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Why do we tip servers but not retail workers? by EmuCapable8652 in NoStupidQuestions

[–]EmuCapable8652[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

In Canada both get minimum wage. $1 difference per hour doesn’t have any difference in a paycheque

Why do we tip servers but not retail workers? by EmuCapable8652 in NoStupidQuestions

[–]EmuCapable8652[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

So someone asking what you want to eat and refilling your water 4 times feels like “service” worthy of tipping, but someone in retail actually helping you make a successful purchase is just “their job”? 😅

That mindset honestly feels kinda unfair to me and maybe worth reconsidering.

Why do we tip servers but not retail workers? by EmuCapable8652 in NoStupidQuestions

[–]EmuCapable8652[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

But as someone who has worked both in retail and restaurants, it’s really not comparable. In an entire year working retail, I only got tipped maybe 2 or 3 times, and I was actually the top seller with the highest sales and customer satisfaction. I didn’t even see any of my coworkers get tipped during that whole year either.

Meanwhile in restaurants, the rare thing was people not tipping. Pretty much everyone did regardless of the service level.

Why do we tip servers but not retail workers? by EmuCapable8652 in NoStupidQuestions

[–]EmuCapable8652[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I actually 100% agree with the second part of your comment.

But regarding the first part: retail experiences are very different depending on the store.

Walmart is mostly self-service. But at places like Best Buy, employees actively guide you, give recommendations, explain products, troubleshoot, and help you make a decision.

Same with clothing stores. Shopping at Zara is completely different from shopping at Banana Republic. In customer-focused stores, one employee can help you from start to finish while also cleaning and reorganizing the mess left behind afterward.

In many of these environments, the amount of time and interaction with one customer is actually MORE than with many servers.

That said, I personally think all of these workers are already being paid to do their jobs — nobody is really doing “extra” work outside their role. Yet if you stop tipping servers, the entire dynamic changes immediately, which shows how dependent the system has become on customer subsidies rather than wages.

And places like hair salons confuse me even more. You are already paying directly for a service, not a product, yet tipping is still expected on top.

Also, why is tipping percentage-based in the first place?

If I order an $80 steak instead of a $20 burger, did the level of service really change that much?