Has Tipping Reached a Tipping Point?

8/26/2023

by David Hagenbuch - professor of marketing at Messiah University -
author of Honorable Influence - founder of Mindful Marketing

There are many ways people are rewarded for good work, but few are as immediate as monetary tips. Restaurant servers have long received confirmation and big parts of their compensation from gratuities, but recently many other service providers have started tapping the same propensity for generosity. Given that these increasingly common appeals have become off-putting to some, it may be time to ask: Has tipping been taken too far?

The New York Times recently described a case in which, after some cosmetic medical treatments, a reader’s dermatologist asked her for a tip. If some physicians are soliciting gratuities, is it only time until other professionals start doing the same? Should professors like me put out tip jars?

We’ve all added a tip to a restaurant check, handed cash to a bellhop, or Venmoed a little extra money to another service provider. While physical tip jars have become increasingly common on retail store counters, digital technology has made it extremely easy for anyone accepting electronic forms of payment, in person or from afar, to casually ask for extra cash.

For instance, I recently placed an online order to pick up dinner from Chipotle. When I went to check out, just below the order total a prompt appeared: “Tip the Crew – Show some love to the team that prepares your order.” As I’ve grown accustomed to doing, I clicked one of the tip amounts but not without thinking, “Do I really need to?”

A decade or two ago, one would usually only tip in a sit-down restaurant where a waiter or waitress took your order, brought your drinks and food, stopped by your table to see if you needed anything else, delivered the check, and processed your payment. As the word “gratuity” suggests, your tip was a way of saying thanks for their multipronged service, and the amount you gave was a way of expressing how good you thought the service was.

In the case of Chipotle, no one did any of the aforementioned things for me, so it seemed reasonable to wonder, “Who exactly am I tipping and why?” The easy answers to these questions are the restaurant staff that prepared the food and placed it in the carryout containers because they work hard for low wages, but even if those inputs and circumstances warrant tipping, how similar are they to those of other occupations that are also now panning for tips, including at least one dermatologist?

The complexities and potential inequities in tipping are further illustrated in examples like this one in Sanibel, FL. A couple of years ago, Island Cow, a popular restaurant on the island, was ordered to pay $222,000 to 48 employees because it created an illegal tip pool that “required tipped employees to share earnings with non-tipped workers, including dishwashing assistants and kitchen expeditors.”

This incident and others like it prompt a variety of questions and concerns including:

Do tips always make it to their intended parties?
Do owners sometimes pocket tips for themselves?
Do workers who don’t deal directly with customers deserve to be tipped?
Why don’t companies just pay their employees more so they don’t need to receive tips?

The last question may simply seem hypothetical, but a recent visit to Europe reminded me how services can be delivered effectively with just base pay and little or no tipping. A few times, when dining out in France, I received my check, which had no place to add gratuity. When I asked how I could leave a tip, the waiter/waitress replied that tipping wasn’t necessary.

Of course, that norm is not indicative of every restaurant in France, and it’s certainly not true across all Europe, where the likelihood of tipping varies widely from rather unlikely in Norway (14.3%) and France (39.9%) to very likely in Sweden (82.8%) and Germany (96.7%).

Whether in the United States or abroad, the total wages that service providers earn should have some bearing on whether or not they’re tipped. While the question of whether customers are being asked to subsidize the poor wages from employers is a fair one, it also might be moot because when employers are forced to pay higher wages, they often pass those increased costs on to customers in the form of higher prices.

So why not do away with tipping entirely and just pay more for restaurant meals, etc.? Theoretically, tipping provides value to customers because it allows them to adjust the amount they pay based on the quality of service they receive. Meanwhile, service providers have an incentive to do their jobs better, as they gain feedback about how well they’re performing. However, in reality, those benefits may not accrue for several reasons:

Feelings of obligation: Even if service is very poor, patrons may feel obligated to offer an average tip, so they don’t seem cheap or unempathetic.
Product prices: When customers believe they’re already paying a lot for something, they’ll sometimes scale back their tips – like the person who told me that while they typically tip for everything, they don’t always tip at Starbucks because they’re already paying $5.00 for a coffee.
Poor timing: As suggested by my Chipotle example above, some companies ask for tips before the service has been completed. In those cases, your order may come out completely wrong, but you’ve already given a tip.

Despite several decades of work experience, I’ve never been in an occupation that received tips, which made me eager to hear from those who have. So, I reached out to two of my current students who have considerable food industry server experience.

Sarah Schall has worked in a variety of retail occupations, including as a counter-service food worker and as a waitress. She makes the important point that particularly in a sit-down restaurant, one’s overall dining experience is a function of many employees’ contributions, which should impact how patrons approach tipping:

“Although the waiter/waitress is the one who may seem to be in charge of a guest’s entire experience, it’s important to remember that there are many team members who go into creating a dining experience. Therefore, it wouldn’t be right to lower the tip that’s going to the server if the food took a while due to a slow kitchen staff.”

