Please Tip Your Waiter!

"If you can't afford to tip, then don't eat out!" someone tweeted to me when I asked for thoughts on tipping, being tipped, and the general world of customer-service jobs in America.

And, while most people I spoke to -- on both sides of the table -- agree with this, it's a sad fact that in many states, people who work in industries where they may get tipped are not required to be paid the Federal minimum wage. For many waiters, tips are not simply an extra show of gratitude for a job well done or a nice little bonus in addition to their usual wage, but a necessity in supplementing that low wage.