tipflation, tip creep, and tip fatigue

[JRA]

i'm a generous tipper (if the tippee is trying) but i don't care about "pressure" to tip --- i tip what i want, no matter the circumstances.

the last time i was 'invited' to tip via a screen (at a restaurant) i told the server that i'd leave a tip on the table, "it's old school but i'm sure you can handle it!"

 

[friskinator]

Paying cash simplifies some of this as there is no "automatic payment" process. I hand you money, you hand me change.

I'm old, I'm cranky. I tip 15% at a restaurant. I rarely tip for anything else. There are exceptions, of course.

I rarely patronize the trendy places that are likely to have snotty Gen Z cashiers rolling their eyes at me when I break all the unspoken rules and rap out something like "I'll have a small cup of coffee, black, please" instead of whatever their grande-latte-pour-over-comb-over-hot-candy-bar-in-a-cup-du-jour item is that I'm supposed to order this week instead of a small cup of coffee, black.

One good thing about the "small cup of coffee, black" routine is that those places that have a senior discount, they instantly recognize that I'm eligible and apply it.

Yep, I'm old, I'm cranky, but it sure is fun watching youngsters try to figure things out and fail. Oh, they get SO upset!

If you're still tipping 15% in 2023 for a job well done, you shouldn't be eating in restaurants.

 

[FilterFunk]

I think it's well documented that there are many businesses that are actively requesting tips now which weren't doing so before the pandemic.

But that's only ⅓ of the equation.

The other ⅔ are drastically higher prices for goods and services due to current high inflation, especially in food and hospitality, and also a noticeable drop in quality of service because of the extremely low unemployment rate which makes the talent pool for good workers very small.

The budget pizza from the big chain carry out stores is now 30% - 40% more expensive than it was just 2 years ago, at the same time the service quality is at an all time low.

Yet the store has suddenly decided that the traditional tip jar on the counter isn't enough of a guilt trip so they've integrated the tip "request" into the automatic payment process.

Tellingly, you can't simply skip the tip "request". You'll either have to select one if the "suggested" amounts (like 18% or 25% or 40%), or else select "custom amount" and type in something else.

Some people have no qualms at all about selecting "custom amount" and entering $0.00 for a tip amount, but they're the minority. Most people are psychologically intimidated by the process and feel guilty about not tipping when being put on the spot like that. That's the whole point.






My point wasn't that this pub has an expectation of tipping the bartender. I worked in bars and restaurants for years and even tended bar, so I know how that's always worked.

The difference here is this particular bartender was so grossly incompetent at his job, had such a surly attitude, and even went out of his way to inform us that we'd be expected to perform most of the service ourselves.

All he did was pour two glasses of beer from the tap and set them on the counter, then tap a few buttons on his computer and point at the card reader in front of me so I can pay for my drinks and select a tip amount for this lazy jerk while he stares at me.

Because I did work in bars and restaurants I know full well how risky it is to offend the service staff. They can and do spit in your food and drink - don't believe for one second that it doesn't happen.

When everyone tipped by leaving cash on the counter or tossing it into a tip jar as you were leaving, you had the ability to evaluate the quality of service before deciding on a tip amount. That's the entire point of tipping for service. Good tips are the reward for good service. Better service results in bigger tips.

But when you're required to select a tip level at the same time you order, before any service has even been provided, then it virtually necessitates that you tip very generously, simply to motivate your server into providing good service, or even to entice him not to give you bad service

The problem should be obvious.

Tipping low, or not at all, may offend your server, resulting in poor service, perhaps even retaliating against you (like spitting in your food, or worse).

But tipping generously won't necessarily result in good service. You've already paid them for their service, regardless of how well or how poorly they perform after that.

In my anecdotal brewpub story, the incompetent, surly bartender has no motivation at all to provide good service. Before 2020, he had every motivation to do so. Back then, his earnings depended on it. Now they don't. He gets paid the same no matter how good or bad he is.

These are some significant differences that have transpired in only a couple of years and I believe that the "moral panic" you describe is justified, although I think of it more as a legitimate public, social criticism.

A most excellent and comprehensive answer.

There is no "moral panic," or at least none that I've detected in this thread. This is a legitimate issue. It may be what some may call a "first world problem," but that doesn't mean it's not a problem.

 

[GregC]

Paying cash simplifies some of this as there is no "automatic payment" process. I hand you money, you hand me change.

I'm old, I'm cranky. I tip 15% at a restaurant. I rarely tip for anything else. There are exceptions, of course.

I rarely patronize the trendy places that are likely to have snotty Gen Z cashiers rolling their eyes at me when I break all the unspoken rules and rap out something like "I'll have a small cup of coffee, black, please" instead of whatever their grande-latte-pour-over-comb-over-hot-candy-bar-in-a-cup-du-jour item is that I'm supposed to order this week instead of a small cup of coffee, black.

One good thing about the "small cup of coffee, black" routine is that those places that have a senior discount, they instantly recognize that I'm eligible and apply it.

