I've always wondered. In what legal sense is a tip different from a bribe?
We are often surprised to see the corruption in other countries, and yet to them paying a government official "To Insure Promptness" is completely normal.
Same thing here: it seems normal to pay someone -who is employed by someone else- to do some various tasks.
In the case of tipping, it has been pointed out that a demonstrated willingness to tip results in the server putting your interests above those of the other customers in the restaurant. How is this any different than bribing in effect?
Yes this is the case, in majority of cases the word bribe only applies to officials of public trust, which most of the time means government.
>In the case of tipping, it has been pointed out that a demonstrated willingness to tip results in the server putting your interests above those of the other customers in the restaurant. How is this any different than bribing in effect?
What you are describing is a tip as opposed to a bribe above and is normal as opposed to being a crime. The biggest distinguishers are:
1. The is person already getting paid to do what you are paying them to 2. They are non-govermentment / public trust
If both are true, it is a tip, not a bribe.