How easily could I just not go to places that require tipping, in the USA? Would I have to always eat at home or fast food? Can I still go to Starbucks and other like it? Would I have to avoid getting a haircut or other such services?
I know that I legally never have to tip, but the question is about wheter or not I could avoid the expectation of tipping.
I want to clarify that I did tip people while in the USA. I also dont intend to judge people who tip, or who believe that tipping is a good thing. This is just a hypothetical.
30 comments
>How easily could I just not go to places that require tipping, in the USA?
Easily
>Would I have to always eat at home or fast food?
Yes, for the most part. You could go someplace and not tip, but that it’s a dickish thing to do
>Can I still go to Starbucks and other like it?
Yup. I never tip barristas.
>Would I have to avoid getting a haircut or other such services?
Yes.
The only places you SHOULD tip is a restaraunt with servers and the bar.
Starbucks, delis, whatever, are not places where typing is an expected part of the social contract.
Other than a haircut, eating at a restaurant would be very simple. If it’s full service, just avoid it. Simple at that! Lots of casual and fast casual restaurants to choose from. Although the point of sale might display a tip option, you don’t have to tip. I think it’s just in the software.
If I were in your country and decided that I didn’t want to follow your customs, that I felt I was above them, or better than that, what would you think of me? You’d probably think something along the lines of, “typical American”, whatever that’s supposed to mean. You’d expect me to follow your rules.
Here you are, though, doing just that while trying to find ways to avoid following our customs. When in Rome, do as the Romans do.
You can easily not tip, but you can never go back.
Not easily. Taxis, haircuts, non-fast-food takeout, and barista-made coffee drinks all carry a tipping expectation. So does any stay at a hotel (housekeeping AND bellhops), bar service, any sit-down restaurant.
So you can stay with a friend and take public transit to sporting events, I suppose. But you should still bring a hospitality gift for your host.
Well, in general in my experience
Don’t go to a sit down restaurant.
Don’t get food delivered.
Don’t get a professional haircut
Don’t stay at hotels, especially if you have a lot of luggage.
As a general rule, if you are just picking up food from a restaurant and it’s a normal sized order, you don’t need to tip though I usually do if it’s a large order or during peak hours. Typically smaller than if I came in to sit down though.
Those are the big ones I have noticed in my life but I’m sure there are others.
No restaurants, taxis, hipster coffee spots, food delivery, or bars
If you order from a counter or kiosk you don’t need to tip despite the machine prompting you for one when you pay with card.
If you’re fine with just eating fast food or eating at home it’s very easy to go without tipping for the most part. I maybe eat at a restaurant where I have to tip twice a month and then give a tip when I get a haircut. Aside from the odd Uber ride to/from the airport those are the only times I really have to tip.
Basically don’t use anything that is a direct service to you, so sure.
As a tourist doing touristy things, I think that would be exceptionally hard. You’d never use a rideshare/taxi? Never eat at a sit down restaurant?
Personally, when I travel in the US I’m more liberal with tipping than I am at home. At home, coffee is “change in the bucket” or a $1 if I’m feeling generous, but often is nothing. But if my stupid tourist ass is holding up the line gawking at an unfamiliar coffee shop menu, then yeah I’m almost always going to throw in a buck or two as a sign of appreciation.
Pretty easy to avoid the expectation of tipping. You’d really just miss out on some good restaurants and breweries/bars. And if you’re here for long enough, I guess haircuts too.
Some people have said don’t go to hotels but hotels would be fine. I’ve never been to a hotel with a bellhop, and they’re probably only at expensive places. Even if they’re there, just decline the service.
But by just getting a rental car or using public transport if that’s an option, buying your food at the grocery store or eating at fast food restaurants or restaurants without table service, you’ll avoid the vast majority of times you’d be expected to tip while on vacation. I don’t recommend it but it’s possible to do.
As long as you don’t eat at any sit down restaurant I suppose you would be fine. You don’t need to tip for Starbucks because it’s carry out. Hair Dressers traditionally do get a tip. Pizza delivery gets a tip.
It’s pretty much understood that you tip at a sit down restaurant and usually when you get a haircut or other similar service like that but other than that, you’re good.
Don’t feel obligated to tip at somewhere like Starbucks or McDonalds if that’s what you’re asking. Just make sure you tip at an actual sit down restaurant where a waiter physically serves you. It would be incredibly dick-ish not to since they rely on those tips to make a living
> Would I have to always eat at home or fast food?
The distinction would be more if it’s a counter-service restaurant or a sit-down restaurant.
