I never tip anyone for anything ever.
That’s a lie.
95% of the time I tip 20-25% (everytime) if I’m out at a restaurant or getting delivery.
But I’m planting my flag along with a million other people that tipping is getting out of control. This isn’t original, but here are two instances that highlight the issues I have.
Example 1: Breakfast in Charleston – Tipping isn’t voluntary!
Wacker and I grabbed breakfast sandwiches in Charleston and when we paid, they didn’t do the standard touch screen with ‘20%, 25%, Custom tip, No tip‘ options. Instead, she said “we automatically include 20% tip on every credit card charge, do you want me to adjust that?“.
The tip is becoming less and less voluntary! I would never actually ask to reduce the tip by $1 to make it 15% instead of 20% because it’s so insignificant, but what if she said a 25% tip is automatically added? 30%? 50%? Where do I draw the line of “it’s only a couple dollars, what’s the big deal“?
What if every breakfast place did this? What if simply every place did this? Wawa, gas stations, CVS, etc. When do you say “No, I’m not tipping for this.“?
Example 2: Booking a Haircut – 25% is the new minimum!
I went to book a haircut online and here is what I’m presented with when I choose the pay option:
First, let’s get past that it’s a $40 haircut.
25% is the MINIMUM suggested tip! You’re made to feel cheap for choosing 25%! They’re trying to normalize a 50% tip!
I don’t know if haircuts are different, but I’ve always tipped 20-25% for haircuts. I tipped more during the pandemic! But did 25% become the new 20%?
One might argue that you don’t HAVE to tip what they ask, but the social pressure is immense. They make you verbally tell them that their service is not worth X%, or you have to go out of your way to click Custom and type in less to give less.
All these service places needed more tips when Covid screwed up the business model which was totally fair, but now that it’s returned, there’s no correction back! The thought is essentially ‘it doesn’t hurt to ask‘, but it’s setting weird norms. Europe is the obvious counter example.
I’m starting to think Stortz Tools should put out a tip jar! Could we really increase sales by 20% by putting a tip option on our website’s checkout? Is that… ethically right? For now, we just charge what we need to in order to make money!
The restaurant industry business model was shit before covid. The Pandemic just made it our “social responsibility” to over tip to keep these establishments in business. We should implement the European route: charge more for food menu items and pay your damn front and back-of-house a respectable, living wage. Stop putting the responsibility to directly supplement your employees’ income on your customers. Increase menu items, pay your workers, abolish tips. There’s restaurants in CC Philly where after you’re seated you scan a QR code, order from your phone, runners bring out your food, and you pay from the same webpage you ordered… And tip option starts at 25%!!! Tip for what? I did all my damn work besides cook the food myself! And don’t even get me started on the “convenience fees” tacked on to food delivery services like caviar or door dash… god dammed gonifs, the whole lot of’em
Want a big tip? Circumcise a whale.
I briefly worked as a delivery driver for Silver Mine subs when I first moved to CO back in 2014. Luckily in CO I still got paid $8 hr but mostly relied on tips.
Here are a few things I learned:
-Most people tipped me 10-15% pretty good but not great when the order total was just above the delivery minimum.
-I never saw a cent of the “delivery fee” on orders I just kept my individual tips.
-I still remember my largest tip (50%). I was 45 minutes late (the other driver no showed) and this guy said no problem, he worked as a chef and understood how lots of things were out of my control. Nice guy, invited me inside to his party for a bong hit, I obliged.
-I was only stiffed (0%) twice. Once by a women in a million plus dollar house. I doubt she ever worked a tipped job.
-If you live in an apartment complex and you order takeout, answer the damn phone when I get there. I spent so much time fiddling with call boxes. Time was money.
I agree we need to do away with tipping all together and just pay jobs that rely on tips the full pay they deserve and reflect that cost in the price.
If someone actually gives exceptional service then yeah throw them some bones but relying on tips is stressful.