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Summary

A TikToker Ripped The 'Ridiculous' Logic Of Tipping In Canada & Made An Interesting Point

"Cultural bias is so fascinating."

TikToker meganruthie talking about tipping in Canada. Right: A person paying with their phone on a payment terminal.

TikToker meganruthie talking about tipping in Canada. Right: A person paying with their phone on a payment terminal.

Senior Writer

Tipping in Canada is a hot topic at the moment and one TikToker has an interesting perspective on the norm after having left the country.

TikToker @meganruthie, who says she used to be a former server in Canada, responded to the idea that people should tip more now because "minimum wage is not livable" and that eating out is a choice.

"I used to think like this," Megan explained, saying that if she couldn't afford a 15 to 18% tip on a bill, she didn't feel like she could afford to eat out.

Now that she's moved to the U.K., the TikToker says her mind has been changed.

"The cultural ideology that you need to supplement a server's wage because they're not getting paid enough is ridiculous to me now," she explained. "Cultural bias is so fascinating."

She then gave an example to highlight her point.

"When you go to the mall, do you tip the retail workers that helped you, you know, find your shoes?" she asked. "Or, you know, Sephora makeup artists for helping you find that Kat Von D lipstick?"

In Canada, we usually don't tip in those situations.

"You don't tip retail workers, yet they're getting the same wage as servers," Megan continued. "So why is it culturally appropriate to tip servers and not retail workers? Please tell me the logic."

@meganruthie

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In the comments, some mentioned that in the U.S. and some provinces, servers make less than minimum wage, but in Ontario, where Megan is from, restaurant workers make minimum wage.

Tipping in general can be a confusing subject and a recent study by Angus Reid shows that Canadians are tired of "tip-flation."

The majority of Canadians note that they're being asked to tip more often at a higher rate, and are even being asked to tip for things they previously may not have before, which is referred to as "tip-creep."

This article's cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.

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    • Senior Writer

      Sarah Rohoman (she/her) was a Senior Writer with Narcity Media. She has worked at BuzzFeed Canada, Yahoo Canada, and CBC Radio in news, lifestyle, ecommerce, and social media. She has an MA in Journalism from Western University and a BA from McGill. She loves libraries, alpacas, and all things witchy.

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