If you order in a line at the front cashier, get your food from them when it’s ready, and seat yourself if you want to eat there – you generally don’t need to tip.
If a waiter comes to your table and takes your order, you do need to tip.
There are plenty of good, independent places with the former model, but they are generally at the more informal end of the spectrum.
> Can I still go to Starbucks and other like it?
Tipping baristas is not something socially mandatory, although the more complicated your drink/order the more that would be somewhat expected. There’s a difference between ordering a cup of coffee and some drink monstrosity with 20 tweaks.
> Would I have to avoid getting a haircut or other such services?
Tipping is expected at haircuts. I can’t think of many other services where it’s expected, though. Massage, nail salon, etc – also yes.
You can do things in a way that you don’t have to tip very often.
I cut and style my own hair. I don’t eat at restaurants much or go to coffee shops or bars. I don’t take taxis or ubers. I don’t use a delivery service like door dash. I don’t often stay in hotels. I live in a more rural area so a lot of services people might tip for just are not part of my daily life.
Pretty easily. It’s basically just bars and restaurants with table service where tipping is expected. A place like Starbucks would not expect tips.
Why is it such a big deal? Just go ahead and tip
You could eat at fast food places or fast casual places without worrying about tipping. Traditional table service type of place is going to require tipping.
A lot of places have a tip jar out there but tipping isn’t very common. Starbucks falls into this type of situation.
Pretty much every barber or hair stylist would require tipping.
That said, it’s murkier than that and there are exceptions to every rule. There are more and more table service restaurants that pay their servers a regular wage and customers don’t tip.
Of course more and more places are asking for tips these days. I hit an ice cream shop and sandwich shop. Both fall into the fast casual type of place and both had a POS system asking for a tip. Now that I think about it the last time I ordered Chipotle for pickup there was a tip section in the checkout too.
You certainly could get away without tipping. People do it. They’re just viewed as assholes.
No, you don’t have to tip -unless an automatic gratuity is included in the bill. But keep in mind that the service industry in most cities is pretty small and incestuous. A known bad tipper will.quickly be known around town as a bad customer. So while you are not required to tip, you’ll also have no leg to stand on when you whine about bad customer service or rude Americans, because you signed up for that by refusing to abuse the norms of your host culture.
Rule of thumb: Is someone bringing the food to your table and then cleaning the table when you leave? If not, you don’t have to tip. Yes, the digital register machines with touchscreens have been prompting for tips *everywhere* like Starbucks, you can ignore them, they’re bullshit. Wouldn’t surprise me if the staff don’t even see those tips anyway.
Hotel rooms you do typically tip, but again it’s not required, you can simply forgo it. Same with taxis and the like.
Get take out. Depends where you’re going but there’s plenty of decent food options that don’t require tipping.
Don’t get a hair cut.
Don’t get delivery.
Hotels, mmm well make sure you carry your own bags and don’t use the valet. Housekeeping you could just not tip or stay at places that don’t even have it, some motels etc 🤷♂️
Don’t drink or eat at a bar either.
Easily if you don’t ever expect to go back to the same place again.
People remember bad tippers (I speak from experience).
Not easily. Tipping expectations became more pervasive as post-pandemic inflation set in and exploitative business owners refused to raise their advertised price, raise their employees’ pay, and expect them to rely more heavily on tips.
Starbucks asks for a tip on the app every time I order. Their employees make minimum $15/hour. I’m not a tightwad, but I am also not tipping someone who gets paid $15/hour to mix some cream in my drip coffee. Things are getting out of control.
Most places here *don’t* embed a gratuity in the bill. But it is kind of a dick move not to tip. See the conversation at the start of Reservoir Dogs.
Don’t be cheap OP, tipping doesn’t cost much
Avoid bars completely. If you’re concerned about being confronted over not tipping, a bar would be the most likely place for that to happen. Bartenders, bouncers, and cocktail servers don’t typically tolerate rude guests. Not tipping after ordering a drink at the bar itself will also greatly reduce your ability to get the next drink.
If you want advice on where to go where tips are not expected, that’s cool and I understand. If you’re merely looking to flout social conventions, you’re being an absolute jerk.
You don’t have to tip anywhere. There’s no law in the US requiring you to tip that I’m aware of. So you can pretty much do whatever you want and never tip, it’s just considered rude.
You could just not tip but thats generally considered to be extremely rude and should only be done if you are truly dissatisfied with the service
Stay at lower end hotels. Rent a car or use the (scarce) public transit. Don’t get a haircut. Don’t go to a cafe. Don’t eat at any restaurant apart from fast food.