04-18-2020, 02:55 PM
(04-18-2020, 11:16 AM)robdrimmie Wrote:(04-18-2020, 10:05 AM)ijmorlan Wrote: The other thing about tip inflation that is irritating is that because the amount is already a percentage, inflation is automatically taken into account. Where does it stop? 33% tip? 40%? 50%?
You assume that minimum wages is indexed on something that tracks inflation. That's only the case in 7 provinces and territories [1] now, and in 17 states as of 2018 [2]. Tip inflation is the way that restaurant staff start approaching living wages. It's irritating to us because we are consumers trained by a capitalist society to devalue labour and to dislike paying the full cost of the services and products we consume.
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minimum_wage_in_Canada
[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minimum_wa...n_indexing
No, tip inflation annoys me because the whole concept of pseudo-mandatory tipping is insane, and increasing the percentage is going in the wrong direction. Also given the level of economic and mathematical ignorance I see, it is entirely believable that some people believe that a percentage price naturally should be expected to increase with inflation. And finally as a buyer I expect to negotiate with my seller (the restaurant), not with my seller’s suppliers (the servers).