by Camille Medley

Created on: February 09, 2010   Last Updated: February 10, 2010

Tipping, it’s not a city in China. It is actually a legitimate form of income for many service based employees in the United States. There seems to be much debate these days over the necessity of tipping. Employers could be forced to pay their employees the same minimum wage as other workers, but I fear the consequences would not be as favorable as we would like.

For starters, an increase in labor cost would obviously cause an increase in the cost of the service we are already being provided. In almost every instance those increases would probably be on average 15-20%. So really, there is no savings involved in omitting the tipping scheme from a business.

Another obvious downfall is in the quality of service. Tipped employees naturally try harder and are more willing to fulfill our requests when they know that how much money they make is based on whether or not we as their customer are satisfied.

Luxury is the base of most jobs where tipping is expected. As a consumer driven nation, we have seen this get a little out of hand. Where once we never expected someone to open our door for us, now there is a smiling attendant. All in the name of customer service according to the corporate conglomerate that put him there. We feel the need to compensate those people that are doing things for us that we are perfectly capable of doing ourselves, that’s the luxury. But where does it stop?

If you have booked a weekend of indulgence at a five star resort and spa, we should absolutely expect to tip almost every person we encounter from the time our car door is opened for us. If we are staying at a bargain priced chain, then it seems unfair to post a sentinel with a tip bucket just to open the door.

As for dining out, this too is a luxury. Many of us take it for granted because it has become such a common part of our lives. But the fact still remains that we are paying someone to host a meal for us. In such, our server is our host. There to answer questions, retrieve the things we desire and insure that our time spent with them is pleasant. We should tip according to how  well we enjoyed our experience in relation to the amount of luxury we were expecting.

We should all take the time to realize that if we are tipping at an establishment that does not seem worthy of the extra money we are paying for their service, thwn we should find another business to provide those services for us.

Learn more about this author, Camille Medley.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.