Tipping is getting out of hand in the US. The percentage of a customary tip you give for a standard service is growing higher and higher as time goes on. At the moment, we are at 20%, and there’s no sign of stopping.
But that’s not all. Tipping is becoming so common, everyone from car mechanics to tattoo artists are now adding a tipping option to their bills. And how do you not tip someone who is making sure your car is safe?
Well, some people have had enough of it. Like this TikToker named Dustin Anderson. He made a video expressing his frustration and, subsequently, sparked an interesting discussion online. Scroll down and see where you stand on this matter.
Tipping culture in the US is very omnipresent at the moment. Some would say maybe a little too omnipresent
Image credits: cottonbro studio (not the actual photo)
This TikToker, for example, has had enough of it. Here's why he is not planning on tipping any longer
Image credits: therealdustinanderson
"So I'm not tipping anymore. I'm done. I'm out"
It used to be you'd give a tip if somebody gave exceptional service. When was the last time you got exceptional service anywhere? And it's just expected. They bring you the bill at the end and they're like, 'Here, just fill this out.' 20%, 25%. No, you did your job.
They made food, you carried it to my table. You got me a Diet Coke, thank you. That was your job. You don't get 25% because you did your job.
"And I'm not the bad guy here. I'm not"
If you own a restaurant, just tell me what it costs. I don't want people to go hungry. What does it cost for me to get my food and also so that the waitstaff doesn't have to join the cartel, do some Lord of the Flies, Oliver Twist stuff. I want people to be taken care of. Just tell me what it costs.
Image credits: Lefteris kallergis (not the actual photo)
Watch his whole video explanation here
While tipping culture might seem bad, people do prefer it
Image credits: Sam Dan Truong (not the actual photo)
The thing is that Americans love tipping. Studies have shown that if given an option, people in the US will choose giving a tip instead of paying a mandatory service fee. You see, they like to be put in a position where they are responsible for appraising the service they are getting. They believe that if tipping is taken away, service people will not be trying that hard to provide a pleasant experience.
Their assumptions are correct, by the way. Scientists once compared service quality in Miami restaurants with and without mandatory fees. The ones that offered tipping saw a more positive assessment of their service.
So, one can say that service workers do try harder if their livelihood depends on it. The question now is how badly do we want a great service. Would we rather have a fantastic experience when we go out to eat or allow people to take it down a notch and get a fixed income?
Not tipping might be too drastic of a solution
Image credits: Karolina Grabowska (not the actual photo)
An interesting detail of the Miami experiment is the reason why they were able to do the comparison. It is because Miami gets a lot of international tourists visiting the place. Unlike Americans, international tourists aren’t that keen on the tipping culture. In general, they tend to tip less.
The restaurants saw this phenomenon and… recognized it. Around 40% of restaurants there changed the way they were compensating their staff by adding a mandatory service fee.
So, one can conclude that a mass boycott of tipping could actually make a change. Unfortunately, a lot of service workers would suffer in the meantime.
A lot of people showed support for his position
There were some, though, who also showed understanding for service workers
Others claimed tips are fine for servers, but not workers from other industries asking for gratuities
