I disagree with introducing tipping here. It feels like the public is being asked to prop up the hospitality industry and cover for low wages. If workers aren’t being paid enough, that’s an issue employers and the government need to fix, not something customers should take on.
What do you think? Should tipping become the norm in New Zealand?
Nope. Because once you normalize tipping, you then start having conversations about how much. Before you know it, you the tipper are paying for peoples wage increases.
I’d rather pay more at the register and see people make a better working wage.
“Minimum wage is $24 or I think it’s roughly around that at the moment, and a waitress or waiter could easily make $10 in an hour, that’s about $44 in an hour, that’s pretty good - I reckon that’s pretty good money.”
I don’t trust this guy running a business… $24+$10 isn’t $44. Plus, they only make good tips during the time lots of people are there. Outside of rush hour it will be slow.
Plus his idea of cheaper prices = more people in the door is undone if he thinks they will tip high and his staff will make more than they do now. If you are attracting people with low prices rather than quality, then you will not get high tippers.
All in all, I’m gonna say that encouraging tipping in NZ is a step in the wrong direction.
The unspoken next step is to reduce minimum wage for hospo workers since they’re getting tips.
In the end this will benefit businesses not workers.
