Editing Gratuity (section)

==Criticisms==

===Inconsistency of percentage-based gratuities===
[[File:William Powell Frith The crossing sweeper 1893.jpg|thumb|200px|[[Crossing sweeper]]s cleared the way for rich people to cross the road without dirtying their clothes and they were normally tipped for this service (London, 1893), while the modern version of this service are so-called '[[Squeegee man|squeegee men]]' who clean windshields during the time vehicles are stopped for traffic lights (often without the consent of the driver).]]
In countries where tipping is the norm, some employers pay workers with the expectation that their wages will be supplemented by tips. Some have criticized the inherent "social awkwardness" in transactions that involve tipping, the inconsistency of tipping for some services but not similar ones, and the irrationality of basing tips on price, rather than the amount and quality of service (a customer pays a larger tip to a server bringing a lobster rather than a hamburger, for example).<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/from_our_own_correspondent/7927983.stm|title=The mechanics of tipping US-style|date=2009-03-07|work=BBC News|access-date=2010-03-28}}</ref> Also in countries where tips are not paid by most but where many do, managers tell new waiters that the salary might not be so high but there will be tips, meaning that waiters get little reward for serving customers who do not pay a tip.

===Travellers following home rather than local customs===
Some nationalities, such as people from the United States, are used to paying tips, and often do so even when they visit countries where this is less of a norm. In contrast, tourists from such countries may neglect or even refuse to pay tips when they visit countries such as the US where tips are expected. This is particularly common in American cities along the Canadian border, and is seen as a problem by many in the hospitality sector.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Byrnes |first1=Mark |title=Are Canadian Tourists Bad Tippers? |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-05-04/are-canadians-bad-tippers |access-date=30 May 2021 |work=Bloomberg CityLab |publisher=Bloomberg |date=4 May 2015 |ref=Citylab}}</ref>

===Discomfort===
Tipping might be discomforting to some people because it adds the necessity of figuring out the tip amount each time, which is made harder by the fact that the tip amount the service provider is hoping to receive, is in general, unknown to the customer. A lack of or too low a tip might offend the service provider, this adds the discomfort of creating an unpleasant social encounter to each service transaction which might involve the expectation of tipping.
Tipping might be discomforting also to some service providers as they might view it as derogating to their occupation, as "a token of inferiority".<ref>{{cite news |last1=Rev. Dr. Barber II |first1=William J. |title=The Racist History of Tipping |url=https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2019/07/17/william-barber-tipping-racist-past-227361/ |access-date=23 July 2021 |work=Politico Magazine |publisher=Politico |date=17 July 2019 |ref=Politico}}</ref> William Scott in his ''The Itching Palm''<ref name="The Itching Palm">{{cite book |last1=Scott |first1=William R. |title=The Itching Palm: A Study of the Habit of Tipping in America |date=1916 |publisher=The Penn Publishing Company |location=Philadelphia |page=51 |url=https://www.gutenberg.org/files/33170/33170-h/33170-h.htm}}</ref> study wrote: "The relation of a man giving a tip and a man accepting it is as undemocratic as the relation of master and slave. A citizen in a republic ought to stand shoulder to shoulder with every other citizen, with no thought of cringing, without an assumption of superiority or an acknowledgment of inferiority".

===Discrimination===
In the episode of the ''[[Freakonomics Radio|Freakonomics]]'' [[podcast]] Lynn found that "attractive waitresses get better tips than less attractive waitresses. Men’s appearance, not so important". Lynn's research also found that "blondes get better tips than brunettes. Slender women get better tips than heavier women. Large breasted women get better tips than smaller breasted women. Surprisingly, at least in the studies I’ve done, women in their 30s get better tips than either younger or older women.” A woman server interviewed for the podcast episode stated: "lost my job because my manager said that I didn’t fit the look of the company, or the restaurant. So I don’t know if it was because I’m a lot more curvier than the other girls or because my skin is darker. I don’t know".<ref name="freak" />

Lynn states of tipping: "It’s [[Discrimination|discriminatory]]. Yes, and the [[Supreme Court of the United States|Supreme Court]] has ruled that even neutral business practices that are not intended to discriminate, if they have the effect of adversely impacting a [[Protected group|protected class]] are illegal. And so it’s not inconceivable to me that there will be a [[class-action lawsuit]] on the part of ethnic minority waiters and waitresses claiming discrimination in terms of employment. And it’s conceivable that tipping might be declared illegal on that basis.”<ref name="freak" />