“If the food wasn’t up to par, or if it took a long time to get to the table, it most likely was the kitchen staff at fault rather than the waitress. Instead of leaving a poor tip, guests should inform the waiter/waitress that they were disappointed with their meal so that way the restaurant can improve and the server can work to reconcile the problem.”

Josh McCleaf grew up in the restaurant industry, working in a variety of front- and back-of-house positions in his family’s multigenerational restaurant. This experience has given him particular appreciation for the multifaceted and prolonged engagement servers have with customers in traditional dining:

“When you sit down at a table-service restaurant, you expect your server to spend the next 45 to 90 minutes getting you drinks, refills, meals, extra napkins, sides of ranch, and anything else you might need for your dining experience. It's also important to note that your server is not only fulfilling the needs of your table during your visit, they are also trying to fill the needs of every other table in their section at the same time.”

McCleaf contrasts this typical sit-down dining scenario with his own recent experience as a counter-service customer:

“A few weeks ago, I walked up to a Cinnabon stand in a mall to purchase two bottles of water. While the transaction was short and the water was only an arm's length away from the cashier, I was still faced with the increasingly popular iPad flip and a prompt asking me if I'd like to leave a tip. I have to admit that this put me in an odd position, and I was left to answer some questions: Was this one-minute interaction and simple order worthy of a 20% tip? Even if it wasn't, how bad would it look if I said no?”

McCleaf likens this incident to experiences patrons have at quick-service restaurants where interactions last for just three to five minutes and are “one and done,” i.e., people order, pay, receive their food, and leave, which is much different than the sustained engagement with servers in sit-down dining.

However, McCleaf emphasizes that even in these faster service restaurant formats, good customer service is vital, as servers who demonstrate dedication to their work, strong communication skills, enthusiasm, and patience may be well-deserving of tips. He concludes:

“What's important is that you tip at your own discretion. You should never be guilted into leaving a tip at these kinds of establishments.”

His admonition is a good one: guilt, fear, and other strong-handed emotional appeals represent coercion and aren’t appropriate for marketers to use. I’d add that organizations should be sensitive to how the tipping choices they offer, or don’t, can remove customers’ control and force their decision-making.

For instance, our family recently ate at a sit-down dining restaurant where when paying the bill, the lowest tip listed among the iPad’s preset choices was 20%. While I was happy to offer more than that amount, and I believe that servers deserve more for the hard work they do, it struck me as being too prescriptive – Why shouldn’t a patron be able to more easily offer any amount that reflects their satisfaction with the service they received?

To be true to its nature and intent, tipping must remain a discretionary thing – while it certainly should be encouraged, it shouldn’t be compelled.

Anyone who has the ability to tip generously should do so, but ultimately, consumers deserve: 1) to decide without pressure how much they’d like to tip, 2) to make their choice, ideally, after they’ve received the service, and 3) to know, with some assurance, who will receive their gratuity. Discounting these ingredients for equitable tipping is a recipe for “Single-Minded Marketing.”

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39 Comments

Maggie

8/30/2023 08:36:02 pm

I worked in the food industry for many years at a local family creamery. At the creamery employees did everything, taking orders, making ice cream, cashing out customers, dishes, cleaning and restocking. We were always super busy, on weekends and hot summer nights having a line of over fifty customers. This heavy demand also meant it was easier for us to memorize orders instead of taking the time to write everything down. Tips were heavily appreciated, and splitting tips evenly between all employees that night was fair for the amount of work we all put in. After working relying on tips, which often ended up being higher then the hourly minimum wage it has made me appreciate tips more and I only really tip when I can see that someone is working hard, or has put a lot of work into serving me.

Jeremy Lam

8/31/2023 12:01:59 am

I've worked in the the food industry for a few years whether that be as a banquet server, a barback, a burrito roller. All these positions I have been in always accepted tip. It is interesting to see how common tipping is in our culture than it is to other countries. People in these industries don't make enough and essentially live off tips. In a country like Japan it is insulting to leave a tip because of how well paid the workers are. As a banquet server we only get cash tipped and we keep it to ourselves. We are not entitled to share with anybody or tell our managers. Sometimes the guest will tip of the whole staff and we'll share that evenly. As a barback we receive the leftovers of what the bartenders make. And when I was tipped as a burrito roller I usually never go back home with the money. Tipping in a way has tainted how we interact with our waiters/waitresses. Since working in the industry I always felt obliged to tip even when it made no sense. I bought water from a ice cream shop before and I grabbed the bottle myself. When I was paying for the bottle I was left with an option to tip which I did. I left questioning whether the tip was necessary at all as I pretty much did all the work. The employees just pushed a few buttons and flipped the ipad over.

