It's tough to know how to deal with tipping etiquette. On one hand, good service often feels like it's worth a few extra dollars. But on the other hand, tips subsidize wages and allow employers to pay their employees a substandard wage.
The debate has re-emerged once again after a TikTok video poking fun at the awkwardness of tipping culture went viral.
The traditional way, where you hand a server or bartender a few bucks, usually in the range of 10 to 20% of your bill, still exists. But in an increasingly cashless society, we're seeing more and more point of sale terminals prompt us to add a tip electronically.
TikToker Aubrey, who you can find @aubreygracep, put out a short video that makes fun of tipping burnout. In it, you can see a smiling woman (the cashier), helping ring up a purchase. It's shot from the point of view of a customer.
If you have tipping anxiety, you already know that this is the point that will make you feel stressed. The terminal prompts the customer to enter a tip — or, if they're truly a monster, to enter no tip at all.
The scene gets increasingly uncomfortable as the cashier leans in for a better look as the customer hesitates, then chooses a tip. In these situations, it feels like there's no correct choice.
On one hand, if it's normal to tip bartenders, why wouldn't we tip baristas, who are essentially doing the same job?
On the other hand, why are we getting prompted to tip people who are literally just working the merch table at concerts?
Some would argue it has, and tip prompts at automated self checkouts and merch tables would seem to support this hypothesis. Then again, it's just a few bucks, and it helps employees make a better wage.
The fact is that employees aren't going to be too excited that you tipped them two bucks, and they're not going to be too upset that you didn't tip them two bucks. Tips add up, but individual tips are rarely anything to get excited about.
It's easy to view this from a North American-centric angle, but there are plenty of places where tipping isn't necessarily a given, because servers are paid a decent wage. Wouldn't we all be happier if servers were paid more and tips were only expected for outstanding service that goes above and beyond?
I'd argue that this is a better system — and the only way to change up wages is to tell our lawmakers to do so.
If you're receiving the tips, it's a nice supplement to a low wage. If you're giving the tips, it can be a source of anxiety. How would you like to see things change? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
