Before I even read the articles, here's how it goes:

- Where I live, there isn't a culture of tips. Employees are paid by employers.

- Some employees though, and businesses, delight me. Like I "really" enjoy it there. So I tip.

Look at what happened here: I tip in an environment not used to tips at all.

Tips should be a consequence for delight. Not some thing you do. It's just that I can't help tip people who take care of me (and I'm from that culture). Sometimes, they'll offer a discount and I'll insist on paying the full price.

It happens I enter a shop only looking for directions to somewhere, and the person there goes beyond it. I buy something. It's natural for me.

Now, the very thought of having to tip, as if it is a given, granted thing I have to do, whether the waiter/waitress was good or bad would make me sick.

I understand they are under pressure, but I have seen waiters/waitresses under pressure behave with an unimaginable class and composure. With whom things that would piss you off would magically disappear. They exist, you should hire them. Not some snorky bitch waiter/waitress(yeah, there are waiters who are bitches. It's not just waitresses) who'll treat you like crap, and then have the gall to even expect a tip (I mean, you screw up, you go incognito and pray you even get to keep your job, not ask for a tip and have an attitude).

So I say this:

- Their revenues are mainly from tips and they are not very well paid: It's not the customer's problem what your employer does. But you can delight a patron, and most people who are delighted pay beyond reason for service beyond "normal".

- If you're a waiter and think this is unfair, look around you. I am sure there are other waiters who get tipped regularly and fatly. What are they doing you're not ?

Humans are generally not assholes. If a patron gets treated really well, only a small percentage will be assholes.

I help my friend with his business (car accessories, installing alarm systems, etc) and people just don't believe the length we go to. They just are shocked. They've never seen that. The welcoming, the explanations, the garantees, etc.

I have a friend who sells computers and repairs them (and some other stuff like flash drives, etc). People would drive 30 miles to buy a flash drive from him. They could buy it anywhere, but they buy it from him. People came to him from 400 miles away, because of reputation and service and referrals (his regular clients vary from normal dude, to senators).

Your behavior matters.

I once called customer service of my crappy ISP, as usual, and that day, a tremendous guy answered the phone. This is something I have never seen before. I was literally in frigging bro love with him. I mean, I asked him if there is any way I could like give feedback to his supervisor or something. He treated it with grace saying he was flattered, and he was only doing his job. And no, he wasn't just doing his job: He went the extra 100 miles.

I've eaten in many places. Some places I wouldn't let them keep a 5 cents change because they were cunts. Some places I'd have no problem leaving 30% to even 50% at times because they were simply surreal and treat people like royalty.. Like really, really, really cater to you. And it's no difference of small restaurant, big restaurant, or someone just outside grilling rabbits.

Behavior matters.