Kasey

8/31/2023 02:14:50 pm

I have never worked in the food industry. However, like everyone else when I go out to eat I am always faced with the tip at the end. While I agree that servers at restaurants do deserve tips I have also wondered if I'm not giving them cash how do I know that my server is directly getting the tip? I also believe that not every profession has the right to ask for tips. Such as the dermatologist mentioned, it is in my opinion that people in professions like that have no right to ask for tips, you are already paying them for the procedure you want done. I find it very unprofessional that someone with a job like that would even ask for a tip. Also, during Covid when I ordered food I always questioned whether I needed to leave a tip now since no one was serving me, the staff was just doing their jobs and while I did leave tips I always wondered if it was worth it or just a waste of money for me. I did enjoy reading this article and found it interesting that you had many of the same questions I ask myself at dining experiences or when just purchasing waters. I agree that tipping should never be forced or a guilt factor, it's my opinion that people should tip what the think the server deserved and understand that they can't control the speed the kitchen works at.

Cory

8/31/2023 04:25:33 pm

Perfect timing as me and my co-workers were just discussing this today For relevance, In the past I also had a job that received tips.

The amount and types of businesses asking for tips has increased dramatically. As tipping has become easier, it has become more mainstream.

This is especially problematic because, as mentioned, often time the tip is expected BEFORE the service has been performed. In addition, with tipping being "expected" it no longer increases the quality of service which was the original point of a tip. Tips aren't a motivator when they are expected. Currently, if you didn't leave a tip at some places, even if you had bad service, you would get a lot of dirty looks (or worse!).

I'd like to see tipping be phased out as it would be better for everyone. Employees would know exactly how much they would be paid for the work provided and the risk of getting a bad / cheap customer would be gone. Customers would no longer need to determine what tip is "deserved" or risk dirty looks for tips perceived as bad. The rest would be fixed by economics.

From my experience, the service I received in non-tipping countries has not been different from the service I received in tipping countries.

Lucas Plumey

9/1/2023 09:29:13 am

I actually had an issue with tipping just last night. My friends and I were ordering pizza and we realized that we needed to give a cash tip. I felt bad because my buddies didn't really want to give a tip. ITs an ethical issue, but it is also a sort of trend nowadays. Now that tipping has become easier with features on payment processors like Square, it has become sort of a social expectation to tip wherever you go. There have even been memes about tipping.
Being in the food service (shaved ice) industry myself, I often found it silly when people would tip me for handing them a cup of shaved ice, since all the customers would put the flavors on by themselves. I don't know, I think the current trend of tipping was made by people who are underpaid and were attempting to get more money.

Noah

9/1/2023 10:34:49 am

I feel like the iPad flip has created a certain level of awkwardness among consumers when ordering food. Its commonplace to have the iPads that will "ask you a few questions" as the workers put it. When someone orders something that is a small dollar amount and they are asked to tip on an iPad, it creates a dilemma. A consumer is used to tipping for a sit down meal, not buying cream for example. I was asked to tip on an iPad at Bruster's the other day, which felt odd considering I bought less that $5 worth. Its awkward, as the consumer is not used to it and they do not wanna seem like a jerk for rejecting a tip, Its especially awkward when the worker stares you down while you decide. Personally, I think the iPad flip can be off-putting to consumers, especially if they bought a small dollar amount.

Mark

9/1/2023 11:11:38 am

As someone with prior experience with a tipped job, it's clear to me that the concept of tipping is simply too far gone to properly function. The idea behind tipping is simple and effective- a server, in a private transaction, gives a little extra money to personnel who worked one-on-one with them to reward outstanding performance. This incentivizes harder work from employees, and greatly increases morale. However, tipping over time stopped being a private transaction and is now simply expected from most customers, particularly in any setting involving food. Because tipping is now factored into the compensation of most restaurant workers, rather than being rewarded for being outstanding, servers are now punished for NOT being outstanding with a lower pay. In addition to this, social pressure forces customers to tip more than they're comfortable with, and tip much more than necessary for a jobs that don't necessarily warrant tips- the water bottle example is a perfect showing of this. Along with inflated tipping rates and the rise of digital transactions, tips have become much more homogenous and expected, defeating the purpose of a good concept. This can likely be traced back to the restaurant industry as a whole- factoring tips into a worker's compensation defeats the point of said tips, and allows the restaurants to skim on their employee's wages in the hopes that customers will cover the majority of them. This, along with digital media, puts both the customer and the employee in uncomfortable positions, confusing the system and defeating any purpose the tips may have served. At this point, due largely to societal norms, phasing out the idea of tipping and instead raising the wages of these employees would likely be best for all.

Christian Foltz link

9/1/2023 12:15:46 pm

I believe that leaving a tip at restaurants is very important. Most of the time, waiters/waitresses are working very busy shifts, giving up their free time on the weekends. They have to keep many different people organized for hours all while keeping a big smile on their face. I've known many people that have worked in the restaurant business, and they all tell me that tip is their motivation to work better. Tips are also important because they reward the people that actually work hard, not just the owners of the business.

