ORLANDO, Fla. – Perhaps you’ve noticed. We have reached a tipping point in the country over tipping.
To tip or not to tip has led to Shakespearean soliloquies by customers explaining why they refuse to tip for certain things.
During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, customers were grateful for those who seemingly risked their safety so we could get groceries, order dinner or anything that made our lives feel normal. A nice tip was the least we could do to show gratitude.
But now that we are out about and back to normal, the custom of tipping for just about everything has somehow remained; and customers are upset.
This goes beyond tipping fatigue. Suddenly, we are being asked to leave a little extra for what was once included in the deal. It was understood if you take a bottle of water from the cooler and place it on the counter, the only extra was a thank you to the cashier. Yet, these days when the iPad is flipped away from the cashier and is now facing you. There it is, staring you right in your thirsty face is the dreaded three-letter word. Generally, it starts at 15% and then goes up to 25%. But for what? And why are we suddenly tipping for just about everything these days?
“We go here out of pure greed,” etiquette expert Valerie Sokolosky said.
Honestly, look at the prices of everything. “Everything has gone up and do we really know if there’s a reason or not?” she said.
“The reality is the word tip from history says to ensure promptness. It has nothing to do with what it’s about today. And you know what? Everyone is angry about it. They get those screens turned around,” Sokolosky said.
Even an etiquette expert such as herself isn’t exempt. She said just last week she was at a coffee shop and did a double take when the iPad was turned toward her.
“It doesn’t even start at 15% anymore,” she said. “Some say 18%. This one was 22%.”
Sokolosky said as long as companies continue to include asking for a little extra as a part of their everyday practice, Americans will pay. Why? We feel a deep sense of guilt. According to Sokolosky, 54% of the public feels guilty if they don’t tip.
So what can we do? Sokolosky said one little trick that has helped her, especially in situations where she wasn’t expecting to be asked for a tip or doesn’t believe the service provided should start at 22%.
“There is something at the bottom that says ‘custom tip’ and that’s what I do. I click custom tip and then I decide, seriously, what value did I receive from this person? Who is asking me for the tip? Quite frankly, I don’t know if she or he gets it. Probably it’s in a pool of some kind so I give a custom tip.”
I wanted to know if there was something else going on other than the guilt most feel when it comes to tipping. It seems people are more likely now to express their displeasure when people aren’t big tippers.
A recent viral video showed a Texas DoorDash driver who delivered a $20 pizza grumbling about getting only $5. Now keep in mind, that’s a 25% tip, which is pretty generous. The driver can be heard saying, “I just want to say it’s a nice house for a $5 tip.”
The woman, who sounded flabbergasted, tells the driver, “You’re welcome.”
The driver then curses at her by dropping the F-bomb.
“There is a lot of entitlement out there in many areas,” Sokolosky said. “And yet, what’s interesting is there are signs on every highway, help needed, help wanted, to apply for a job. It’s just a very interesting time in our history. And what we have to do as individuals is make choices. What’s worth getting angry about or not? And I am just not going to get angry about a cup of coffee. I will just simply not go there.”
The DoorDash driver has been fired.
I wanted to know if it’s ever appropriate to walk away and not leave a tip?
“No,” Sokolosky said.
She said people are trying to make a living.
“I always feel grateful, frankly, that I can tip,” she said.
Sokolosky also reveals what generation is better at tipping.
We also went over some appropriate tips for certain kinds of services. Find out more by watching the entire interview.
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