A few nights ago, I went out for sushi with a friend. At the end of the night, the bill came. We each took out a credit card and split the bill halfway, 40 euro per person.
My friend then took out two one-euro coins and put that down on the table as a tip. Out of solidarity, I reached for my pocket to see if I had any change, but my friend said, “No, no, it’s fine.”
I live in Spain, and the tipping culture here is that tipping is not required or expected. If you do leave anything, it really is “just the tip” and not half the snaking bill.
Compare that to the U.S.
I read an article in the AP last week. It said people in the U.S. are increasingly unhappy about tipping.
15% used to be standard once upon a time. Then it inched up to 18%. In most places, 20% is now standard.
Lots of automated registers now prompt you for tips. Plus tipping is spreading in situations where tips weren’t expected before, such as carryout and fast-food counters. If you want to clearly signal you were actually impressed with the food or the service, you will have to leave a 30% tip or more.
Lots of consumers feel this is getting out of control, a kind of highway brigandage at the coffee shop and the rotating sushi place.
On the other hand, you have people in the service industry, the baristas and the waitresses and the cooks, rightly pointing out that tips are how they live. It’s about paying people “what they’re owed,” said one service-industry veteran.
That AP article is worth digging up and reading, because it’s shows a war of different psychological principles — loss aversion, reactance, liking, reciprocity.
But that’s not my point for today. My point is simply that at the end of the AP article, there’s a quote from a consumer who’s complaining.
It’s the company’s job to pay, he says.
That’s foolish. Just the opposite. It’s the company’s job not to pay.
Some companies even advertise good tips in their job listings. “Somebody else will pay you well for doing this job,” they are saying, “but it ain’t gonna be us.”
This might make you feel frustrated as a consumer, or outraged if you work at a tippable job.
And maybe you’re right, whichever side you’re on. But here’s where I will make a suggestion you might find despicable:
Take that frustration and outrage, and instead of stewing there with your arms crossed, channel it into something valuable for you.
Get yourself into a similar position to those despicable companies, of not having to pay anything yourself, but passing on your expenses to others.
You might wonder what I’m on about. So let me tell you.
Marketer Dan Kennedy has a story of getting his million-dollar-plus divorce settlement. Dan says:
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I’ve never taken a pay cut. Somebody whacks me with a new tax, somebody else is gonna pay it. I’m not.
Exact same attitude about my divorce settlement. It’s why it didn’t really bother me. I said, I don’t know exactly who’s gonna pay this, but it ain’t gonna be me.
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Dan wasn’t bothered by his divorce settlement because he’s in a position of “income at will.”
In other words, when Dan got the ugly news of the millions of dollars he was suddenly supposed to pay to his ex-wife, he started thinking about creating a bunch of new offers — high-priced seminars, diamond-level coaching, marriage counseling services.
And then he advertised those new offers to his list, or as he likes to call it, his herd.
The herd ended up paying for the divorce, not Dan.
So start thinking about how to get yourself into a similar situation.
Because really, the only way to fully protect yourself against inflation… and out-of-control tips… and new tax bills… and ugly divorce settlements… is to put yourself into a position where you don’t have to be the one to pay any of that.
And if you want some free advice on how to do that, you might want to get on my email list. Click here to sign up.