Hannah G

9/10/2023 03:11:05 pm

This was a very interesting topic to me as I was thinking about this not too long ago. I remember talking to my parents about if it was expected to leave a tip at places where I am not served, such as Chipotle, Tropical Smoothie Cafe, and Oola Bowls. In these cases, I order and receive my food right away but am not served. When the person at the register flips the iPad at these places, I felt as though people would think I was cheap if I clicked the "no tip" button. It also feels manipulative to have the person who would receive part of the tip watch you as you select your choice for giving a tip. While I do believe that tipping at a restaurant is necessary because of the quality service, I was not sure about tipping at these places. However, after reading this article, I have concluded that tipping at these fast casual or fast-food places depends on the customer and the service. I really liked the statement, “To be true to its nature and intent, tipping must remain a discretionary thing – while it certainly should be encouraged, it shouldn’t be compelled.” So, I believe the discretion in the amount of money you tip should be respected and up to the customer.

Jessica C

9/11/2023 07:59:07 pm

This article was perfect timing for me as I am working as a part-time server during the weekends with school and everything. I couldn't agree more with your perspective on tipping culture. After reading this article it made me think about the amount of places I have came across that asked me to tip and I would always ask myself, "is this really necessary for me to tip?" I would always be stuck because in my mind tipping is usually during a sit-down traditional dining service where you have a waiter/waitress. I believe restaurants (food services) should give their waiters/waitresses a normal wage instead of paying them the market $2.83 + whatever tips they make. It can be especially hard with some restaurants who have their servers "tip out" a certain percentage for the other staff. Dining service restaurants need to value their servers/workers and provide a more decent wage. I also liked your point about tipping with your own discretion, at the end of the day, it is up to yourself to decide the amount to tip. No one should feel pressured about the amount you tip.

Noah

9/11/2023 10:19:27 pm

I have worked in the restaurant industry (sit-down restaurant) for a few years now and I can confidently say that tips are greatly appreciated, but should match the work that was put into serving the customer. Servers at restaurants absolutely deserve tips more than workers at fast food places because servers are objectively doing more work. They have to keep track of multiple tables while also helping out their coworkers. Additionally, they have to deal with their customers for a lot longer (it could be hours). For fast food places, I believe that the employees should just receive a higher wage and leave the tipping to sit-down restaurants. If people want to tip the employees at fast food / fast-casual places, that's up to them. I don't think, however, that it should be forced upon them (flipping the iPad around with tip options).

Willow R.

9/12/2023 12:38:40 pm

I think the topic of tipping can be a particularly precarious one when we consider all the facets that go into it. America is one of the only countries *to* tip, and yet it has become such an integrated part of our culture. Why is that? Tipping does give control to the consumers, and incentive to the waiters/service people, but when waiters are getting paid tremendously below wage at about 2-3$ per hour, then what else would one expect?
A common joke that I see around social media has to do with the fast service "IPad tipping" that a lot of small businesses have seemed to integrate into their services. With the cashier watching them over the counter, then suddenly being rude when the customer decides they don't want to give a 20% minimum tip for their coffee and breakfast sandwich. It's a joke, but it holds truth, and with it societal pressures.

I have so much respect for people in tippable service jobs. I've worked them myself only for my manager to pocket all the tips for themselves, so i never got to properly reap the benefits. I think some adjusting needs to be made to the way that we see tipping, or pay underpaid workers better so they aren't reliant on their customers to pay the salary their supervisors should be paying them.

Luke P

9/12/2023 05:39:30 pm

My experience with tipping has been primarily that of a consumer, rather than an employee. Although I worked in the food industry for a little over a year, I never received tips, and frankly, I never felt the need to, either. Of course, I wasn't being paid the absurdly low wages many servers at casual dining restaurants receive, but I also never felt disincentivized to provide a quality experience to customers because I wasn't being rewarded with a tip.

Traditional tipping has become so engrained in American culture that most adults don't even question it. The original reason for tipping (providing feedback and allowing customers to control the cost of their meal) is fair, and even effective in theory, but in practice, it complicates the payment process with too many ways it can go wrong. As this article articulates, the uncertainty of where the tip is going, the pressure of providing an acceptable tip even for poor service, and the recent expectation for tips in nonstandard tipping environments demonstrate the flaws in the Americanized gratuity system.

Phasing out the system of tipping in America could be more effective for all stakeholders. Certainly, this would require raising prices, but in practicality, this shouldn't change the end bill for the customer, as the amount expected for gratuity would be factored into the total price. The recent request for tips in nonstandard environments simply reflects a greater systemic problem in the structure of tipping in modern consumer markets.

Josiah Sugden link

9/12/2023 07:07:17 pm

I mean this topic of what business is allowed to do tips is a big deal. There is a lot of controversy and I feel that having it addressed as a community can help get people understanding why it is an unpopular thing to talk about and is it nessacary to have it being shown in more businesses. I would have to agree with the point that I feel as though tipping should be for resturants that actually are serving you and valuing you personally. A lot of places that ask for tips but don't actually serve you is a no for me. I would not want to tip in advance and receive a wrong order or a poor order that was not prepared right. I feel like companies use it to their advantage to peer preasure in giving more money for their business. At that point I think companies should do fundrasier for themselves and their intention behind on why they need more income.

