To feel that tipping culture has got out of hand?

[LovelyTheresa]

Today, I was in a nice coffee shop to get a flat white to take away. I've been in this place before, with no issue. The (nice) barista pushed the card machine towards me, and said 'if you'd just like to add a tip then here are the options' there was a list of tip amounts from 5% up to 30% with 'no tip' as the bottom option. I was a little nonplussed so I added 10%, but I really thought that it was a bit cheeky. The coffee was expensive enough as it was, should staff really be soliciting tips for takeaway coffee? One doesn't tip McDonald's staff, so why is coffee the exception?

I wouldn’t tip for a takeaway coffee.

I wouldn’t tip for a coffee, certainly not a take out, but will always happily tip for a restaurant meal, taxis, hairdressers and takeaway food delivery.

I only tip for table service.
The card machines tip prompting, and tip bowls at the counter are a bad look.
Happens in pubs, too. I’m not impressed.

Tipping as a concept is pathetic (unless done entirely optional off someone's own bat).

It's a capitalist swindle from America where the customer pays the staff wages and the employer makes more profit by paying them the bare minimum.

I tip for all those as well, although I sometimes slightly resent it for taxis if I don't have bags. I'm not a mean person, though, so I pony up as it is the custom. The only time I don't tip taxi drivers is when I have bags that they fail to help me with (it has only happened twice in my entire life, they are normally very helpful)

My local restaurant requests a tip upon ordering your food on an online app! I haven’t spoken to a human being yet nor consumed any food/drink, why on earth would I tip now??😂😂

In pubs!? That is a step too far.

That’s fair enough and I agree. The last taxi driver I didn’t tip was coming home from hospital during covid and he banged on and on about all the conspiracy theories and really thought the vaccine was a tracking chip. Absolute nut job and no thought that I might have been vulnerable. I wasn’t, tbh, but fgs!

I don't like tipping full stop.
Waiters etc should just be paid properly and prices increased to reflect this.

Dominoes pizza does it. The app tells you it's on its way and would you like to leave a tip for the driver.

Well NO! They haven't even delivered it yet so how do I know what state it will arrive in?! Plus I've already paid for delivery as well as a fortune for some pizza!

I only ever tip when unprompted and the service was good!

I wouldn’t tip a takeaway coffee, no. The only person I regularly tip is my hairdressers and she really does undercharge and her work is always excellent so I always add an extra £10-20 on top.

I'm in North America, Canada rather the US so no below min wages for wait staff (even though that is no longer a thing in most states).

It's totally out on control, far worse since the pandemic, actually worse then in US because atleast there you get service to match the expectation of a tip

• You've always had to demand change even if paying for $3 with a $20 and met with "oh you want change right?"

• The standard minimum has gone up from 10% to 15% but is now considered 20% and I've seen the lowest option set to 25% with a range up to 50%?

• The percentage is applied on top of tax which is sales plus alcohol here with chip and pineapple or tap machines.

• It was never expected for counter or pick up now it is

• Most restaurants, bars and coffee shops have adopted some kind of hybrid model where you do most of the service yourself but they do just enough than not entirely counter and they can expect a tip, even if this is just bringing you the bill and watching you tip them

• Generally speaking it encourages intrusive rather then good service and in high end places practically lap dancing with women ignored up to not even hanging their orders taken and men given eye fulls and their legs stroked, in front of their dates or wives

My sister’s hairdresser has started charging advance deposits of £50 against appointments…and now there’s a smart link app for tips (increments of £10 btw) by all the chair stations too. As she’s been a regular for years and always tipped she says she feels a bit insulted and guilted into tipping more.

I only tip for exceptional service.

I work in a minimum wage job which doesn't attract tips. I don't see why I should pay other people extra money, just for doing their job.

Absolute nerve. I hate being guilt tripped into tipping with a card machine. I never tip with these. Sometimes I leave a cash tip if the meal was reasonably priced and the service was good.

I was in America last week, home of the 20% tip. Tips were expected at sit down restaurants, not in places like Starbucks or even in a bagel shop where you buy at the counter and then eat at benches or takeaway.

In the UK i'm happy to tip 10% or round up.

I had this happen in a coffee shop too, and against my better judgement I stuck 10% on - I'm normally quite assertive but I was so confused by what was happening that I became stupidly polite. It must be excruciating for the staff having to ask.

Oops, I forgot to tip the hairdresser today, but I did buy shampoo and conditioner, so he didn’t do badly.

I don't tip anyone and never feel pressure to.

YANBU to think it's got out of hand

YABVVU to have tipped and contributed to this ongoing problem! Why did you tip for a takeaway coffee?????

I don't tip.

As I say, I was sort of caught in the headlights. He practically told me I needed to tip! He was very pleasant otherwise, if he had been less so I might have been more assertive. I normally am not at all easily browbeaten, but I was so taken aback I reacted poorly.

I tip my hairdersser and in restaurants.
But if i'm confronted with OPs scenario? I am ok just tapping "no tip" and carrying on with my day.

I would consider tipping if I was having my coffee there (especially if I had kids too) but definitely not for a takeaway coffee.

By tipping, you make the problem worse.

Any business which has the tip option on the card machine is basically saying they don’t pay their staff enough.