as much with what Mr. Chili would pay them hourly.
Seriously, there are two things the public can do to end tipping 1) support state laws that require full minimum wage, no tip deductions, for all employees and 2) if you live somewhere that already has it STOP TIPPING. It's a wage issue between employee and employer, the ONLY way that changes is if employees stand up to their employers. They NEED to feel the pain a bit to be motivated to push for a change; when the public makes up their wages with tips they don't have any incentive to change. And that doesn't begin to get into the fact that many prefer the system so they can make far more than an equivalent low-skill job and frequently hide that income from the IRS!
you dont ever "have to" nore have the artist i know or go to expect it. i personally do because i like them and their art and want to show my gratitude.
Yeah I’ve never gone anywhere where you have to tip, but I personally enjoy tipping the people who are modifying my body. It creates a good relationship.
I don’t have many tattoos rn but I have lots of piercings (double digit amount) and have been seeing the same piercer since I turned 18. I tip every time but she also gives me great deals because of that. The amount of times I’ve just been given free jewelry after my piercing is amazing, if I have to spend a little extra money to have that kind of relationship with someone stabbing holes into my body than I’m not mad about that lol
I've tipped tattoo artists in the US, Scotland, and Italy.
You dont' "HAVE" to tip anyone, people on reddit are just such pussies they feel bullied by a machine. Like, oh no, the worker will have a pouty face? grow a pair
Tattoo artists are one where theres a lot more pressure though. Its not just a screen at starbucks, some artists will no longer tattoo you if you dont tip at all
just state the actual price? Just as is done in every fucking country except the US?
It would never have occurred to me to tip the tattoo artist - that's just so damn weird
I’m a plumber. I never expect tips, I’m compensated well enough and I collect payment for the job I’ve done. Probably once a week someone gives me $20 and says something along the lines of ‘lunch is on me’ I always accept the money and say thank you. I also provide pretty good conversation while I’m on the job though.
If they own the shop or rent the chair, no, you don't need to tip really. If they work for a percentage of profit, tipping allows them to make more.
If the artist is getting say 40% of the profit and does a $100 tattoo, they get $40.
If you tip them, they'll sometimes reduce the cost of the tattoo so that they can get a bigger piece of the pie (I use to do this. I only got 40% so, I'd make a $400 piece cost $250 because I'd rather have $100 plus a $100 tip than to make $160, and the client paid $150 less)
Love language is beyond just romantic relationship. It is a way that people say thank you and it feels personal. It is nice to some. I think when talking about this we need to be careful when critiquing tipping cutlure: the expecation of tip and the act of tipping.
Also what do we call a tip? For example, when I was a mover people got us lunch all the time. Is this a tip?
It's just whenever I've commissioned works in the past, I tend to avoid negotiating down too much, and offer tips afterwards to garner warm feelings for follow up works.
Seems reasonable to me to have a similar attitude to tattoos.
If a plumber fucks up, its not for life. The payment is to draw on your body, the tip is for doing it to your standard.
Edit: This is why people don't answer questions in earnest on reddit. If its not blaming the GOP or a snarky remark, any answer results in personal attacks.
Its not. You pay for them to draw on your body, full stop. If you don't like the results, they don't un tattoo you. All the people with shitty tattoos would like a word.
Nah it’s just because they charge per hour, but usually have to go over the allotted time in order to achieve optimal results. Tipping just shows you understand this. At the end of the day, it is entirely optional.
If they “usually have go over” they should account for their time to do the job correctly and without rush. If they’ve been doing the job for any reasonable amount of time they know what it takes to complete a job.
I had a pool built and it wasn’t based on how many hours it took. Same with my deck and stone patio. I paid for a product, the contractor either did it under time or over time, but I still paid what was agreed upon. I did not tip him.
What a stupid comparison 😂 I gave you real insight, old man, your bitching isn’t gonna change anything. Tattoos aren’t mandatory and tipping is entirely optional. Do whatever you want buddy
I got all 4 of mine in Milan and I didn’t tip for any of them. I did get them all with the same guy though and he owns his small shop so he set his own prices and was getting all of the money from them.
My biggest confession is I really like tipping. I do really hate tipping culture.
Just like there is multiple forms of love language. I think this love language can translate to also non-eros based relationship. And giving someone money after the service as a way of saying thank you and/or showing a way of acknowledge that they went above and beyond is really sweet and nice.
Like at a restaurants. I know they are going to get paid, but for this bit I can skip the middleman and give them some money directly. I use to deliver pizza. And yes 90% of time time I got tipped. BUT I also know I got a bigger tip if I did amazing or went above and beyond
This is of course different then the tipping culture where businesses and governments assume tips will exist and the culture at large assume it and react negatively if you do not tip. That sucks. Even more that we live in a world where almost all tips are expected before service is given. Which is wild to me. It no longer feels like a tip but just a service fee. Which also means there is less ways for me a consumer to tip big if someone does an amazing job. They just get a basic 20 percent
Would you tip a nurse or doctor for doing their job? How about a receptionist when you schedule a follow-up? Do you tip your kids' teachers are parent student conferences? When the electrician shows up and does the agreed upon work for the agreed upon price? Why are certain jobs "special" and others not?
This is standard. Tipping culture has gotten out of hand, but if your artist does a good job then they absolutely deserve a tip. Do these people not tip their barber?
I tip my barber too. He only charges me $24 and I think a $30 haircut is a great value especially since I used to go to the salon for 60$ PLUS tip. I tip people who have owners over them taking a cut of the profit the employee produces. There’s exceptions tho. I tip talent, I don’t tip at dunkin or for takeout etc
That’s been a thing forever. I got my first tattoo in 2009 and tipped 50 bucks on top of the 700 tattoo. It’s not compulsory though. “Mandatory” tipping is only done in restaurants but it’s perfectly normal to throw extra cash for a job well done.
Idk I just see it as a little gift that forms a personal connection between you and the employee. There’s the bare minimum expectation of service, and then there’s what’s between the two of you.
If I notice that for whatever reason my request causes a dilemma or hiccup for them to solve, I’ll thank them for their patience. It’s about seeing the other person separate from their role as an employee or business. If I feel seen, I’ll see them.
It’s definitely very American and born out of a shared oppression (having our labor extracted). If we were all financially secure and trusted one another we wouldn’t feel the need.
The artist doing my sleeve was booked out 4-6 months in advance. So my sleeve would have taken almost 3 years to finish. But I threw in some good tips my first couple of appointments and then got a call in between appointments asking if I wanted to take over a cancellation so it was worth the extra money to cut several months off my sleeve.
1.0k
u/Aluwolf- 9h ago
You have to tip tattoo artists? What the actual fuck is going on with this country?