Jaslyne Clervil link

9/12/2023 11:08:45 pm

I read the article, "Has tipping reached a tipping point" and I honestly found it very interesting and thought provoking. As someone who has worked at a restaurant as a takeout server, I understand the complication with tipping. Personally, after reading the article and doing some reflection myself, I definitely think the "iPad tipping" should scale back some or consumers need to be more aware and firm in their choice to tip, when desired or when they feel is worthy. As it states in the article---it is unethical to coerce people into tipping using like guilt, fear, or almost trap-like tactics. People should be able to spend their money on what they want---and buy bottles of water (like the student described) without feeling a need to tip. A lot of people work hard for their money so they shouldn't have to be obligated to leave a tip for a small service, or a service they are not even sure if they will like. People should be able to tip thoughtfully as they choose.

Erin Eby

9/13/2023 12:26:36 am

I agree with Sarah's insight that one's experience in a sit-down restaurant is greatly dependent on the server(s) who wait on your table. Though some complications during a sit-down experience may not always be the fault of a server, the manner in which the server maneuvers and reconciles the situation can still be critical in alleviating or exacerbating the problem. If I were to have a bad experience with a server at a restaurant, there is a good chance I will tip a maximum of 20% and avoid returning there in the future; on the other hand, if I find that I consistently have good service at a restaurant, I'll likely return often and tip well.

In a situation where I am prompted to tip the staff as a whole in a setting where I am not actually being served on, it often rubs me the wrong way, and I almost always select the "No Tip," option. Some see this as heartless, however I tend to be more traditional in my viewpoints of tips. I also have worked in a restaurant and have seen the efforts servers must go to to do well in their position - efforts that staff at places like Chipotle never even have to think about. For these reasons, I think that tipping has gone "too far."

Rosie Schiano

9/13/2023 10:32:55 am

I grew up in the restaurant industry. My family has owned 6 restaurants in my life. I took my first steps in one of our restaurants. Therefore, as soon as I was allowed to work in the restaurant, my parents put me to work and I saw how much servers rely on their tips.

My thoughts about "tipping culture" I always tip at least 20% if I'm at a sit-down restaurant. Even if the service is bad, I think "Maybe their just having a bad day" or "It's not their fault for the slow service" because I've been there and done that.

Now, on the flip side, I don't feel inclined to tip as often if it's fast food or first casual. The main reason is that they are getting paid for than $2.83 an hour and are not relying on their tips to make a living. Do I still tip? sometimes, but usually not as much as I would for a sit-down restaurant.

Noah Rice

9/13/2023 11:15:42 am

Over the past few years, I have noticed more stores and restaurants asking for tips on the screens that the customers would pay for. Places such as Panera, Chipotle, and bakeries are the ones that I have noticed that have left me confused as to why they think they deserve a tip if they are not working as a waiter or waitress. They are simply taking my order and giving me a receipt and I am confused why some people decide to tip. I also fully understand why tipping is so important at sit-down-style restaurants and always tip generously. In my opinion, tipping has gone way too far and businesses are looking for extra money in my opinion. I also believe that tipping should remain at sit-down style restaurants like they always have been.

Jake Ayers

9/13/2023 11:29:10 am

I completely resonate with the viewpoint provided in the blog. It's frustrating when you visit a service that doesn't traditionally involve tipping and receive minimal service, yet you're prompted to leave a tip. It leaves me feeling like I've been subtly coerced into tipping for something that doesn't warrant it, and that can indeed sour the overall experience. Tipping should be a genuine expression of appreciation for exceptional service, not something forced onto customers in situations where it doesn't make sense.

Becca Lehman

9/13/2023 02:07:18 pm

I found this article to be very intriguing to me as I am one who often struggles with knowing when and when not to leave a tip. While staying on the topic of the food industry, whenever I go out to a sit-down restaurant or somewhere where I am having a personal interaction with one other worker, (ex: getting ice cream) I love leaving generous tips as a way to thank the worker for their service. I believe that businesses that offer customized tips for customers to leave encourages their workers to provide people with the best service possible and gives their workers something to strive for. Workers who are paid based on an hourly rate tend to get lazy over time because no matter how much effort they put in; they will always receive the same amount of money. Their job becomes something that they view as “what's the quickest and most efficient way for me to get the job done” rather than really focusing on the needs and wants of customers in order to leave them with a positive impact. However, at the same time, I do not believe that every single job is deserving of a tip. One business that I struggle with knowing whether or not to leave a tip is a frozen yogurt shop right by my house called Kiwi Yogurt. At this store, the customer is in charge of serving their own ice cream and adding toppings. The only thing the employees have to do is weigh the product and charge them the price. However, at the end of each transaction, there is a prompt that asks if you would like to leave a tip. Is their job no different if not easier than a job as a cashier at a grocery store? We don’t tip cashiers for scanning and bagging our groceries so how is this any different? I believe that there is a very fine line when it comes to tipping but at the end of the day, like the article states, “You should never be guilted into leaving a tip at these kinds of establishments.”

