Coffee shops

[MikeRafone]

I’ve been in 2 different coffee shops over the last 2 days & when I’ve gone to pay when ordering- both have asked me if I want to tip.

now I do tip for good service, but if I’m paying up front how do I know whether I’m going to get good service? AIBU to think this is cheeky

added to which it’s for a coffee & not a meal

It’s a little cheeky but it’s also harmless. I wouldn’t tip at the start either but I bet some will be happy to.

Are you paying by contactless? If so, that’s why.

Few people carry cash to leave for a tip and once the transaction has been entered it is too late to add it to the machine.

I am asked in most places these days. I appreciate it because I don’t usually have the cash to leave.

Getting ridiculous isn’t it? I like places that add a tip automatically (so I can easily pay contactless) but would normally have tipped around 10% - in lots of places now it’s 12.5% and I wouldn’t be surprised if this was increased in the not too distant future. I stayed at a hotel this weekend and they charged 5> service charge on the room and 12.5% on anything else. I don’t mind tipping but on everything? Every drink/food item/activity? I think it’s a bit much.

The thing is I’m not paying at the end, they charge me at the beginning- so regardless of whether it’s cash or card, I don’t know what the service is like.

it wasn’t bad, the lady brought over my drink and put it on the table. That was the end of any interaction

Did they tell you when you booked they'd be adding a service charge? If not, they're acting illegally if they accepted a booking and misled you about the price.

This adding of service charges by hotels is a creeping Americanism and needs to be challenged.

Do you really give some thought to the level of service when you tip? Unless the service is awful, I would always tip 10%. If it's exemplary, I might want to leave more where possible.

The alternative is not getting tipped at all, so it's perfectly understandable why a tip would be suggested at point of payment.

Of course thought should be given to the level of service when deciding about a tip. This is not America. The whole point of a tip is to show appreciation for service above the basics.

YANBU OP. Asking for money is just rude.

You don't have to be in the US to tip.

It's not a new thing either. I worked in bars and cafes in the 80s and 90s in the U.K. and got tips.

Is this in a coffee shop with counter service or table servics? I never tip for counter service.

But there’s a difference between the U.K. and US. As I understand it in the US (might vary state by state) tips can be included as part of minimum wage. So not tipping is denying people a living. In the U.K. we have a minimum wage that cannot legally include tips. So it really is tipping for good service. Although in reality I just added around 10% to the bill unless the service was particularly poor.

I don't tip if I have to pay up front unless it's somewhere I know and like. It seems kind of silly on a £3 black coffee?

I'd tell them I'll leave cash afterwards.

You can then decide whether or not to tip!

I would not tip in a self-service cafe. They don't really provide waiter or waitress service. Often they just pour the tea or coffee.

It's time we all stopped tipping in my opinion. It's ridiculous that we tip for some things and not for others. Why does someone selling me a coffee deserve a tip more than someone selling me something in a shop? They're probably both on a similar basic wage.

I refuse to tip in cafes and pubs. I think they're being CFs. Minimum wage didn't even exist when I was working in pubs,we just got free drinks occasionally. Restaurants are different though I wish we just paid people properly and tipping was unnecessary.

I stopped tipping in taxis once Uber came along and my hairdresser owns her salon so I don't tip her either.