Everyone talks about βtipping fatigueβ but no oneβs done anything about it β until now.
The Quebec government has tabled legislation which would β among other things β force restaurants to calculate tips based on the pre-tax cost of a meal.
This idea makes sense, even if the legislation does not.
There is something downright sneaky about being invited to pay a tip on the cost of a meal plus taxes.
Take some friends to dinner and agree to add a 20 per cent tip to a $200 bill, and youβre already out an extra $40.
In these parts, where we pay the highest HST in the country, the bill including taxation comes to $230, and the 20 per cent tip costs you $46.
Ouch!
Truth is many retail outlets have got way too aggressive about tipping.
The drop-down menus on those portable card-tap devices often show tipping options that start at 15 per cent, even in places without table service.
Buy a pound of coffee from a cafΓ©, and you still face pressure to add a tip on those insidious digital devices, even if youβre just running home to make your own cup of jo.
Boutique food stores that sell groceries and sit-down meals provide an opportunity to pay a tip on a bag of pasta β or look like a meany at the cash.
Does this mean the CrowsNest supports the Quebec legislation?
Heck no!
This is the same province that brought us the language police. Letβs not add a new level of state nanny-ism in la belle province.
Instead, restaurants should get back to the notion that their customers want to tip the service not the tax β and tip servers more generously when theyβre great at their job.
More widely, retails should also adapt in the face of a possible consumer revolt. (In one national poll, four out of five Canadians agreed too many locations were asking for tips.)
Yes, restaurateurs face tough times, inflationary pressures and high costs for regulatory compliance.
All the more reason to clean up their own acts before the state steps in to legislate and further regulate their businesses.