The anti🚫-derailment🚃 & thread🧵 hijacking🔫 thread🧵 ⁉

ODaily · January 23, 2026, 5:35pm

I’m from Kansas, so used to nasty weather, and living in Arkansas, which is much warmer and sheltered by forests, hills, and “mountains”.

Long story short, people here are loosing their shit in totally unpredictable ways. Reminds me of the covid toiletpaper panic buys.

Don’t get me wrong, a little prep never hurts anything, even in good times. Best to have canned veggies (mmm, soup), a source of non electric heat, good company, and a few books and / or board games.

For pro level, get a big jug of powdered hot chocalate. I keep one on hand every winter. Even if I don’t get a snowmageddon, at least I can mellow out on an introvert recharging weekend with a big 'ol steaming cup of chocalate.

Anywho, be safe, don’t panic, good vibes.

Pilgrimsmaster · January 23, 2026, 7:49pm

And marshmallows

Not · January 24, 2026, 4:34am

People aren’t acting too unusual here… Well.. People are always unusual here due to rampant illegal drug use, but.. Y’know..

Totally agreed. Hence filling the gas tank and batteries (lithium I try not to store above 70% for health purposes) before the brunt of things. Gas because people will later rush to fill generators last minute raising prices, and it will get used next week anyways. Batteries can be dropped back to storage levels by charging phones and laptops for a day or two. (Also snakes can’t be in low temps for long so it is technically a life-or-death for the little noodle man).

Everyone should have enough nonperishables to be fine for a week without leaving the house, which honestly isn’t that much based on a 1500 calorie minimal intake.

I am more of a coffee guy myself. Sure, everything should be had in moderation, and I moderate myself to one crippling addiction: Coffee.

Batteries full, tummy full, books on shelf, we are chilling.

aixre · January 25, 2026, 4:56am

Re: snakes, if you don’t have too many, putting them in smaller containers under your blankets/coat is pretty effective in an emergency.

enginerd · January 25, 2026, 5:01am

Please keep this handsome gentleman safe:

I find it amazing that reptiles don’t need to eat as much as mammals, but the lack of thermal regulation has a bunch of drawbacks…

Not · January 25, 2026, 11:33am

Considering he is in his “cold hide” (unheated portion of tank), I would say he considers himself comfy.

enginerd · January 26, 2026, 4:43pm

Checks out…

Pilgrimsmaster · January 27, 2026, 3:45am

What the fucken fuck is this shit?

Is this a legit thing?

Just pay you fucken employee’s fairly…

Fucken bullshit tipping culture

enginerd · January 27, 2026, 5:47am

In the US, restaurants have to match minimum wage if the tips aren’t enough. Although the reason to push towards low salaries and high tips might be related to taxes.

Tipping is part of American culture; restaurant employees expect to be paid little by the restaurant but get a better wage in tips. And people there are used to paying 20% tips, and the fact that prices don’t include sales tax.

I agree! But it’s more of thing about not including all the fees in the price tag. If you ever visit, you’ll have to do some mental math to account for tips and taxes.

Of course, I personally prefer to have everything included in the price that’s advertised.

Pilgrimsmaster · January 27, 2026, 6:39am

I have…

Agreed.
Tipping is a disgusting practice, and very few countries actually encourage it.

here are some that do, see if you can workout what they have in common

Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean…

Adjust your prices and Pay your fucken staff properly.

enginerd · January 27, 2026, 1:33pm

The problem is that people will think that it’s too expensive, and tip anyways… Changing cultural expectations is hard.

Being next to the US? But many Latin American countries also tip, but only 10%. Colombia will pressure you to tip by asking if you want the tip included in your bill…

I’d normally think that taxes can encourage tipping, but I don’t know what you have in mind.

Maybe I’m being too Austrian when it comes to economics, but I don’t see it as a way to underpay the staff, I see it as method to make prices seem lower or reduce taxes. But seeing the full price upfront is preferable to tipping IMHO.

Still, good luck trying to get an American not to tip when visiting another country…

Not · January 27, 2026, 5:07pm

I feel as though tipping isn’t bad but has gotten out of control.

For example, if I go and buy a coffee at a coffee shop for me and my SO, and it comes back reasonably quickly, done within reasonable quality margins, and my experience was enjoyable, I may choose to drop whatever change comes back in the jar. Maybe an extra $1 bill or two if I feel particularly satisfied with the interaction. For $9-12 worth of coffee and drinks, $1 on average for a tip given a positive experience is fine. It could even encourage speed.

However, the expectation of any tip is entirely unwarranted. If I have a $5 bill in my pocket, I should be able to walk into the coffee shop and get that $4 small mocha latte for $4 plus any applicable tax (that’s a rant for another day), and walk back out without even thinking about the interaction further.

A tip should be just that: A tiny bit extra on top for particularly good service. However it should not be assumed that any worker will get any substantial amount of money from any one interaction. Let’s say $90 base pay for a day’s work, all tips combined, a good worker might get $110.

It should be extra, not expected, and almost never substantial. Even basing it on the price of what you buy is messed up.

This isn’t to say tipping is great, but I enjoy the option. Let me repeat, I enjoy the option.

Precisely, though I don’t mind an unlabeled jar sitting near the register. Heck, it keeps coins from rattling in my pocket.

