Yes, it’s getting ridiculous.
Coffee is $1.95 at my local small chain coffee shop and all the person at the counter has to do is turn around and pour out a cup. But they swing the payment machine around that prompts you to tip, and the options displayed are $1, $2 (really?!) followed by “custom” and finally “no tip”. They’re guilt tripping customers - it feels bad to select “no tip” with people in line behind you and the employee pretending to look away.
Yes, it’s everywhere. Sometimes I’m quite surprised by where. (Blanking on where was the most recent time, but it was definitely where I’d least expec it.)
But….I tip at least 20% including take out. Started tipping more during Covid bc businesses needed it and we didn’t want our favorite places to go OOB.
Could we stop or reduce? - Yes….but I feel badly for the servers and the business’s bc clearly their costs have increased significantly in recent months, and we are able to do so.
Just today our yard service man (whom I think the world of and we’ve had for past 3-4 years?) told me he needs to increase his monthly billing by $20 a month. I told him that of course I understand AND I told him that maybe he needs to increase it more to be honest (the cost of gas for his truck, tractor, and yard tools) but he said no.
I will continue to tip hair dresser 25%, and I will tip everywhere else that has a line for it. But I will not add to tip jars. (I never have cash or change. But that could be another thread. When can we remove at least coins from our society!)
I know that there is question about how that tip jar gets split up, but I’ll never forget how much I enjoyed my tip “cup” when I was a college student working at Pizza Hut one summer.
We each had our own cup each time we worked. There was a shelf all the servers kept their cup on near our beverage station. We would bus our own tables so when you cleaned up, you dumped your tip in your cup. At the end of the evening we’d all take our tip cups and count it up. Even though it was very much part of our earning since our hourly was so low, it felt like EXTRA, IMMEDIATE cash gratification! We were then allowed to “change out” our change or small bills for $5’s, $10’s or whatever.
Aww. That’s is a sweet story! To be honest, if I carried cash and I saw a personalized cup (and I knew the person making my order like at Panera where they return to pick up your tray, or remove dishes as you finish eating, then I’d make a point to do so. Maybe Venmo info will be more common so that those without cash can tip.)
To be clear, you can’t blame the staff for “guilt-tripping” with there being a tip option when paying by credit card, or even if there is a tip jar. It’s not like the (often times teenagers) cashiers are the ones programming the software.
All four of my kids have worked in retail or customer facing positions. The garbage they all have dealt with, especially during covid, gave me a new appreciation for what service workers deal with every day. One worked at an ice cream shop where there was a tip line, but get this. And I might be describing this very clearly b/c it was like seven years ago. While she had a minimum hourly rate, let’s say it was $8.00/hr. She had a base pay of like $7/hr so any tips she received, he would take a certain amount of her tips to get her pay to equal minimum wage, then anything over that she received as tips. I’m probably not explaining that correctly, but basically, he was using people’s tips to cover a portion of her wages. When we found out, we were shocked as we had never heard of this but apparently it is legal in our state. We don’t know of any other local places who pay their staff that way (she quit after a year) and our three other kids have never experienced that, although only one currently works in a business where he regularly gets tipped (I think he’s making $14/hr but with tips it’s more like $17/hr). My other two work/worked in retail/customer service but not businesses that accept tips.
Though I have always been a good tipper at the typical places (restaurant, hair salon, kid who ties my Christmas tree on the car, etc), I’ve gotten a little more generous at places like coffee shops, etc. We never get food delivered but we do get carryout and I always tip, mainly b/c we go to the same places over and over and know the staff. However, for something like a coffee shop, bakery, etc, these aren’t places I go often so it’s no a big deal the once in a blue moon that I get something from a coffee shop to leave a tip on my small bill. After hearing from my kids about abusive customers and even witnessing it myself a few times while shopping/dining, I am more generous not just with tips but with thanks/praise/niceties to show my appreciation. That said, I have no problem not adding a tip on a card machine if I don’t think it’s warranted. In fact, one place I went (I can’t recall, but not a place that at all was normal to give a tip, just a small business), there was a tip line but the cashier specifically said to bypass it, that it was new software and they hadn’t figured out how to get rid of the tip line yet.
To be clear: I have no problem tipping for service (and always do - typically 20%, sometimes more), even for takeout. I know how hard it can be for retail workers (my daughter has worked these jobs too). What I think is ridiculous is prompting customers for a $1 or $2 tip for pouring out a $1.95 coffee right there at the counter - not table service.
And no one said this. It’s on the store owners/managers but more broadly symptomatic of the times we live in - and the topic of this thread.
