IMHO if we want to get rid of tips the way to go about it is to pick a date (for example January 1st 2026) then agree to stop tipping on that date. Hard and fast stop doing it. Stores can raise their prices to compensate.
The problem is that it is very hard to make this change incrementally. Because individuals are considered assholes if they don’t tip enough. So we all sort of got to get together and agree to it. Of course it will be hard to publicize this because big media companies are all owned by the rich that benefit by paying minimum wage workers less with the excuse that they can get tips.
By agree do you mean pass a law that bans tipping? Because there’s no such thing as “everyone agrees to do X” and then “everyone does X” when you’re talking about millions of people.
No, I don’t mean a law. I don’t even know how you would make this a law. You can already legally just walk away. Maybe you can have a law that the “no tip” option on card machines must be at least as easy as the tip option or something.
There is no such thing as “everyone”, but you only need a tipping point. Maybe 1/3 of people or similar. You just need enough awareness so that it isn’t considered incredibly rude or outrageous, that most retail workers will understand what is happening and the businesses will see it coming. It definitely wouldn’t be easy, that is why I would put the target date far in advance (maybe next January is actually too close). So that cultural knowledge could slowly be built and enough people to make a difference would switch at the same time.
I think people are reducing their tipping but not in the way you expect: they’re reducing their frequency of restaurant visits instead. I see so many restaurants operating on skeleton crews now. They all seem to be having a very difficult time keeping staff while their rents soar due to rising real estate prices.
Maybe in some areas. But in downtown Toronto tons of restaurants are super busy, and delivery orders seem through the roof. But this also doesn’t really solve the tipping problem, it seems pretty orthogonal.
IMHO if we want to get rid of tips the way to go about it is to pick a date (for example January 1st 2026) then agree to stop tipping on that date. Hard and fast stop doing it. Stores can raise their prices to compensate.
The problem is that it is very hard to make this change incrementally. Because individuals are considered assholes if they don’t tip enough. So we all sort of got to get together and agree to it. Of course it will be hard to publicize this because big media companies are all owned by the rich that benefit by paying minimum wage workers less with the excuse that they can get tips.
By agree do you mean pass a law that bans tipping? Because there’s no such thing as “everyone agrees to do X” and then “everyone does X” when you’re talking about millions of people.
No, I don’t mean a law. I don’t even know how you would make this a law. You can already legally just walk away. Maybe you can have a law that the “no tip” option on card machines must be at least as easy as the tip option or something.
There is no such thing as “everyone”, but you only need a tipping point. Maybe 1/3 of people or similar. You just need enough awareness so that it isn’t considered incredibly rude or outrageous, that most retail workers will understand what is happening and the businesses will see it coming. It definitely wouldn’t be easy, that is why I would put the target date far in advance (maybe next January is actually too close). So that cultural knowledge could slowly be built and enough people to make a difference would switch at the same time.
I think people are reducing their tipping but not in the way you expect: they’re reducing their frequency of restaurant visits instead. I see so many restaurants operating on skeleton crews now. They all seem to be having a very difficult time keeping staff while their rents soar due to rising real estate prices.
Maybe in some areas. But in downtown Toronto tons of restaurants are super busy, and delivery orders seem through the roof. But this also doesn’t really solve the tipping problem, it seems pretty orthogonal.