As someone who waited tables and tended bar for roughly a decade, I am a fierce defender of the service industry. In fact, in the rare instance my wife and I argue, it’s likely because I tipped 40 percent for perfectly average service.
I believe, and always have, that good service should be rewarded. But sadly the act of tipping is no longer a service contract. Rather, it has become a requirement for the most menial transactions.
We’ve all been there: You buy a $5 coffee only to have some blue-haired barista with a neck tattoo flip a screen that lets you select between a range of tipping options, usually 15, 20, and 25 percent. For what? Asking if I want cream and sugar?
These days, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a retail establishment without the dreaded screen or a tip jar by the register. A good friend recently informed me of the tip jar at his local liquor store!
It’s bad enough on its face, but it’s downright insulting when you consider that people everywhere are being squeezed by record inflation. Dining out is expensive enough as is, and egregious tipping expectations make it next to impossible for many, thus threatening the businesses that employ service industry staff.
Let’s face it: Tipping in this country is completely out of control. Should our current insanity continue, we will hit a breaking point and, I fear, go the way of optional-tipping Europe. Anyone who’s ever had a snooty Parisian waiter
