The Dem-run city where locals have vowed to stop tipping after $21-an-hour minimum wage was enacted

Seattle residents are vowing to stop tipping in the Democratic-led city after officials are set to implement a minimum wage of nearly $21 an hour.

In the Washington state city, the minimum wage will increase from $19.97 to $20.76 on the first day of the new year.

That increase is in line with the city’s minimum wage ordinance, which requires wage levels to reflect inflationary increases in the Seattle area.

However, several residents are unimpressed with the idea of ​​tipping employees on top of the high hourly rate and are adamant that they would not add more tips.

A user who shared a post on Reddit about the wage increase, which has been gaining traction in the local area, said: “With Seattle’s new minimum wage coming into effect very soon, most food industry workers are finally on a level playing field.

“As a result, I no longer tip more than 5-10%. And I ONLY do that if the service is EXCEPTIONAL. It’s only fair: hard work deserves a fair wage in all sectors.

“Any instance where I order to use my own table, get my own utensils, etc., guarantees $0. I also don’t tip at coffee shops anymore.”

Others have joined in, with the vast majority of commentators agreeing with the sentiment.

One person said: ‘I only tip when we are served at our table. It is not allowed to be asked to tip before receiving a meal.

“Being asked to tip because someone handed me a loaf of bread across the counter and then operated a cash register, not a chance.”

Another wrote, “The Federal Trade Commission should not get involved in this matter. Companies are purposeful [scamming] American consumers.

‘You see tipping options in all kinds of places and the payment screen with ‘suggestions’ is ridiculous. It has to end.’

Another commented: ‘The fact that people still ask for tips after being paid a ‘living wage’ is hilarious.

“The whole industry is set up to make people feel bad for not tipping, and for some strange reason that’s not going away.”

Another said: ‘I went to a restaurant in Cap Hill where you ordered via the QR code, your name was called out and you had to put your own dishes in a bin.

‘The tip was still automatically set at 18,20 and 25. I just don’t understand what service this owner provides that goes beyond a McDonalds employee, in addition to making higher quality food, which is reflected in the process. ‘

In a statement announcing the change, Mayor Bruce Harrell welcomed the move to implement the new minimum wage.

He said: ‘ Seattle has one of the highest minimum wages in the country – this is a good thing for workers, a good thing for our economy as a whole, and something we should be proud of.

“As one of the leading members of the original team that developed Seattle’s groundbreaking minimum wage legislation, my mission now is the same as it was then: to ensure Seattle is both a great place for workers and a great place for small businesses.”

It comes after a report earlier this year found that Americans now spend an average of $453 more per year on tips than they normally would.

That increase was due to ‘feelings of guilt’, Tipping out of inconvenience or pressure when you would rather not do so, which is becoming increasingly common.

Consumers say they paid an average of $37.80 per month in reluctant tips because they would feel guilty if they didn’t. according to new research. The amount is in addition to the tip they wanted to give, which was not specified.

The Talker Research poll found that more than a quarter of the 2,000 respondents said they are “always or often forced to tip more than they would like.”

Typically, the average respondent had tipped more than six times in the past month alone.

The survey also found that Gen Z and Millennials are “almost twice as likely to say they ‘always’ feel pressure to tip than older generations.”

By comparison, only 9 percent of Gen X and 5 percent of Boomers felt the same way.

Another recent survey found that three-quarters of Americans believe the tipping culture has gone too far.

The findings come amid a widespread backlash against ‘tip inflation’, which has seen the culture of tipping spill from bars and restaurants to shops, takeaway chains and even self-service machines.