CRUZ: US tipping culture has gone too far
Column: One Million Percent
What was once meant to be a generous act to show appreciation for good service has since evolved into a nearly invasive custom.
It has happened to us all before. You finish picking up your order from your local coffee shop, and the barista presents you with a screen. Your heart rate begins to increase as you view three preloaded tip amounts, the lowest one being 20 percent.
You now find yourself wondering what strenuous work was done in completing your beverage to deserve that high of a tip. With the barista glaring at you coldly, you are forced to make a decision: Stand your ground amid the awkwardness surrounding you and tip nothing or begrudgingly take an additional hit to your bank account.
To some, these staff-customer interactions where a tip is expected may seem unlikely or absurd, but unfortunately, these situations are becoming more unavoidable today.
It feels like every business expects a tip from you. Barbers, baristas, hotel workers, delivery drivers, bartenders, nannies, dog-sitters, taxi drivers and tradespeople. Where does it end?
Tipping in the U.S. is a norm that has existed in this country since the mid-19th century, and originally started in Europe. Before then, tipping was deemed as condescending and rude.
Interestingly enough, general opinions about tipping have since reversed, and society has held onto this hard-wired tradition ever since.
Before the pandemic, tipping was already a topic of debate. After businesses were forced to close for months on lockdown, customers seemed a little more empathetic toward offering gratuities, perhaps due to understanding the financial difficulties that were common amongst workplaces at the time.
We are fast approaching three years since the initial lockdown, and it appears that these high expectations will not change. The norm for tipping is now believed to be somewhere between 18 to 25 percent.
A large problem comes from the fact that employees are underpaid due to employers using tip credits, a system that lets workers go underpaid by including tips as part of their expected income. Once companies learned that customers are willing to cover the difference, they have not looked back since.
The implementation of this outdated practice creates artificial exchanges between employees and customers with the hopes of employees receiving a tip. Employees sometimes even endure harassment, ranging from inappropriate comments to impossible demands, but stay silent for this reason.
These customers hold a tip over the heads of waitstaff while being under the impression that they must obey every command. Of course, the reverse could also occur.
The widespread use of delivery apps such as Uber Eats, DoorDash and GrubHub has brought in a way for people in the service industry to retaliate against low and non-tippers by declining the order entirely or even eating customer orders in protest.
In these apps, tips have lost their meaning entirely as your tip is decided before the service is performed. The broken structure transforms such "tips" into what are now essentially bribes. Under the most extreme circumstances, you might find yourself paying nearly half the price of your order on tips simply to interest a person enough to provide the service the app was originally intended for.
Judgment on your tipping etiquette can not only come from staff but can also come from those with who you share a seat at the table — literally and figuratively.
While some might take it as an opportunity to display their generosity, others may be trying to shroud their financial insecurity. Depending on your preferred percentage to tip, you may either be thought of as frugal or as a show-off regardless of your situation.
The thought of possibly not having enough to afford your meal plus an adequate tip could be discouraging. As a college student, I understand the importance of being conscious of where I spend my money, but sometimes I still want to go out and enjoy a meal with friends. The innate competitiveness of tipping "better" than another person adds a level of toxicity on top of the already flawed system.
Instead of fighting each other, we should be directing our anger at the businesses neglecting to pay appropriate wages to their workers. We should look to adopt the practices of other countries around the world that have long abandoned tipping.
There is nothing wrong with rewarding quality service, but to turn a formality into a requirement makes it arbitrary and thus erases the satisfaction of doing a good job.
Brandon Cruz is a senior in the School of Arts and Sciences majoring in journalism and minoring in digital communication information and media. His column, "One Million Percent," runs on alternate Thursdays.
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