In the Austrian state of Carinthia, the Chamber of Economy caused a stir this summer with a campaign called "Danke, stimmt so" ("Thank you, that's all right"). Hosts were sent envelopes with advertising displays for their establishments, sending a supposedly "unobtrusive signal" to customers to tip enough. The restaurateurs themselves were largely outraged by this way of formally forcing customers to pay extra.
In Germany, this idea was already implemented last autumn on a large scale by the spirits manufacturer Jägermeister in an "attitude campaign". In the whole republic at railroad stations, advertising columns and similar large advertising posters with a slogan were found: "Trinkgeld gehört dazu" ("Tipping is part of it "). It was demanded that the unofficial rule of a 10 percent surcharge on the actual price be "adhered to". On motives of bar workers in pub and club, cleaners, cab drivers and others some examplary facts were printed that should draw attention in regard to the "small" tips in different jobs and situations. One reads:
Only 54 percent think tipping is natural.
Only 29 percent of club-goers tip.
Every second cab ride ends without a tip.
One in two underestimates the importance of tipping.
No wonder that such campaigns increase in times of economic crisis, where currently the wages of workers are lowered by means of inflation and the labor struggle unfolds more. If it is no longer enough, so to speak, for the "daily bread" of the workers in these professions, then not the capitalists should have to make losses for it, but other workers or other parts of the people should be called into service. The term "solidarity" is of course badly abused here. The whole thing culminates in the impudence of almost ordering a "voluntary" levy, well above the original price.
Mast-Jägermeister SE company, with 500 million euros in annual sales, has a well-developed marketing - a few years ago, the company bought apartments in the center of Stuttgart and rented them out for free to students there for PR purposes. So such a tipping campaign with, moreover, generous donations to "gastro teams" comes as no surprise, especially since it serves its purpose for imperialism. For the campaign is also an expression of how the rulers are trying to offload the crisis onto the shoulders of the masses.
Some posters of the Jägermeister campaign (Source: about-drinks.com)
Petty-bourgeois culturalists perform their service voluntarily and involuntarily in this process. Rapper Alligatoah advertised two years ago under the hashtag #gibtrinkgeld (give a tip) for a few extra euros for parcel delivery men and at the same time released the single "Nebenjob" (side job) - an expression of the radicalisation of a part of the petty bourgeoisie, although the artist shows no empathy at all for the situation of the workers and is of the opinion that one could still make an amusing piece of music out of the misery. Thus, with a humanistic intention, one plays into the cards of the bourgeoisie.
