“Tipping” Expectations Have Gotten Out Of Control

Maybe a year or so ago, I recall a company coming out with a commercial that made light of the tipping craze in basically every aspect of life. Two particular scenes included a trainer spotting a weightlifter and presenting him with a tip screen on a tablet and a clergyman pulling out a tablet for a tip during a wedding ceremony. This was clearly meant to be humorous, but with how overboard people have gone with “tipping” culture, it wasn’t actually all that far from our reality.

First off, let’s get back to the basic facts.

Tips are not something that is or should be automatic. They should not be expected for simply doing one’s job. By definition and purpose, tips are meant to be something of a bonus, a recognition for a job well done. While most reasonable people will give a tip in an appropriate situation, not everyone always deserves one.

Then there’s the issue of the tip screens or the audacity of businesses to list a suggested tip on receipts. The fact of the matter is, 15% has always been the standard, not 20, not 30….

So, what stands to reason is that so long as the service provider, such as a waiter or waitress, provides average service, it makes sense to tip around 15%. I say "around" because no reasonable person would expect you to sit there and calculate it to the cent. That would mean upping it to a higher percentage like 20, 30…would imply that the service provider went above and beyond normal expectations. And, while some people might not like it, there are rare occasions when no tip is warranted. For example, if the server has a bad attitude, does not come back to check on you at all during your meal, does not follow up on refill requests, or tosses the plates down on the table instead of placing them nicely, these may be reasons to skip a tip.

The bottom line here is that a tip is something to be earned, not expected.

So now we come to the part regarding who exactly should be anticipating the possibility of a tip. Honestly, that seems pretty easy to me but may be a bit confusing for others. The way I see it is that if a person’s job does not include at least a base salary of minimum wage (which virtually every base salary far exceeds these days), then they are essentially working for tips. Most notably this includes waiters and waitresses. Outside of food service, those who provide customized services, such as bellboys, valets, hair dressers/barbers and massage therapists, should be seen as those that could reasonably anticipate a tip.

Now, the part that might rub some the wrong way is who should not be expecting tips. Hosts, hostesses and kitchen staff are already paid a full salary and thus have no reason to expect tips. The same goes for baristas at coffee shops. None of the positions are providing any extras for the customer. They are simply doing their jobs at their consistent pay rate.

When you order takeout and pick up your meal, there is no reason to tip for that, at least in my humble opinion. Once again, they did not provide you with any sort of special service; they simply did their job.

As far as food delivery drivers go, that’s a bit more complicated. In the past, before the days of DoorDash and Grubhub, restaurants had their own delivery drivers. In the cases of those who still do, and assuming they are not charging a “delivery fee” on top of the original cost, of course a tip is in order. If they charge a delivery fee and still expect a tip (which should be the purpose for the delivery fee in the first place), then I suggest finding a new restaurant. DoorDash, Grubhub, and the like all charge their own fees on top of the restaurant bill, which kind of hurts everyone, both drivers and tippers alike.

Once again, the whole point is that a tip is really just a bonus of sorts. And bonuses are to be earned, not expected.