Though most wait staff basically "live" off of their tips, the reason why they say that is because their boss doesn't pay them enough. Sometimes wait staff gets paid below minimum wage. "... tipping, Jayaraman says, isn't merely problematic in its current, contemporary context. The practice is abhorrent from a historical perspective, too" (Jayaraman). Tipping was based on not fully paying employees the minimum wage. The national average for tipping is $2.15 per hour. It greats a two-tiered system. "of the seven lowest paying jobs in America, four are tipped occupations. So even including tips, restaurant workers make up four of the ten lowest paying jobs in America" (Jayaraman).
When rich Americans traveled to Europe, they wanted to show off just how much they had learned from the country. Back in the 1850s and 1860s, they tipped 15-20% for restaurant workers, which make up 75% of the workforce when it came to employees that were tipped. The other 25% were employees of nail salons and valet. "... that freedom to exercise discretion, to leave as little or as much as you wish--is why tipping has flourished as a social institution." (Surowiecki). As someone who loves tips for gas, In-n-Out, or getting coffee from Starbucks, tipping should be banned because no one should be making below minimum wage. We should follow California and the other 7 states that have banned being paid below minimum wage, especially for tipped workers.
There are some systems of tipping where employees are paid $4.00 per hour plus tips. If their tips don't match up to the minimum wage that is set at $8.25, then every hour they work is $4.00 per hour. That's a crappy way to work. Getting rid of tipping can help everyone legally and makes sure everyone gets paid.
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