Katelyn Kleinschmidt

9/13/2023 02:50:44 pm

Recently I have encountered many different places that have asked for tips. I believe that many places have taken advantage of the "Ipad Tipping". I was at Crumbl Cookies the other day and it asked for a tip. The worker literally just grabbed my cookie from the back. In many instances like this, the stores ask for tips when they don't do anything. I think that if they provide good service they should recieve tips. Companies should start paying their workers more instead of asking for tips. I don't like the fact that half the time you don't know who the tips go to. Do the tips go to the worker who helped me out or does it go to the company? It would be nice if the tips went to the employee that directly helped me out. I do believe though, that tipping in dine in restaurants is acceptable. Because the workers often get minimum wage, they need the tips from the table. I agree that tipping should be encouraged and not compelled.

Fitsum Visser

9/13/2023 04:58:17 pm

This article did a good job in analyzing the impact of tips and how they affect both customers and employees. I found that the argument that tipping should not be forced or guilt trapped on costumers very relatable. I have found on nervous occasions that I have a sense of obligation when it comes to tipping, and when I choose not to tip others accuse me of being cheap or mean. I would agree with the article that while tips are often built into the compensation of lower wage employees it is not the responsibility of a costumer to compensate the employee beyond the original bill.

When I worked at target guest serviceI did not receive tips eventhough I was performing direct services for costumers with prolonged interactions. Target went as far as to say that if I was to receive a tip I could not keep it, this was a rule with which I strongly disagreed with and defied. I am not a rebel, but I do think that when a costumer has received exceptional service and feels compelled to tip, that should be allowed as a reward for the employee delivering said service.

This article all around does a good job raising important questions about tipping and the impact it has on both costumer and employee.

Emma

9/13/2023 05:16:13 pm

This article makes some great points about the current state of tipping. First, I tend to be sympathetic to those asking for tips. It's important to remember that despite our initial reaction to view it as slightly greedy, many people rely on tips for their income. A good friend of mine is paid significantly under minimum wage (legally) because she relies on tips as a waitress. She's not being greedy, she is simply trying to earn her fair wage.

On the other hand, there is a very real issue of pressuring consumers to tip, either more than they had in mind, or at an awkward time. Especially with the state of the economy, people have found themselves with less and less disposable income, and consequently less and less willing to tip. They're not tipping to be cheap, they simply have less wiggle-room in their budgets.

With these thoughts in mind, I would have to agree that at the end of the day, tipping is definitely a personal decision. It has to be, or it's not truly gratuity. Each person has to navigate their own financial situations and ultimately have empathy for those working for tips.

Michael

9/13/2023 06:41:32 pm

Starting with the dermatology example, I do believe that has crossed the line of absolute insanity, as cosmetic dermatology is quite literally one of the highest paying, salaried jobs in the entire United States. I personally see quite the ethical issue with verbally asking for tips, despite making more money per year in your base salary alone, than around 95% of your clients.
In the case of non-extreme examples, my opinions on tipping are relatively positive, if it is approached the right way, but unfortunately it usually is not. A question that I often find myself asking, which was brought up at the end of the blog is, “Do tips always make it to their intended parties?” In the case of servers at a sit-down restaurant especially, it should be noted whether or not the whole tip is actually going to the server, or if it is being split amongst other employees. On paper, this issue could be resolved if it were mandated that servers were given higher salaries, and we eliminated tipping like much of the rest of the world. However, this poses the issue, especially for smaller restaurants, of not being able to afford to pay their servers significantly higher wages than they already are, due to the already low profit margins. The prices of food would have to increase at an equal rate to compensate for what is being lost in tips. So, I feel like the key here is not eliminating tipping, but simply presenting more transparency.
There is also the issue of the ethical dilemma of feeling obligated to tip. My rule of thumb here is to always tip a certain amount, usually 15%, as an absolute minimum, because you really do not know what is going on in your server’s life, or in the kitchen, and adjust accordingly based off of how good the quality of service is. However, this comes with the problem of situations like the Chipotle example, in which the tip is requested before the service is even completed. This I see a major issue with because you cannot predict what quality you are going to end up with.
If these three points were to be addressed, where the general rule of thumb of not requesting tips if you already make the same or more than most of your clients, tipping becomes more transparent and there is no preemptive tipping, I feel as though the current issues of tipping would be solved.

Rachel

9/13/2023 09:53:39 pm

Tipping culture is something that has greatly increased in recent years. I believe that part of the reason tipping culture is the way it is now is due to the way life was in 2020. During the time of the full lockdown in 2020, customers felt more inclined to tip because these workers were risking their health to provide products and services for customers. This would be an example of people feeling more inclined to tip because of the risk that the workers are putting themselves in for the customer and the service that they are providing for the customer. Since 2020, tipping has remained a major thing within our society and has not seen much decrease since the times of full lockdown. At my own summer job this is something I have seen first hand. I work at a farm stand at the register, which is not a position that does any kind of special work for the customer. I have been working at this business since 2019 and the summer of 2020 I noticed a large spike in tipping. This has since continued all the way to the current summer and I still make about the same amount of tips each shift as I did in 2020. The way that our society tips has changed so much in the past years and as for right now I don't think it is something that will be going away anytime soon. This way of tipping and tipping culture has become the new normal and has become less about the services and the quality of services and more about the simple pressure to tip.

