People frequently tip my BMW dealer courtesy van driver $5 or more. Am I a cheapskate for not tipping?

[pbonsalb]

It is not just corporate greed though I agree there has a massive amount of that and have seen the data on Walmart. A 2023 Rand study showed that about 26% of U.S. military enlisted personnel families are food insecure and that some access benefits like food stamps.

I recall about 30 years ago there was a big move to take full time jobs with benefits and break them down into part time jobs with no benefits. The way job growth was defined, the new part time jobs counted so there were more jobs created than taken away and the politicians claimed credit.

Maybe the politicians could work on fixing social security, balancing the budget, or reducing the national debt, things they are all aware of and have known about for years if not decades yet ignored and ducked at every opportunity.

[afadeev]

Originally Posted by mjr24

No loaner? No tip.
If they are too cheap to buy cars for loaners then they should pay a better wage for their van driver.

So, you don't like the dealer owner's strategic investments, and take it out on the lowest paid hourly employee at said dealership!
Right - makes perfect sense - THAT will show THEM!

Kewl.

a

[BavarianPretzel]

OP here… so I was waiting for the dealer to do the free wash/ and hand wax service today(free once a month for life for customers who bought their new BMWs aldrin the dealer)

I saw the shuttle driver and after couple of minutes of chatting, he basically told me that he made about $1500 in tips per month. The dealer pays him $7.50 per hour, which I believe is my state’s minimum wage

[Phillies8008]

Aaaaand that's what I mean. I don't begrudge the guy his tips, especially given his horribly miserly wage, but I do begrudge the dealer passing on their costs to their customers. I find it kind of repulsive that they're paying this guy a far from livable wage and hoping he gets lucky enough to get enough tips to be able to eat. At an f'ing BMW dealership, for christ's sake.

And then we all feel guilty because "the guy's not making anything" -- which isn't untrue -- while the dealer is laughing at his payroll savings. What a dirtbag.

[mjr24]

Originally Posted by afadeev

So, you don't like the dealer owner's strategic investments, and take it out on the lowest paid hourly employee at said dealership!
Right - makes perfect sense - THAT will show THEM!

Kewl.

a

Guess what! I don’t care. Bye. 👋

[Zig613]

Originally Posted by BavarianPretzel

The dealer pays him $7.50 per hour, which I believe is my state’s minimum wage

Wow… minimum wage of $7.50? Our provincial rate is $17.26 Cdn ($12.58 USD) and people have a lot of difficulties making ends meet.

[Brandoch]

Originally Posted by Zig613

Wow… minimum wage of $7.50? Our provincial rate is $17.26 Cdn ($12.58 USD) and people have a lot of difficulties making ends meet.

In BC we are now are $17.85.

[Phillies8008]

EDIT: I've removed this post -- too political, and I don't want to start down that path.

[Maxx Power]

In Australia the minimum wage is $25 (US$17) + 12% compulsery superannuation for an adult. Junior wages can start from $10 for under 16 and goes up depending on age. On top of that there is usually up to double for nights/weekend loading, or even more for public holidays.

I can go on about how we have free healtcare for all, etc, etc... But..

The kicker is that "most manufacturing has now moved off shore since we can't compete with countries that only pay their workers $25 per week..!"

So it costs 25% less to manufacture a car in China, which, I guess, is why your government is adding 25% tarrifs on top of imported cars (to level the playing field).

This is the problem with inflation. Prices go up, we ask for higher wages, we now have more money to spend, prices go up, ......

[jefe2000]

I thought this article on tipping culture in the USA was interesting and relevant to the discussion:
https://fortune.com/2026/02/08/how-d...st-in-america/

A couple pull quotes that stood out to me:

Gratuity should reward exceptional service, not subsidize inadequate base wages. Customers will tip more generously when they trust that the economics are fair.

And:

People reward personal care and repeat relationships differently than they reward generic checkout prompts.

[Phillies8008]

Gratuity should reward exceptional service, not subsidize inadequate base wages. Customers will tip more generously when they trust that the economics are fair.

This has been my problem with all of the out of control tipping the whole time. I don't mind tipping people who've earned a tip, but I do mind having a business owner's labor pushed on to me. Granted, labor rates are obviously calculated into the price of goods, but I'd much rather we be transparent and fair about prices rather than hide them behind a haphazard tipping regime.

I really, really wish we'd get out of the habit of subsidizing businesses' profit margins.