Video After The Jump
NEW YORK (AP) — Across the country, there’s a silent frustration brewing about an age-old practice that many say is getting out of hand: tipping.
Some fed-up consumers are posting rants on social media complaining about tip requests at drive-thrus, while others say they’re tired of being asked to leave a gratuity for a muffin or a simple cup of coffee at their neighborhood bakery. What’s next, they wonder -- are we going to be tipping our doctors & dentists, too?
As more businesses adopt digital payment methods, customers are automatically being prompted to leave a gratuity — many times as high as 30% — at places they normally wouldn’t. And some say it has become more frustrating as the price of items has skyrocketed due to inflation.
Unlike tip jars that shoppers can easily ignore if they don’t have spare change, experts say the digital requests can produce social pressure & are more difficult to bypass. And your generosity, or lack thereof, can be laid bare for anyone close enough to glance at the screen — including the workers themselves.
Dylan Schenker is one of them. The 38-year-old earns about $400 a month in tips, which provides a helpful supplement to his $15 hourly wage as a barista at Philadelphia café. The gratuity helps cover his monthly rent & eases some of his burdens while he attends graduate school & juggles his job.
Schenker says it’s hard to sympathize with consumers who are able to afford pricey coffee drinks but complain about tipping. And he often feels demoralized when people don’t leave behind anything extra — especially if they’re regulars.
“Tipping is about making sure the people who are performing that service for you are getting paid what they’re owed,” said Schenker.
“People do not like unsolicited advice,” said Ismail Karabas, a marketing professor at Murray State University who studies tipping. “They don’t like to be asked for things, especially at the wrong time.”
#tips #tipping #tippingfatigue #tippingetiquette #waiters #waitresses #cabdrivers #uberdrivers #lyftdrivers #baristas #bellman #bellhop #hotels #restaurants #fooddeliveries #ubereats #grubhub #doordash #instacart #bars #coffeeshops #bartenders #tipjar #15percent #howmuchistoomuch #customary #leaveatip
Follow Me
}
Comments