Do you not find that some people in the service industry do a better job than others, and make your day more pleasant as a result?

> really poorly

Your words, not mine. Obviously if you're consistently terrible at your job you can get fired. But what's the incentive to go above and beyond, vs "good enough"? And how are tips for a server different from an annual performance based bonus for a white collar worker? I don't hear people raging about that one.

Going "above and beyond" is, by definition, unnecessary. The manager / business owner can set the standard of the level of service they expect and then ensure the staff provides it. That is their job, it is not the customer's job.

> and how are tips for a server different from an annual performance based bonus for a white collar worker?

Because the bonus is provided by the employer, not the customer. It's done by someone who is familiar with your work over the course of an entire year and who is much more aware of all the surrounding circumstances, not someone who met you for an hour or two while you were also doing 10 other things they knew nothing about.

It's also subject to all the same labor laws and regulations as a wage. A company can't say "we're not going to give bonuses to black employees" without getting sued out of existence. Any customer can decide they aren't going to tip based on whatever reason, valid or not, that they want. Or no reason at all.

the problem with retail specifically is that you are never paying enough to make that a credible threat. If anything, your staff might just turnover every two years naturally, especially if it's only a part time job. Most retail in an area either is lifer staff or constant churn; in a particularly bad job I had, we turned over entire staff almost in a year.