• That’s not true in the US. They have a tipped minimum wage; there, if you’re not tipping you’re stealing someone’s labour.

      It is a sucky system, as the buried lede in that article shows:

      However, data from the very checkout system that prompted tipping revealed disparities in pay. Neitzel noticed that Black employees were earning less tips than their White counterparts.

      But, until it is burned to the ground, that is the system and (in the US) you should not use it to exploit people.

      • Technically the employer is stealing their labour, the customer is paying the advertised price in a perfectly legal exchange.

        If the staff don’t like this, they need to unionise and fight the employer to pay a proper living wage.

      • Some areas in the US have tipped minimum wage. Some areas have an actual minimum wage that is paid regardless of tips. Don’t accuse others of exploiting people when it is truly the employer backed up by the local state law. Blame your state and do something about it.