Pilgrimsmaster · January 27, 2026, 5:30pm

I know Im not going to change anybodies mind, Americans won’t change to a logical metric system, there is no way they will change an emotionally based mentality when you are being guilted into paying.

I get it, its the culture and now an expectation, I dont agree with it, but “when in Rome…”
I tipped when I was there, I’m not about short changing a worker that relys on tips to survive.
My point is, they shouldnt have to.

For me, It’s a reason to not want to visit, I just cant be bothered with that bullshit, just like in a shop, when the price isnt the price…because, hey, you didnt include the tax because…surprise mutha fucker, this tax changes from state to state and city to city.
You can stick that system up your arse.

Just put the actual price on it.
Don’t make us guess, its not a game show this isn’t “The price is right!”

I stayed in Boston, my hotel had about 4 or 5 different Taxes added onto the total
Something like
State room occupancy Tax
City Occupancy Tax
Convetion centre Tax
Tourist Tax
Destination Tax

They weren’t mentioned on the website when I booked it, Just like resturants etc. its just to get you in the door.
Awesome city, loved it, but I won’t be back

In NZ, we have gst (government service tax) it is set at 15%
Under the Fair Trading Act, businesses must be clear and accurate about pricing.
If you see a price it, that will be the price, if it is excl gst which is rare, it must state that it is excl. gst
only really seen in trade or wholesale.

I’m not saying it’s the best system, I just personally prefer it over the USA model.

Hopefully they dont in Japan
its actually seen as an insult

it is viewed as a violation of the social contract between the service provider and the guest.

They even have a term for it which is something like wholehearted hospitality…but in japanese

Excellent service is a standard obligation, not a performance to be incentivized by extra money.

It’s actually a really interesting topic, but i wont go into here.

It’s a fascinating cultural difference, but I’ll leave it at that.
I love Japan; America, you do you.

ODaily · January 27, 2026, 5:32pm

2 years ago our grocery store burned down (been living off dollar store and gas station food), when the new place opened, a rumor went around that they would be paying 17.00/hr. A few of the new hires quit on their first day because they found out that wasn’t what their pay would be.

They never asked, they just heard a range of potential salaries, and picked the top one.

You see the same behavior in haggling (craigslist, marketplace, etc.) In order to sell you something for 10 dollars, I have to price it at 15. If I don’t overprice, then you’ll try to work out how much you can haggle down, and then get stuck at 8, because I started at 10.

There’s another too good to be true story about an ex-employee who posted extremely positive reviews with lavish salaries and perks on glassdoor to make it difficult to hire due to incoming expectations.

All this relates to the problem with tipping.
People expect tips. Then people expect big tips. Then they expect extravagant tips consistently, and for no reason.

Expectation Inflation? That could be a good name for it.

People talk about employer greed / underpay, and while I beleive that’s a very real thing, the expectation inflation also puts employers in a very real bind too.

TLDR: People suck.

Pilgrimsmaster · January 27, 2026, 5:32pm

That is a great viewpoint, and I dont disagree with that.

Far more manageable

Hallic · January 27, 2026, 5:40pm

If I’m getting something on my own, I’ll tip for good service. Also depends on the situation. If I’m sitting down to eat, I’ll tip a bit more because they have to wander around, clean up, get refills etc.

The dude at the counter that punched in 2 things for a To-Go order and only gave me 1 napkin and keeps forgetting my plastic fork? Handfull of whatever change was leftover.

Using my corporate card however, I’m a tipping fiend.

ODaily · January 27, 2026, 6:00pm

While I generally despise tipping (social pressure), the times my service has been exceptional has been reflected extravagantly in a tip.

amal · January 27, 2026, 7:36pm

Tipping sucks because here’s a short history;

tipping used to happen AHEAD of service, as a bribe, in cash, handed directly to the staff member. The point was to get them to come back soon and often and take good care of the dining party. Usually tips were exclusively given by gangsters and the type, to be taken care of but also to be given a more private space.. to be sequestered but serviced well.. and to keep mouths shut about what they might hear in back room conversations.
greedy fuck business owners got their panties in a bunch because “the staff I’m paying well is making more money by working in my establishment, therefore I can pay them less and they still make the same!”
at some point someone.. not sure if it was businesses or staff or both, decided to change the arrangement so a tip was asked for after service is rendered, like was common for hotel bell hops.. and pushed for it to kind of expected.. like hotel bell hops.. and at some point it was tied to a % of meal cost so it’s less tied to actual effort and more tied to simple maths and social expectation. Order slips got “tip your waitress” printed on them. Little signs went up at the cash registers. The social pressure campaign started in earnest.
point of sale systems caught on and began implementing this ad nauseum.
everyone hates tipping.

enginerd · January 27, 2026, 8:04pm

That and the hidden fees culture are the parts that suck the most IMHO.

frail_rearranger · January 28, 2026, 3:46am

Do they really only have to pay minimum wage after tips? That’s dumb. Tips should be gifts freely given on top of the expected pay, because they are there to show gratitude on top of the service that their wages already should have paid for. (And as gifts, should be tax free.)

I mainly tip at owner run businesses, so they’re the one’s paying themselves whatever they can make anyway.

Conditional tipping sucks. Then its not a gift, just a bribe, and corrupt businesses have a front. It’s made a mess of my town last few years.