Here’s A Tip: Stop Expecting Gratuitous Gratuity For Simply Doing Your Job

I was a bartender and waitress for almost ten years. I am an avid advocate of the service sector. In fact, in the rare instance my wife and I argue, it’s likely because I tipped 40 percent for perfectly average service.

I believe that service excellence should be recognized and rewarded. Unfortunately, tipping is no longer considered a service contract. It has become a requirement in the most mundane transactions. 

We’ve all been there: You buy a $5 coffee only to have some blue-haired barista with a neck tattoo flip a screen that lets you select between a range of tipping options, usually 15, 20, and 25 percent. What? What do you mean, asking if I want cream or sugar?

These days, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a retail establishment without the dreaded screen or a tip jar by the register. I was recently told by a friend about the tip jar in his local liquor store. 

It’s bad enough on its face, but it’s downright insulting when you consider that people everywhere are being squeezed by record inflation. Egregious tipping expectations and high prices for dining out make it almost impossible for many people, threatening businesses that employ staff in the service industry.

Let’s face it: Tipping in this country is completely out of control. We will soon reach the breaking point if our current insaneness continues. I fear we’ll end up like optional-tipping Europe. Anyone who’s ever had a snooty Parisian waiter knows good and well we don’t want that.

Enough Is Enough

I didn’t arrive at this conclusion lightly. While I’ve long been annoyed by increasing expectations for gratuity, two recent experiences pushed me over the proverbial edge.

My wife and I took a quick road trip just before Christmas and made reservations at a well-known restaurant near our destination. Our server was friendly and knowledgeable and the menu looked fantastic. I had an appetizer with red wine and asked for a white wine to go with my entree.

He was never seen again. We were served by another person, and I was unable to retrieve our check until 30 minutes later. Our server appeared, beaming but apologetic. He had completely forgotten all about us, as he was too busy making a Christmas hat in the kitchen. I wish I was kidding. He was even more proud of himself.

It is one thing to expect people to tip for poor service. It’s quite another to be expected to tip for poor service.

My wife and me visited a deli that had received some praise in the area. We walked up to the counter and ordered, as one does at a Wendy’s, and the “server” I was given a number and I flipped the screen to see what it looked like. It defaulted at a 20% tip.

I signed and accepted the contract, not knowing what lay ahead.