Yep, I'm old, I'm cranky, but it sure is fun watching youngsters try to figure things out and fail. Oh, they get SO upset!

15% on a senior-discount meal while being cranky and annoying. Bully for you.

 

[turf3]

15% on a senior-discount meal while being cranky and annoying. Bully for you.

Hey, no day's totally wasted if you can confuse or annoy a GenZ or millennial!

 

[buldog5151bass]

Worth noting

Here in Oregon, the standard minimum wage is now $14.20/hr. $15.45 in Portland Metro, $13.20 in rural areas.

Usually, wait staff can be paid less than minimum wage.

 

[Alkali Ike]

Usually, wait staff can be paid less than minimum wage.

Apparently not in Oregon.

https://www.oregon.gov/boli/workers/pages/minimum-wage.aspx

For workers
The law requires that you be paid at least Oregon’s minimum wage, with few exceptions.

If you are paid by piece rate, per hour, by commission, or paid by the day, your wages still have to add up to at least minimum wage for each hour you worked.

• Tips are separate and cannot be counted as wages. Tip credits are illegal in Oregon.
• Please see above for the minimum wage rate you should be earning.
• You cannot agree to make less than the minimum wage. The minimum wage is the same for adults and for minors.
• If you make minimum wage, you likely qualify for the Earned Income Tax Credit which could give you up to $6,500 back on your taxes. Learn more here.

 

[GregC]

Usually, wait staff can be paid less than minimum wage.

Yes, while certain states make exceptions, the federal minimum wage for tipped employees is still the same as it was when I stopped waiting tables more than 26 years ago: $2.13 an hour. Pathetic.
Minimum Wages for Tipped Employees

 

[Alkali Ike]

I rarely patronize the trendy places that are likely to have snotty Gen Z cashiers rolling their eyes at me when I break all the unspoken rules and rap out something like "I'll have a small cup of coffee, black, please" instead of whatever their grande-latte-pour-over-comb-over-hot-candy-bar-in-a-cup-du-jour item is that I'm supposed to order this week instead of a small cup of coffee, black.

Assuming you are referring to Starbucks, why is it so hard to say "I'll have a tall Pike's Place, black, please". Note that they usually have 3 choices of brewed coffee available. Do you want the server to pick one of the three at random and then you're further displeased because it's not the roast you like? Why are you in a Starbucks at all when you should be getting your coffee at a greasy diner with only one choice?

Just asking. Do whatever you like to make their job more miserable due to customers like you.

 

[Tom Bomb]

So cold — tip o' the iceberg. Hold the ice, pay the piper, it's more dignified.​

 

[hbarcat]

I'm wondering what mechanisms are in place to hold restaurant owners accountable for making sure the servers actually receive the tips that are being paid on the autopay devices.

I would assume there are laws governing this. I think a lot of people would be a bit angry if the restaurant owners were exploiting some loophole to steal their employees' tips.

I know that there have been some dishonest owners in the past who would maintain a policy of confiscating the contents of the tip jar every night. I never saw that happen personally at any place I've ever worked, but I know that it did occasionally happen.

Now that the tipping process is mostly automatic, that changes the dynamic a bit. On the one hand, there's an electronic record of each and every tip. On the other hand, the employees probably don't have access to that information and they wouldn't know if they were being shafted.

 

[Hot Rats]

I'm wondering what mechanisms are in place to hold restaurant owners accountable for making sure the servers actually receive the tips that are being paid on the autopay devices.

I would assume there are laws governing this. I think a lot of people would be a bit angry if the restaurant owners were exploiting some loophole to steal their employees' tips.

I know that there have been some dishonest owners in the past who would maintain a policy of confiscating the contents of the tip jar every night. I never saw that happen personally at any place I've ever worked, but I know that it did occasionally happen.

Now that the tipping process is mostly automatic, that changes the dynamic a bit. On the one hand, there's an electronic record of each and every tip. On the other hand, the employees probably don't have access to that information and they wouldn't know if they were being shafted.

I ordered some smoked salmon from a place across the bay, and it turns out it was to be delivered by some person driving their personal car. I guess it's like uber eats, etc. but I've never used a service like that before. During checkout, there was a place for a tip, and I entered zero and checked out. When the guy showed up, I gave him 8 dollars as a tip, and he looked at it strangely and said "this really isn't necessary" I told him I wanted to make sure he got the tip instead of the store I bought it from, and I am just old and that's the way I do it.

 

[sleddogn]

I'm still one who regularly uses cash. Whenever cash is removed from our use, I hope i'm already dead

 

[Free Bassing]

I use credit cards / debit cards for purchasing items in retail stores or paying bills online, but cash for any food or beverage service, I had my credit card information stolen at a restaurant in Kansas City once and that was one of the most frightening and annoying experiences I've ever gone through.

