Script:

Episode 18: Tipping culture in Canada

Hello, everyone. Welcome back. Today I am going to talk about the tipping culture in Canada.

I just finished reading an article about tipping in the United States. It says many U.S. consumers think it is getting out of control. This article inspired me to write about tipping here in Canada. I live in Toronto. I am not sure if the tipping culture is the same in other provinces but I would assume so.

Before digital payment with tipping options became popular, people left small change in the little tray on the table. The waiter could see how much tips you paid. Unlike in some countries, we pay at our table in a restaurant, not at the front of the restaurant where the cash register is. When we finish our meal, we ask the waiter, “can we have the bill please?” The waiter will bring the portable credit card machine to the table. The options for tips are prompted -  15%, 20% , other amount or “skip”. In some places, “skip” is not an option. I always press other amount and type in 10% to 12% depending on my satisfaction level. Actually, 10-12% is considered pretty low. 15-20% is the norm here. But with the rising prices, I really don’t want to spend money on tips.

These days, services that didn’t have a gratuity option before, now have one.

I took my dog to the groomer last Saturday, the price was $110 for the service. With 13% tax and 10% tip, I paid over $130. The groomer did an excellent job, but isn’t it her job to do an excellent job?

Same with other businesses. A server’s job in a restaurant is to serve customers. Why do we need to pay extra for the person to do a good job?

I guess one advantage for us customers is that, if there is no tipping system, then the wages of servers will be higher, which will be reflected on the prices of our meals.

The other problem is that with personal services like haircut, how much tip should you pay? If the haircut costs $50, isn’t paying $5, which is 10%, or $7 (which is less than 15%) a bit embarrassing? Paying $10 for a $50 haircut is just too much.

Tipping, whether done digitally or not, causes consumers a lot of stress.

The tipping culture is just outrageous!

Vocabulary

Prompt – to bring about an action

Norm – something that is usual and standard.

Gratuity - tip

Outrageous – shockingly bad