Many people would likely agree that tipping culture seems to be getting out of hand. With even self-checkout machines asking for tips, people are increasingly confused—and quite often annoyed—about where the custom of tipping is headed.
To make matters worse, despite being a voluntary thing to do, sometimes tipping is more than expected. Take this redditor’s story, for instance: for them, refusing to tip again after their son just tipped the bartender resulted in an altercation with the latter, which was not solved without interference from the police. Scroll down to find the full story below, where you will also find Bored Panda’s interview with the OP, who was kind enough to answer a few of our questions.
Customers are being asked to leave a tip in surprisingly many places nowadays
Image credits: gpointstudio / Envato (not the actual photo)
This netizen refused to leave a tip after his son just had, which led to trouble with the bartender
Image credits: NomadSoul1 / Envato (not the actual photo)
Image credits: fc2004
“I felt my son was taken advantage of,” the parent told Bored Panda
It’s no secret that, nowadays, tipping has become quite a pain point for many. It seems that wherever you go, there’s either a person, a pop-up window, or a jar staring straight into your soul, waiting for you to give in to the pressure. If you’re strong enough to resist said pressure, though, some establishments might take some rather drastic measures, as the OP’s story shows.
“Other than the physical assault, what upset me the most was how the bar was deceitful in hiding and not informing their customers of the auto tip,” the OP told Bored Panda in a recent interview. “There was absolutely nothing posted in the bar notifying of such. I felt my son was taken advantage of. My guess is that because this was a tourist area, it was a deliberate practice to mislead folks.”
In the Redditor’s opinion, since the pandemic, the tipping culture has changed quite dramatically. “In the one or two years post COVID, the public was accepting of the auto tip and tipping for services that historically were not given in the past. Now, I think tipping fatigue has set in, and people are tired of being ‘bullied’ for tipping for services not deserving.”
The OP is not the only one who has noticed a change in tipping culture over the last several years. According to a Pew Research Center survey from last year, as many as 72% of US adults believe that people are expected to leave a tip in more places nowadays than they were five years ago.
Surveys show that the majority of the general public opposes businesses including automatic service charges or tips
Image credits: Image by Freepik (not the actual photo)
The aforementioned Pew Research Center survey also found that not everyone is equally sure when they’re expected to leave a tip. Only roughly a third of respondents found it extremely or very easy to know whether or how much to tip for different types of services.
“I personally struggle with what is deserving and/or expected, and I have gone back and forth,” the OP shared with Bored Panda. “I tip for all table service and bars. I do not tip if I order at the counter (for example, in fast food restaurants). It gets challenging when you order food at the counter, but they bring the food out to the table; more and more restaurants seem to be doing this.
“Takeout is another example of where I struggle to decide how much to tip. If it’s a larger order and the staff had to take time to get everything ready for pickup (for instance, Chinese food), I tip 10%.”
The Redditor said that typically, they would leave at least 20% or more when they are given personalized service and when they feel that the person was genuinely focused on the customer experience. “I don’t care for the waiters that are not engaging or attentive throughout the meal, but when they give me the bill, they act like my best friend,” they added.
While the OP doesn’t mind leaving a tip for good service, they weren’t equally in favor of the ‘auto tip’ the bartender added. It will likely come as no surprise that the Redditor is far from the only one feeling this way about it; according to the Pew Research Center, the majority—as much as 72%—of US adults say they oppose businesses including automatic service charges or tips on customers’ bills, no matter the size of their party. People in the comment section didn’t seem to be too supportive of the bar’s tipping policy, either.
The parent provided more details in the comments
Fellow netizens shared their opinions on the situation, too
