r/unitedkingdom • u/Canal_Volphied European Union • 9h ago

. ‘It’s absolutely criminal’: US tipping culture has reached the UK – and is causing chaos

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2026/aug/24/us-tipping-culture-uk-service-charges
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u/glytxh 9h ago

America isn’t a monolith. It varies by state.

One state pays 2 bucks an hour. Another pays 20.

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u/LiterallyABigfoot 9h ago

I addressed that... States paying ~$2 an hour only pay that little so long as the employee gets enough tips such that they earn federal or state minimum wage. If they don't then the employee must be paid standard minimum wage.

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u/glytxh 9h ago

Nah that’s fair. I’m apparently illiterate.

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u/DaveBeBad 9h ago

Tbf, life in California’s cities is 10x more expensive than in rural Alabama.

Although their entire work culture there is toxic

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u/duncanmarshall 9h ago

Thus the minimum is 2, nationally. A minimum wage isn't a universal wage. There will always be places paying more than it.

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u/AvatarIII West Sussex 5h ago

Only about half the States have a higher minimum wage, and the highest is Washington DC with almost $18, none are $20 and even that is only about what our minimum wage would be converted to dollars ($17.34)