this post was submitted on 22 Mar 2026
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I know that some American tourists actually do this, on giving servers cash tips as if they're underpaid by their employer (since they're used to it in the USA along with growing up with that mindset) but overlook the fact that servers are paid the minimum wage in the EU, as it's not "typically" the norm. This practice is being exported it seems, in another region where that isn't common.

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[โ€“] phoenixz@lemmy.ca 6 points 1 hour ago

Absofuckinglutely not

[โ€“] Nibodhika@lemmy.world 3 points 1 hour ago

No, GTFO with tipping culture, people should be paid a living wage.

[โ€“] aloofPenguin@piefed.world 8 points 2 hours ago
[โ€“] winni@piefed.social 8 points 2 hours ago

no.
This is a bad habit and should not bwe imported.
Prices are clearly stated including proper service.
If proper service is not included I go somewhere else

[โ€“] potatodraws@lemmy.world 2 points 1 hour ago
[โ€“] SorteKanin@feddit.dk 41 points 5 hours ago (1 children)

Short answer: No.

Long answer: Noooooooooooooooooooooo

[โ€“] MrPommeroy@piefed.social 2 points 1 hour ago

://www.nooooooooooooooooooooooooo.com

[โ€“] ArfArfWoof@europe.pub 59 points 6 hours ago
[โ€“] PTM@europe.pub 27 points 5 hours ago

No, we have a habit of paying salaries to staff

[โ€“] tiredofsametab@fedia.io 43 points 5 hours ago (1 children)

Absolutely not. Some groups are trying to do that shit here in Japan so they can stop paying a proper wage and pass off costs to consumers. It's awful.

~ someone who spent years as a tipped employee

[โ€“] War5oldier@lemmy.world 4 points 5 hours ago* (last edited 5 hours ago) (1 children)

I've heard from a friend of mine who works in the service industry over there: it's a pain in the ass for businesses due to how taxes work in Japan, as they're required to disclose the tipped money (otherwise it may be tagged as tax evasion) alongside it being divided amongst employees. What makes it worse, is that in most cases they place either ยฅ5000 or ยฅ10000 bills inside the tip jar.

[โ€“] tiredofsametab@fedia.io 4 points 5 hours ago

Legally this is true in the US. In practice, people claim enough to hit "real" minimum wage and no one usually cares (until that tipped employee needs to prove income for a loan or something and they're screwed)

[โ€“] T00l_shed@lemmy.world 48 points 6 hours ago
[โ€“] Mosfar@sh.itjust.works 3 points 3 hours ago
[โ€“] CallMeAl@piefed.zip 24 points 5 hours ago

No, absolutely not

[โ€“] hendrik@palaver.p3x.de 16 points 5 hours ago* (last edited 5 hours ago)

You mean should we normalize not paying people for their work and some customer has to chip in? Definitely not. Labour is supposed to be compensated by a wage. A tip is something that comes on top. Voluntarily. It's supposed to be a nice extra for extraordinary service or something like that. Or if you have enough money and the pizza delivery boy doesn't, but he bicycled all the way and also brought the pizza up the stairs 3 levels to your apartment. Of course you'll give them 2โ‚ฌ for that. But at the same time they're supposed to earn some wage that enables them to pay their rent.

Also has to do with taxation. If someone gifts you something, you don't really have to pay taxes on that. If it's a crude form of a salary, you need to pay taxes on it.

[โ€“] tangible@piefed.social 13 points 5 hours ago

Absolutely not.

[โ€“] birdwing@lemmy.blahaj.zone 17 points 5 hours ago
[โ€“] CyberEgg@discuss.tchncs.de 12 points 5 hours ago

Tipping is quite normalized, at least in Germany. Just not the american tipping culture that substitutes wages. But it is very normal to round up bills in gastronomy, or add some cash when someone went above and beyond expected service and stuff. Like when I order takeaway and the delivery is made by bike during unpleasant weather conditions (don't order during dangerous weather!).
I personally like it like this as a way to appreciate extra effort. The american tipping culture I feel encourages staff to be kind of unnecessarily subservient and guests to feel superior as the staff's income depends on a guest's mood, basically. It tips over the power balance.

[โ€“] roserose56@lemmy.zip 14 points 5 hours ago* (last edited 5 hours ago) (1 children)

No, if you want to tip, you tip, no one should force you tip. I generally like to tip, but it's up to the person.

[โ€“] CAVOK@lemmy.world 3 points 4 hours ago

In my view tipping is the first step towards corruption. It makes it acceptable to pay a little bit extra to get a benefit.

Fuck that shit. Tipping is a horrible practice that should be illegal IMHO.

[โ€“] gabelstapler@feddit.org 3 points 4 hours ago

The American tipping madness had already arrived in Europe: A week ago I was in a self service restaurant. The cashier told me to push the Green button of I wanted to give a tip.

What for? I tipped myself for carrying the trays without spilling anything...

[โ€“] SrMono@feddit.org 7 points 5 hours ago (1 children)

Every European country has its own valid culture of tipping. Some consider tipping unfriendly or even hostile.

In Germany you used to gratify a special service or outstanding servers.

Sadly this gets americanized already.

[โ€“] Shadow79@piefed.social 3 points 5 hours ago (1 children)

How much are servers paid in Germany? Even if they received tips, is it tax free?

[โ€“] SrMono@feddit.org 3 points 5 hours ago (1 children)

Depends on the business. Weโ€™ve got a ridiculous minimum wage of 13,90โ‚ฌ . Most honest restaurant collect the tips and split them, so that the cooking staff receives something as well.

For employees the tip is tax free. Businesses owner have to pay taxes.

With the most tips being payed via card (10-25% preselectable), I doubt that the staff sees any of it.

[โ€“] Shadow79@piefed.social 1 points 5 hours ago (1 children)

I've heard that in some American restaurants, the employer withholds the server's entire tips (aka. owner robbing them of their money just to put in their own pockets) meaning the server gets nothing. That shit is illegal in the EU if one tries to pull that off.

[โ€“] SrMono@feddit.org 1 points 4 hours ago

It is illegal but common practice.

[โ€“] AnchoriteMagus@lemmy.world 3 points 5 hours ago* (last edited 5 hours ago)

Not unless Europe is somehow also under the illusion that they should reduce restaurant wages to a fraction of the legal minimum.

Tipping in the US is to make up for their atrocious low wages. EU workers don't face the same wage stagnation.

[โ€“] JohnnyEnzyme@piefed.social 4 points 5 hours ago

Whatever usefulness it might theoretically have, forcing customers to pay employees' salaries has generally been an exploitative disaster in the States, and just one more feature of late-stage capitalism. Sure, it's always possible to find some outlier jobs in which one can indeed make good coin from a tip system, but the point is that such cases are the outliers.

[โ€“] Hond@piefed.social 2 points 5 hours ago

I worked enough shitty customer facing jobs that i feel inclined to sometimes give a tip. But just because i know it will make their miserable day on the job a bit better and not because its expected so eg the server can afford rent.