Americans are stepping on the out-of-control tipping “etiquette” as hardened workers finally get tired of paying extra for everyday items.
Although tipping has a long history in the country, rampant inflation and the expectation to tip for as little as a poured cup of coffee has left people wondering if it’s time to change unspoken tip codes.
DailyMail.com has taken to the streets to find out what people really think of the practice – with a major bugbear being the iPads at checkout prompting them to tip up to 30% leaving them feeling pressured to shell out money. extra money.
But DailyMail.com readers say they’ve had enough, going so far as to completely avoid places that stalk their customers for tips.
Tipping was originally intended to be free, seen by many as an added bonus for good service and an enjoyable experience.
But one of the most offensive aspects of modern tipping is the expectation that customers should now pay extra “regardless of service.”
In response, one commenter said, “I don’t know why I’m supposed to tip a bartender who takes a bottle of beer and removes the cap, 5 seconds involved.”
“I don’t mind tipping a waiter who waits for me for an hour. I don’t mind tipping someone for handing me a drink. Will grocery store checkout lines also start requiring tips now? asked another.
And while tipping has long been a custom in the United States, the notable rise in prices in recent years has led one commentator to call the tradition “ridiculous.”
“They always ask for tips for everything,” they continued.
“Previously, tipping was optional and 10%, but only if the service was good. European countries do not demand tips in this militant way as they do here.
“It has been abused and misused for too long and we need to put an end to it. MORE TIPS.’
The new prevalence of tipping iPads in major US cities is a major point of contention, with the system implicitly designed to entice people to add extra tips even if they don’t want to.
Many readers agreed the technology was inappropriate, with one person noting, “You walk up to the counter to pay, and the tip button is right there with the staff staring at you. Awkward.’
“I’ve really cut back on my trips to places where they have these tip screens,” said another disgruntled reader.
Many seem to be constantly turned off by technology, as another reader noted: “I would always tip, until they shove the screen in my face demanding a tip.”
Many people have also objected to how tipping has become a subsidy for low-wage workers.
One reader called tipping “another tax,” while another agreed that it was “getting out of control.”
Another said they only tip ‘based on level of service’, adding: ‘That’s what a tip is supposed to be, not an add on to a salary but a reward for a good one /great service”.
“Tipping regardless of level or lack of service is the adult equivalent of little league participation trophies. And we saw how well IT worked.
And while some said they were now going so far as to avoid eating out or going to town, others saw the fun side of the weirder situations they were supposed to pay extra for.
“The worst tipping situation I’ve seen was at a Chinese buffet,” one commenter said.
“There was a tip jar at the sushi station, a tip jar at the station where they had grilled meat and customers were expected to also tip their waitress who was not doing anything… other than bringing your drinks to your table.
“Everything else was, of course, self-service.”
Another person said she was once expected to tip for room service in a hotel, adding, “Not only is the food expensive, there’s all the service charges, and then a tip.”
“When you arrive late and just need something, even tea or coffee and a snack, it’s very expensive, but we still have to tip.”
“I’m a pilot and no one ever gave me a tip,” joked another reader.
Debates over tipping etiquette erupted this month after new “guidelines” were published by New York magazine The Cut.
Intended to be a new code of honour, the suggestions sparked fury after it advised people to consistently tip 20% no matter what to avoid being seen as ‘rude’.
And while one of the proposals was to add an extra 10% even for going out to get your own takeout, readers denounced the absurd new ‘rule’.
“The magazine article is the biggest culprit here in trying to brainwash the young people who read it, into paying (even in cash they don’t have) using the guilt of manipulation and the peer pressure,” one reader said.
‘I tip according to the service.’
Another agreed, adding: ‘No tipping on a takeout order, it’s never been, it’s super inappropriate for these establishments to ask for it.’
“I never tip if I walk in and pick up the food. Sorry not sorry.
‘I tip 20% for waiters, hairdresser, pizza delivery. But never for them to put food back on the counter.
In the UK, Germany and the Netherlands, tips are usually around 5-10%, according to maps published by HawaiinIslands.com.
But in The Cut’s view, those who object to tipping for everyday items are “stingy”, while those with disposable income should splash well over 25% in restaurants and bars.
For cafes, coffee carts, cafes and bodegas, customers must tip at least 20% due to the “tense environment” and “complicated orders,” the magazine says.
But while he argued that Uber drivers should also get 20% because they earn less tips than regular taxi drivers, some lashed out at the expensive demands.
Kirsten Fleming agreed with many of our readers, as she wrote in the New York Post: “They are completely out of touch with real New Yorkers struggling to pay skyrocketing rents and inflated food bills.” .
“The list should have been narrowed down to a few useful ideas.”