I did not find my maid in a competitive marketplace and stack up her potential against that of employed Molly Maids. A friend recommended her to me. She was with us from 1999 until COVID. I paid her the fee she herself set, and I tipped her only at Christmas. It did not seem to affect our relationships, either personal or business.
But if being a "wage slave" is the criterion, and everyone is ultimately a wage slave because they have to compete against everyone else for their income even if they are a lone entrepreneur whose price is influenced by what those in the employee sector make, then I guess everyone should get tipped, right?
And hey, what about the guys who changed the oil in my car today? I mean, that's a service, right? And they're "wage slaves", right? So, what ... go back, introduce myself, and tip them? Or no?
And what about an employee at a furniture store who showed me some options in easy chairs, and I end up buying one there? Did this "wage slave" not provide a service by presenting options to me that led to a purchase? So, 15% extra to him on top of the cost of the chair? Yeah?
And what if he's the proprietor of the store, an independent furniture store, and he's just starting out so he is limiting his draw from the revenue so he can live modestly, as a furniture store salesman just starting out might, while he works to build his business? He has made himself a temporary "wage slave" in this scenario, has he not? So ... tip him for his service?
I'm not asking for guidance here—I know where I draw my line. I'm asking, where do you draw yours?