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Tipping is fine when it's a reward for good service. In the US, that's not what it is most of the time. It's a way to subsidize their pay. Minimum wage for service workers should be the same as everyone else.
Sit-down service is one thing. My favorite is when I'm asked to tip for counter service at a bagel shop and I'm offered 15%/20%/25% default tip options. Nothing says tipping culture is broken quite like being asked for a 25% tip on a bagel handed across a counter.
I'm headed for Europe in the morning where tipping is as it should be. Tips are not expected (except in some tourist traps. Don't.). Typically, one might leave change or, in the case of exceptional service, a few Euros, kroner, or zloty. Waitstaff are typically professional and it is often seen as a career rather than something to do while going to school or waiting for something better.
Lucky you; would you object to being more specific? Oh, BTW, if you didn't already know: THE NEW BIOMETRICS CRAP AT OUR AIRPORTS IS OPTIONAL. Just Say No (or failing that, come as a clown)!
Flying in and out of FCO but spending time in Czech and Poland. I'm OK with the biometrics. I'm a US Global Entry holder so the government has pix, prints, and probably the results of my last colonoscopy.
You're familiar with the "boiling frog" effect, right? George Carlin's pre-TSA rant about airport-security has only gotten more potent with age. His specific complaints sure seem quaint now, but his point about their fundamental reasoning was right on the money. It's all about standards and principles: The more is conceded, the more will be demanded.
Have a good trip, and safe travels!
But I'm not French!!!
Thanks!
Somewhere along the way, tipping went from rewarding good service to subsidizing payroll. When even a simple counter purchase comes with a suggested 18%/20%/22% tip, it feels like it's gone too far.