>By and large doctors operate independent businesses, so you are tipping them.
Again, this is a bizarre take. The fact the person is the proprietor of the business doesn't mean you're "tipping" them by mere virtue of patronizing their business. Taxi drivers also operate as independent businesses, but it's a stretch to call the mere fact of paying your bill (ie. without adding anything extra) "tipping".
Any agreement between a patron and a server to exchange an offer of value is also just "paying the bill". Any agreement between the patron and venue is a separate transaction. The law in most jurisdictions makes this quite clear.
What does that have to do with your claim that you're "tipping" doctors when you pay exactly what you owe? Or are you living in some bizzaro world where people actually pay doctors extra on top?
Imagine I'm your server at a restaurant. You agree to pay the restaurant $20 for the service it rendered and, separately, me $3 for the service I rendered, the latter of which oft called a tip. I now have $3 in hand. What more am I going to get "on top"? I've never heard of such a thing.
Are you somehow confused in thinking that the restaurant is taking $23? That might be reasonably described as "on top", but doesn't happen, so would be nonsensical to discuss.
>separately, me $3 for the service I rendered, the latter of which oft called a tip. I now have $3 in hand. What more am I going to get "on top"? I've never heard of such a thing.
That's just a clever way of pretending that tipping is like buying banana from a grocery store, but there's a pretty big difference between the two, even if in both cases money is exchanged for services rendered. For one, the server has no ability to set a price and has to accept whatever he's offered, even if it's zero. That's not the case for nearly every other sort of transaction.
> For one, the server has no ability to set a price and has to accept whatever he's offered, even if it's zero.
Nonsense. In most jurisdictions the server is given full reign over the sale of alcohol. They are well and truly free to reject your request for a drink and there is nothing the venue can do about it. If you are not willing to pay their price, they most definitely can halt service.
It is the cultural norm to assume that the customer will pay up in good faith, typically a percentage of the venue's take. Indeed, if you don't pay up they're probably not going to hunt you down. If most people stopped acting in good faith you might see things change, though. There is no obligation for the server to honour your alcoholic drink request.
That is not so much the case for other items. You are right there. The very same server rejecting the sale of a perfectly good meal because you won't pay them would be grounds for them being ejected from the venue, but not so is the case for alcohol. Servers are considered independent operators when alcohol is involved. Which is why an independent operator fee, known as a tip, is paid.
Hence why tipping originated around the sale of alcohol. Although you're right that would also apply to some medical doctor situations as they have the same right to reject service (although that may violate their ethics commitment, which does muddy the waters). The modern adaptation of throwing a bonus at the jug of oil you bought down at the auto shop, which may be your source of confusion, is something quite different. That's not really tipping, at least not in the historical sense.
Again, this is a bizarre take. The fact the person is the proprietor of the business doesn't mean you're "tipping" them by mere virtue of patronizing their business. Taxi drivers also operate as independent businesses, but it's a stretch to call the mere fact of paying your bill (ie. without adding anything extra) "tipping".