I also refuse to take my cards when I go to bars I bring a limited amount of money, because even if I go there with the best intentions a credit card combined with alcohol makes me feel like I have an endless amount of cash that all needs to be spent, which isn't good for a POS like me

 

[friskinator]

Threads about tipping always reveal the worst in people. It seems that many are proud to be cheap and/or downright disrespectful to those working in the service industry. It’s unfortunate to see.

 

[ElectroVibe]

I'm still one who regularly uses cash. Whenever cash is removed from our use, I hope i'm already dead

I went into a convenience store yesterday and most people were in the cash only line. The card only clerk was able to check me out right away.

 

[ElectroVibe]

I use credit cards / debit cards for purchasing items in retail stores or paying bills online, but cash for any food or beverage service, I had my credit card information stolen at a restaurant in Kansas City once and that was one of the most frightening and annoying experiences I've ever gone through.

I also refuse to take my cards when I go to bars I bring a limited amount of money, because even if I go there with the best intentions a credit card combined with alcohol makes me feel like I have an endless amount of cash that all needs to be spent, which isn't good for a POS like me

Yep, I never use cards at a restaurant.

 

[fdeck]

I'm wondering what mechanisms are in place to hold restaurant owners accountable for making sure the servers actually receive the tips that are being paid on the autopay devices.

I would assume there are laws governing this. I think a lot of people would be a bit angry if the restaurant owners were exploiting some loophole to steal their employees' tips.

There definitely are. Wage laws tend to be strictly enforced in most states. Wage theft is easy to report. Also, since the employer keeps the first $5/h of tips (at least in WI), under-reporting is also possibly tax fraud.

Threads about tipping always reveal the worst in people. It seems that many are proud to be cheap and/or downright disrespectful to those working in the service industry. It’s unfortunate to see.

I don't think this thread reflects disrespect towards workers at all. My respect for workers is beyond question. On the other hand, this is the only situation in which I'm required to guess how much a worker should be paid.

The thread topic is mainly about the hard-sell process programmed into point-of-sale apps, which is disrespectful to the customer.

 

[C Stone]

POS means (for me) that I am picking up my order so no tip for handing me my food. At a restaurant I use cash and tip accordingly for satisfactory service, an “inquiry” from waitstaff if everything is ok with the food/order, the iced tea re-filled with out asking them earns a tip.

Wrong order, bored, disinterested or inept service from someone gets four quarters on tha table so they know I did not forget to tip (reminder to do better).

 

[ClusterFlux]

I think it's well documented that there are many businesses that are actively requesting tips now which weren't doing so before the pandemic.

Documented? By whom? Who was keeping track of this before the pandemic?

There is no "documentation." There's just subjective impressions and breathless media reports, which are undoubtedly scrambled by the novelty of a few tech devices and/or the pandemic.

The budget pizza from the big chain carry out stores is now 30% - 40% more expensive than it was just 2 years ago, at the same time the service quality is at an all time low.

FYI, food inflation over the past 2 years is less than 20%. (Reminder: Normally it's more like 2-3% per year.) It may feel like it's 40%, but that's because people absolutely hate paying more for anything and everything. That's why you should go with hard numbers over subjective impressions and flawed memories. (Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers: Food in U.S. City Average | FRED | St. Louis Fed)

Yet the store has suddenly decided that the traditional tip jar on the counter isn't enough of a guilt trip....

All they did was switch to touch kiosks. The store itself doesn't get any of those tips, remember?

Tellingly, you can't simply skip the tip "request".

Of course you can. They just don't give you a "0% tip" option right on screen.

Most people are psychologically intimidated by the process....

By a blank computer screen? Seriously?

Have you met any Americans lately? They're not all shrinking violets, y'know. Plenty of them act super-entitled and arrogant, and are more than willing to berate hourly workers for anything less than outstanding service.

....when you're required to select a tip level at the same time you order, before any service has even been provided, then it virtually necessitates that you tip very generously....

Cool story bro

Funny how I've never been to any bars that demanded a tip at the exact instant that I've ordered. Even places that use apps to order don't close out the bill before I've received my drink.

This is one of many reasons why I do not buy narratives based on blowing up anecdotes into grand socioeconomic changes sweeping the nation.

Tipping low, or not at all, may offend your server, resulting in poor service, perhaps even retaliating against you (like spitting in your food, or worse). But tipping generously won't necessarily result in good service.

And again, how is that any different than in the past? Sit-down restaurants aren't giving you the check the instant after you order. Giving a big tip was never going to save you from someone so unethical that they'd spit in your food.

I'd add that American customers have always been rather vocal about their displeasure with servers; in fact, I think it's well documented that servers were treated rather horribly during the pandemic -- with Invalid Link Removed

In my anecdotal brewpub story, the incompetent, surly bartender has no motivation at all to provide good service.

Of course he does, he's just ignoring it. If he irritates too many customers, or the wrong customer, he'll get fired.

By the way, have you ever been outside the US? Many countries either automatically include the tip or don't tip at all. And yet, service isn't a disaster abroad. As long as we're using anecdotes to prove global truths: I've gotten pretty much the same level of service everywhere I go. Care to explain?