>There is not one single legitimate reason for tipping an employee of a business that is not counterproductive to society as a whole
Not necessarily in favor of tipping myself, but I take issue with that statement. The reason that springs to mind immediately is that tipping is a mechanism by which good employees (polite ones, or ones who go above and beyond to provide excellent service) are paid more relative to worse ones. The mechanism is imperfect which is why I don't take this argument as proof of the necessity of tipping, but it's a solid argument.
To put it in academic terms, tipping is a technology that can help an employer solve the principal-agent problem.
Not necessarily in favor of tipping myself, but I take issue with that statement. The reason that springs to mind immediately is that tipping is a mechanism by which good employees (polite ones, or ones who go above and beyond to provide excellent service) are paid more relative to worse ones. The mechanism is imperfect which is why I don't take this argument as proof of the necessity of tipping, but it's a solid argument.
To put it in academic terms, tipping is a technology that can help an employer solve the principal-agent problem.