To give a tip is a choice. To accept tip is also a choice.

There are areas in this world where a tip means "Thank you for the extra effort" and not "Thank you for doing your underpaid job". Americans are full of "freedom", "greatness", "independent" ... but the majority chooses to vote for the contrary.

The haters probably work in the service industry.

That's a dumb boss move - I would have said ok, picked up my money and said to the table "drinks on me at the next bar" just to see his soul leave his eyes.

A tipping out system where a 15% tip is necessary even not to actively lose money is an absurdity. Wages that need waiters to score a 25% tip on average just to go by are nothing more than wage theft. And, of course, the omnipresent cue to "get a second job if you can't afford". No. A second job is not a sign of motivation but a sign of resignation against an absurd system of modern day slavery. I do not know when "Someone working a full time job should be able to live off it" has become a left wing extremist thought. It is NOT in the rest of the world, and it was NOT in the USA some decades ago, either.

Jeez, those YTA comments about 12% being an insult, good god... A couple months ago my friends went to NY on vacation. You know, regular tourists. One time they went to a restaurant, and a waitress started screaming at them for a tip too low for her liking. The point is that we're from Europe, and they left something like 10-15%, and she actually yelled at them in front of their 10-y-o daughter. Left me speechless when they told us about it.

a tip is a gratuity, a freely given bonus.

As someone who worked in the service industry for 7 years, that waiter was WAY out of line. While I completely understand how s****y it feels to get tipped less than 18%, that’s NEVER something you mention to the customer. You can make a lot of money in the service industry for pretty basic work. Not easy work, and it does require skill and practice, but it’s not that complex once you’ve done it for a while. In America, the mainstream expectation is that people will tip 20% at restaurants, so that’s what servers expect. From my experience, about 85% of people tip 20%. Of course, it depends what kind of restaurant you work in. All this to say, the waiter was way out of line. Bad tips happen, you just accept it and move on with it. For everyone complaining about tipping culture, how about you open a no-tip restaurant and see how it goes? Not being rude, I genuinely think it’d be a good experiment.

It's absolutely not my responsibility to subsidise a waiters wages. If I get exceptional service I will leave a tip but that's my choice.

Shame on the shop owners that expect people to tip their employees so they don't have to pay a living wage. I have been discussing this very fact with my friends. I am Gen-X and when I was growing up my father and mother (silent generation) made sure I knew a decent tip was 10%, great service was 15%. Everyone knew this. Somewhere along the line, customers are now expected to pay the wages of staff where many times I pay 20% - 30% tip. Plus some of it is just ridiculous, as someone hands you a soda from behind a counter and expects a tip.

Had an airport transport that I couldn't board because the lift was broken - at the time a partial wheelchair user. I couldn't get out of the airport to roll the mile to the hotel. My wife came back on the transport (he was doing his route, he did not make an extra trip). She helped me up the stairs and he stood there while she loaded the wheelchair (60 lbs) by herself... to be fair, he asked another passenger to help her, my wife said no thank you. When we got to the hotel, she unloaded the wheelchair and helped me off (I almost fell). She went to hand him $5 and he shoved it back at her expecting more... f**k that guy. He got $0, a negative Google review, and a written complaint to the company.

So glad we get to have the tipping culture debate for the 45th time this year. Enough repetitive, self-righteous comments and the problem will surely fix itself.

If you make the choice to become a server, then you make the choice to accept whatever, if any, tips come your way.

My father owned a restaurant. Back then the 10% was standard and 15% for great service. You don't tip on the tax. Also, you don't tip the owner of any establishment. Now, everyone wants a tip. The reason waiters are/were tipped is their lower hourly rate. Many also make out like bandits because taxes, unless they reports all tips (including cash tips) they pay an estimated amount based on their hours - the only way to estimate them. Its become insane and I only tip waiters, hairdresser and my dog groomer (I want the groomer to take care of him, so I tip her very well) the others, if they say something, I say it was a mistake and take back the check and give them nothing, but the trade is I never return there

Crazeee Americans. Obviously not all Americans just the YTA ones..I had my hair washed, cut and blow dried last week - £26. Tipped her £10 for a good cut and cutting a bob is tricky to get right, plus there are 3 gorgeous Pomeranians in the salon!

RESTAURANTS Have to take out TAXES based on a SERVERS TOTAL SALES !!! So in a Quarter if you "Sold $45,000" in Food in a quarter. The Restaurants report that to the IRS and you are being taxed at least 8% ($3,600 ) That is added to your income and you OWE Tax on that amount. Even if you did not make tips!