Americans Are Getting Real About Tipping Culture In The US & People Are So Uncomfortable

Tipping culture in the U.S. is vastly different from other countries. This difference has Americans sounding off on TikTok about what they think is acceptable and what isn't...and the divisive conversation appears to be costing the platform its peace.

So much so, that even Europeans who visit the States have come to the forefront to discuss the differences.

The key issue appears to be the wages servers are paid. In the U.S., waiters and waitresses get low wages in expectancy for tips to make up for the gap.

On one hand, the argument goes that it's the company's fault for underpaying its servers down to $2-4 an hour. This has customers feeling like it's not their responsibility to do what the employers should be doing.

A European creator went on to say that many people who visit the U.S. tend to be unaware that servers receive such low salaries. That being said, however, he still believes adding gratuity is optional.

"They probably thought that you was getting paid, $7-8-9/hour. Even though, you're right. You do get paid $2/hour, which, again, is not fair for you," he said. "But that's not their problem. That's the U.S. government's problem."

Other Americans are saying the industry has changed to the point where people who don't seem to even do anything, are still asking someone to tip.

A man posting from Birmingham, Alabama said on October 10 that he went to Shake Shack and didn't understand why he was getting asked to tip on the iPad screen when he just walked in and picked up his food.

He said the staff barely did anything and had him declaring that "tipping culture is getting out of hand."

Then, there's the flip side of the argument. Many creators, like @jordxn.simone, refuted these points by saying that those who don't tip aren't "sticking it to the man," but instead hurting the employee that wants to put food on their family's plate.

Tipping is what people are calling a "social contract" in the U.S. In other words, it's an unspoken agreement. They say that if you can't afford to tip then don't go out to eat.

Another creator said it's not only the staff member you're hurting, it's your own menu item prices. She explains that wages for servers are low, so restaurants can afford to buy food in bulk, so in turn, your meal doesn't cost "$22 for a burger."

TikToker @theonlyfalon explains that her job has been forced to add an automatic gratuity for this reason.

Tipping in many establishments is optional, but some even have an auto-gratuity section, and you can even add an additional tip optionally.

One thing most of the accounts commenting on the issue seemed to agree on is server treatment. If you weren't properly treated, it is okay to scale your extra bucks accordingly.

After all, TIPS stands for: To Insure Prompt Service.