Averi Sivak

9/13/2023 10:53:24 pm

I worked in the food industry since I was 15. Most of my pay came from tips. I understand that food service workers deserve tips for quality service and taking orders thoroughly. However, for an online order to ask for a tip doesn’t sit right with me. There is no need for a non-communicable order to be tipped. Nobody helped with taking the order, so where does the tip money go? It is generous to tip the people that prepared and handled the food, but tipping has definitely gone too far. Its to the point where companies are doing it just for extra money. My question is, where do we draw the line? How many more companies are going to hop on this trend? It is so normal in our society today.

Jacob Hamm

9/13/2023 11:20:54 pm

I chose this Mindful Matter blog because I have a job that relates to being tipped. I am a door dasher and I find it important and necessary for people to tip us for them to get their food delivered. As a dasher, we can see the prices and distance for the delivery. And we are allowed to accept or decline it. So, we see a lot of people not tip enough and never get their food. On doordash, recently they added a new way to get paid. They added hourly wage but that's only during the time you are actually driving around. But either way if we choose per delivery pay or hourly, it's not enough to cover the gas and the time.

Gretchen Howell

9/13/2023 11:36:53 pm

In recent years I feel that tipping has gone out of hand. As the blog stated, tipping used to be primarily for in-person dining. Now, online ordering systems are asking for tips when you are the one picking up your own food. I personally feel that cash tips are more beneficial to servers and people receiving tips because electronical tips are taxed and then distributed amongst restaurant staff. I have encountered restaurants in the past that have automatically charged me for a tip when I did not personally leave them a tip. I think that tipping has gone too far and I'm wondering just how much farther it will go.

Emily Lopez link

9/14/2023 12:16:54 am

The article “Tipping has reached its tipping point’’ really impacted me due to it’s phenomenal job in increasing awareness and it’s relatability. I think this article is absolutely phenomenal. But I think it can be a little biased at times though. But it gives really good supporting evidence and analysis. I think the example that stuck me the most as a reader is the dermatology example. As someone who was once interested in the medical field I know how much dermatologists get paid and they are more than well off. Dermatologist do not need the extra cash that consumers might give them. I think dermatologists and other high paid specialist are getting increasingly greedy by constantly asking people for more and more money. I think this issue is partially due to greed and guilt. They guilt trip you into tipping and they are greedy because they can never quite ever get enough. Some of my favorite places to go eat are Café Rio and Chipotle. I absolutely adore going to those two places. The food is amazing and the service is also pretty great! But recently I have been having one problem and it is the tips. Every time I go I never go alone I bring multiple friends, my whole family or even just people from my church. And these places are not exactly fast-food cheap. My total usually comes to around $80. Which is a hefty dollar amount and on top of that I have to pay tip! If I don’t tip I get a bad look and if I don’t tip enough I get a bad look. I understand that a lot of the folks working in these restaurants are minimum wage workers and would appreciate the extra money. But as a student I cannot spend 80-90 dollars every time I go out for food. And I totally agree with this article I think it is so necessary for consumers to make the choice if they want to tip or not and how much tip they want to leave. Personally for me it all depends on the quality of the service. If the service is not good, then why should I leave a tip? I believe that people that work in casual dining restaurants do indeed deserve to get paid tips. They do a lot more hard work. They have to serve you, take your order, be polite and there are so many more duties that being a server entails. I think it is absolute nonsense that people who barely serve you believe they deserve tips. In my opinion tips are something that is given as a token of appreciation, not something mandatory. People in this day and age have grown accustomed to rewards they can’t do anything without expecting something in exchange. Or as the famous question says ``What’s in it for me”. People really need to get this ideology out of their head because this ideology is often what stops us from giving food or donations to the poor and needy simply because we get nothing in return. My Uncle owns a restaurant in downtown Virginia and once somebody’s total came to around $40 and my uncle asked if they would like to tip. And the lady said she could barely afford what she was buying and she would definitely not have enough money to pay the tip. This struck me, companies have grown so accustomed to receiving, but what would happen if they, for once, tried to give back? Maybe use the tips to bless the community. That would be building a better world, one small tip at a time.

Lesley

9/14/2023 01:05:46 am

The “Has tipping reached a tipping point” blog has made me really think about tipping culture and which professions should have tips and vice versa. I do not think that professionals who are well off financially should be asking for tips, for example, in the blog a dermatologist should not be asking for a tip because their profession makes a significant amount of money. But I am open-minded that sometimes companies have low pay, so I think that that should be something adjusted if needed. People should also not feel pressured to tip if they do not think the service they received was not up to par or if they do not know who or what they are tipping to, as stated in the blog.