Well, to be fair, you said “they’re” and then referenced the employee pretending to look away. To me, it read like you felt the employee was the one guilt tripping you, not the establishment owner who is the one responsible for the software they use.
Editing to add, while you might just be getting one cup of coffee, someone else might be ordering six complicated coffee drinks for her coworkers. And maybe that person appreciates the option to tip. Starbucks does not have this feature so you can’t even tip them if you wanted to unless you have cash.
This depends on a lot. I didn’t used to tip for takeaway until the expectation crept in to be honest - now it’s apparently customary to tip $1 per bag?
I did tip generously for groceries delivery during COVID because I felt like they were doing something I wasn’t willing to do. Now regular delivery though I notice grub hub often by default wants me tip 20 percent for delivery on top of their delivery and service fee. That’s a bit much - I tip about $4-5 per delivery not by percentage.
And I agree - tipping at coffee counter is silly in my opinion.
I agree that tipping is out of control. I generally try to avoid situations that require tips, as I’m not someone who can afford to tip generously for everything, all the time. I cut my own hair, I don’t eat out or buy coffee, etc. I’m currently stressing at having to tip our moving laborers in a couple of weeks- they’re already paid $50 per hour each by us for their services, and it’s really bugging me that I know I have to come up with decent tip money too.
If they’re independent, i.e. the business owners, then etiquette says you don’t tip them.
Tipping is way out of control. It really annoys me, as someone who only uses credit cards, that I’m asked to tip multiple times per day. Tips are supposed to be for good service. I’ve gone back to that. During the height of the pandemic, I didn’t mind tipping for fast food and such since there was increased value in being able to just get take out. No longer. I tip my stylist and nail techs, wait staff at dine in restaurants, including dine in movie theaters, gardener, Lyft drivers, and delivery person. But that’s pretty much it at this point. Grubhub and DoorDash have gotten so expensive that I pick up my food now on my own.
They are, but we’ve always been told we need to tip movers. We’ve moved with the military every 2-3 years for the past nearly two decades. It’s been ingrained in my hubby at this point and he won’t budge on “protocol”.
I think that for those of us who feel “tipping is out of control” it’s time for us to take the reins back and tip when and how much we feel is appropriate or we are so moved. I doubt that too many of us are cheapskates that just don’t want to tip or to take advantage of excellent service.
I am just going to personally work on empowering myself to make the tip choice I’m happy to do based on service received instead of feeling pressure when the tip jar is there or the screen is prompting me about tipping. I can take the 5 seconds to think about it and make the decision.
Most times I’ll probably tip but I’d like to get out of the negative mindset that it’s a given.
We did a corporate move and the movers informed me that they expected a tip and how much they should receive.
It was extremely tacky but I don’t know how you would not do it. The movers were very nice, and were helpful.
I’m going to try and not tip all the time. During Covid shutdowns, I did tip more because we weren’t going out and I felt bad that people had to do things I didn’t have to. But now I’m just tired of the money grab.
I wonder if the pandemic has affected tipping culture in other countries? Anyone have recent experience?
Typically there isn’t as much tipping elsewhere, with Japan probably being the extreme case where tipping is considered insulting (if you tip you’re seen as saying “you don’t make enough money, so here’s some more from me”)
I personally would prefer if all business just charge me a fair amount for their services instead of leaving it at my discretion. It adds unnecessary stress every time I go out to eat/stay at a hotel/ride in a cab…It really isn’t a vacation for me if I need to constantly do math in my head.
I like it when I travel overseas and there is no tipping or stay at all inclusive hotels where tips are included.
100% agree about all inclusive where the tips are included. We’re doing that this Fall and I’m happy that we don’t have to worry about tipping all our resort guides/instructors/waitstaff/etc…
As someone who spent his formative yrs in the food service business (pancake house through stake house - dishwasher through waiter) , I loath the “automatic tip” world we now seem to be in on two levels.
I hate this culture where the customer is made to feel bad if they don’t leave a tip for takeaway service. Those payment screens that give you options 0f what to tip drive me crazy. How about nothing? Oh and please don’t compromise my food…
I had no idea that people thought that UPS drivers or USPS workers might be tipped.
They are union, UPS drivers are teamsters. No way would I ever tip.
I looked. In Michigan UPS drivers start at 22.00/hour. Actually less than I thought.
We’re moving next month for the first time in almost 20 years. I know we’ve tipped in the past, but can’t remember how much. I am using independent movers, but it’s a slightly complicated job with some being moved locally and another portion going to our home 1200 miles away. Any suggestions on the amount I should tip?