Ugh. Photo: KING

What you see here is the card that a Seattle bartender says he received from a patron in lieu of the more traditional cash tip. It is of index card size and uses bold font, two colors, and an absurdly patronizing tone to explain why this particular customer no longer tips in Seattle, one of several big cities that recently voted to raise the minimum wage to $15.

Here’s what the card reads:

Why I don’t tip in Seattle



Economics 101: As the compensation for your service increases, there is a cost to me as the consumer to pay for that increase. As I have no control over the Seattle City Council’s decision to redistribute wealth, I can only exercise the rights left to me.

(1) I can choose to not eat out. (Then who would pay your wages?)

(2) I can choose to be carrion for the City Council’s vultures.

(3) I can choose not to tip and explain why and provide a free economics lesson.

You’ll also note that the card helpfully points people to a Facebook account that you’d probably be wise to avoid. Since Seattle’s minimum wage is actually being slowly phased in over several years, there’s a good chance more of these cards will pop up in the future.

[WISH]