You wouldn’t be wrong to think that tipping someone is, very simply, a way to financially support someone whose job is on the lower end of the spectrum pay-wise. But it’s not just that. It’s also a way of showing someone you appreciate and value their work, especially if they go the extra mile.

But the concept of tipping presents quite a bit of nuance on multiple levels, notwithstanding moral and ethical dilemmas. One Redditor recently sparked a conversation about it, sharing his experience of rich vs. not-so-rich folk’s tipping habits.

More Info: Reddit

Tipping seems to be one of those social norms the definition of which varies wildly depending on who you ask

Image credits: Tom Fisk (not the actual photo)

This time, it’s a matter of the rich vs. the poor with who tips more, and according to this Redditor, the rich are not keen on it

Image credits: Brandononeil94

In his two years of working as an appliance delivery guy, not once was he ever tipped by a rich guy, but always by folk from lower-income neighborhoods

Image credits: cottonbro studio (not the actual photo)

A Redditor by the nickname of u/Brandononeil94 shared an interesting observation from the two years he’s been an appliance delivery courier in Montana. He noticed how rich people don’t tip him, whereas folks from lower-income neighborhoods do so on the regular.

This comes after having recently visited a giant mansion not too far from the city of Butte. OP explained that he had a hard time delivering an appliance up the many steps into the home. He did exchange courtesies with the owner’s wife in the form of compliments aimed at the house and all that jazz.

Turns out, the owners bought up half of uptown Butte, renovated the buildings and whatnot—had to raise rent somewhere there, despite it being “such a blessing for the town”—and then just sent OP on his way.

Now, granted, OP never expected a tip. But he did note that folks from lower income neighborhoods always tip him for his work, but rich communities (he noted Big Sky and Bozeman) never do, sparking a conversation in the comments.

Image credits: Nicola Barts (not the actual photo)

Comments varied wildly in their content, with the most popular approach being tipping appliance delivery people is a thing? More on that later, but OP has noted that he gets tipped, so, yeah, it’s a thing.

Others, however, attempted to answer the question at hand. For one, people who earn less typically get what hard work is and they appreciate it. Another Redditor dumped it all on the fact that tipping culture is weird in general, and being told a specific price, there is an assumption that the cost of labor has been added and hence no need for a tip.

This one commenter detailed that many rich folk understand that tipping is subsidizing the wages for large corporations. It’s actually what the companies ought to be paying their employees. But since they’ll get a bigger wage considering tips anyway, piggybacking on this culture is what more or less allows them to abuse the system that way. And this ultimately allows corporations to earn more.

Circling back to the first point made—is tipping couriers a thing?—one commenter used it to explain that it might have just been the very unlucky case of these particular people, coincidentally being rich, who simply did not know they should tip OP’s profession in the first place.

Image credits: cottonbro studio (not the actual photo)

Saying that tipping culture is wild is also a bit of an understatement because it’s culture. It’s not law, not a rule, but a social norm of sorts, without much specificity and a lot of nuance. If you don’t believe that, consider the idea of tipping jars placed next to self-checkout terminals. Yeah, it’s that wild.

If you do want to make sense of the tipping culture, consider AARP’s guide to tipping. It proposes a very simple and clear-cut rule of supporting those who support you. While it can be hard to pin-point who should and should not be on that list, ultimately it’s anyone who makes your life easier: at-home and childcare workers, caregivers, house cleaners, dog walkers, mail and delivery couriers, and the like. This is besides all the more traditional trades like waiters, hairdressers, and taxi drivers.

As for the question of how much?, it depends on the industry. Though, it all still ultimately boils down to how much you think you should tip, but here goes: 15%-20% for restaurants workers and bartenders, 15%-20% for food delivery (depending on the distance, etc.), 15%-20% for hotel room service (if not included in the price), 10%-20% for beauty services, same for massage, 15%-20% for taxi drivers and chauffeurs, while many trade-based vocations like mechanics, furniture movers and appliance deliverers, plumbers and other handymen never expect a tip, but a rounded $5, $10, or $20 tip at your discretion is a thing in some places.

But, because this is the internet and because these are all cultural things, the conversations continue and so we’d love to hear your thoughts on anything and everything that you’ve read here today in the comment section below!

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