Providing a gratuity used to depend on an element of gratitude, but these days it seems that middle class guilt, social pressure and great expectations are the drivers of providing that extra bonus at the conclusion of almost every consumer transaction.
A majority of Americans say they are feeling increased pressure to tip in more places today than five years ago, according to a new survey. They say they are confused and frustrated about when and how much of a gratuity to leave for each service.
And as tipping has become almost ubiquitous as we dine out, shop online or grab a cup of coffee, there are more requests for tips; however, there is a lack of transparency about where those tipped dollars end up.
There has been no communication, negotiation or dialogue about why there this a surge in requests for tips. The explanation could be it just became too easy to add another page on the checkout touch screen and swing it around; giving the customer the opportunity to sweeten the commercial exchange before the workers makes the desired almond milk mocha cappuccino.
But is this tip going to end up in the pockets of the person we interacted with? Or will it go into a pool to be split evenly among the staff? When? At the end of the day? At the end of the pay period? Does the management take a cut? How does this tip offset what should be the fair wage that management should be providing?
But the biggest question is, is tipping fair? Shouldn’t a worker be compensated with an agreed upon wage that doesn’t fluctuate depending on who happens to use their service that day? And a customer should not feel like they are being blackmailed for better service.
Has tipping gotten out of control?
Guest:
Nathaniel Stevens is managing director at Stevens Ventures, a technology investment company.
"The Source" is a live call-in program airing Mondays through Thursdays from 12-1 p.m. Leave a message before the program at (210) 615-8982. During the live show, call 833-877-8255 or email thesource@tpr.org.
This interview will be recorded Thursday, November 16, 2023.