Isaac Schmitke

9/14/2023 10:02:28 am

"Has tipping reached a tipping point," really does seem to be a controversial topic today. I really liked what this blog had to say about tipping, and the concerns about how we almost have to tip at just about any restaurant, fast food, or fast casual place seems a bit wrong to me. This tipping culture is also being taken even further with other jobs also looking for a little more than just their paycheck Although I agree and like to tip when I'm in a sit-down restaurant and the waiter has done well, I certainly have noticed other times and smaller businesses or stands where they do the iPad flip and the only option is to tip above 20% and I feel as that is wrong. The only way I should be tipping is if it's of my free will and if I believe they deserve it. I do believe that tipping is reaching a tipping point, and people, as well as businesses, are getting a bit greedy and untrustworthy with money and how they can get more and more.

Chase

9/14/2023 10:47:59 am

And someone who never will or knows many people who are involved in the wrestleman industry shipping something that I barely thought about or considered. But I have this article on questioning the ethics and values of tipping. To me when a server or waiter does an excellent job and is super kind me and the people I'm with will usually go out of our way to give them a tip. But after this article I was questioning if every waiter even if the service is mediocre is deserving of the tip or should it just be something that everyone does regardless. But I only believe this when it comes to cash because paper physical actually go to the server unlike electronic tips that won't benefit them as much.

Raegan

9/14/2023 11:00:12 am

I found this article to be very insightful. It tackles a common debate that is taking in place in society right now. I have encountered the "iPad flip" a lot recently and somehow find myself clicking "20%" without thinking. As a college student, I wouldn't say I have the ability to do so with every coffee I purchase and yet I feel guilty if I don't. As the post says we need to stop tipping so commonly out of guilt or "obligation" and really only tip if we feel the employees deserved it. The one exception here I would say would be sit down restaurants. Even if the waiter/waitress doesn't meet my standards of service, I would still tip just perhaps a lower percentage.

Kaitlyn G.

9/14/2023 01:05:13 pm

I found this article to be insightful. I can relate to this article in many ways because it's very common to think "is this really necessary for me to tip?", when your being serviced. I don't think tipping is necessary in all situations because it's dependent upon the quality of serviced being received. Tipping in my opinion has reached it's tipping point because now a days people like to think tipping is a requirement. I don't think tipping should ever be an requirement because it enables the person to not perform their job or tasks correctly and still expect a tip in the end. For example, one time when I went out to eat with my friends, my server was very short tempered and disrespectful. She didn't have any respect for me and my friends. She had forgot our food and never checked on us. She in my opinion did not deserve my time nor a tip. A tip to me is something you have to go out of your way to earn.

Danuta Tachayeni

12/6/2023 06:53:22 pm

I think the article highlighted some real issues faced by people when they tip. As someone who was raised in a country that rarely tips unless you are well-to-do or feeling generous, I found it absolutely ridiculous that before coming to America I was advised to start the practice of tipping. I recall times in which waiters would come back to our tables to insists we write a gratuity amount. I have never done this back in Malaysia, despite people not being paid great wages. Thus, from my understanding whether tipping is a need or not is a societal construct and whether it is fair or unfair to customers is a matter of different societal norms.

I have been to other countries in Asia where tipping is expected, especially for low-skill jobs and they may provide bad services if you are a bad tipper. In my personal view, people earn wages to pay for products they want and not to be coerced or forced to pay for the services that took to deliver that product, as that should be part of the product we are paying for. If I go to a restaurant, and you work there and you serve me, that is your job. I am not in any way obliged to pay you more, as your job is part of the product I am paying for. Of course, I could tip you if I am generous, but that is the extent of it I believe.

Sierra

12/6/2023 07:05:27 pm

I think tipping is very important in sit-down resturaunts becasue those servers work hard. Similar to what Josh Mcleaf was saying, they are doing a lot at once and working hard. However, I also agree that customers should have the ability to choose more easily what they want to tip their servers. I work the Ravens games a couple of times, and while this isn't a sit down resturaunt, I think tips are still warranted in this situation sometimes because of how fast the servers have to work and because of all the different types of people they have to deal with. I think in certain fast food resturaunts, tips are a nice thingf to have, but I think we are taking it to far by asking for tips in other areas of work.

Kaitlyn N

2/22/2024 05:25:03 pm

I agree that tipping and the tip amount should remain a voluntary practice. Many companies are now asking for tips in the checkout process even when a tip doesn't seem appropriate. Often this question is asked before the service is being performed, so as the customer, it feels like we are blindly tipping. Furthermore, tipping is even less relevant when a customer orders without interacting at all with an employee (online ordering). One reason for tipping is to show appreciation for employees who use their soft skills to provide a service or deliver a product. However, when a customer is only dealing with a computer to order, for instance in a restaurant, it seems unreasonable to ask customers to tip.

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Has Tipping Reached a Tipping Point?

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