By Abbey Ferguson | LTVN Reporter
Sitting at the window of a drive-through with fast food securely fastened in my passenger seat, the employee turns the iPad to the payment screen. I go through the motions: slide my card, watch the screen load and hold on a second…
A screen appears: “Please select tip.”
I feel a sense of panic, then anxiety and then complete shame as I select the “no tip” option. However, rationally, that guilt should be obsolete. The employee is being paid hourly wage, and all I picked up was some fast-food. The pressure to tip for expected services demonstrates tipping culture is getting out of hand.
In the last few years, social media has started to flood with complaints about tip requests in a drive-thru or for simple items, like drinks or pastries. Digital payment methods, such as the iPad, have put an increasing pressure on customers to leave a gratuity nearly everywhere, especially at places they previously would not have. Tip jars were less awkward to avoid, but now, with the eyes of the employee on you and the screen, it feels like a personal jab to tap “no tip.”
Not only are customers being asked to tip nearly everywhere, the expected rate has also increased. In the 1950s, a 10% tip was common, jumping to 15% in the 1970s and now an average of 21% according to a survey done by Creditcards.com. According to an article from CNN and data from Toast, 48% of purchases included a tip at fast food restaurants.
However, even with this growth in requests, experts say that customers are tipping less because of inflation and are beginning to get fed up with the constant bombardment and tipping less at those business, decreasing from 16.4% last year to 15.9% this year.
As a former restaurant employee, I can attest that tips were helpful and added a bonus to my paycheck. Yet, sometimes, I wasn’t sure I deserved the extra dollar or two for simply doing the job I signed up for.
With inflation looming overhead, it can feel overwhelming to be asked to pay more money for items or services that previously didn’t expect a tip. Minimum wage in Texas is $7.25. College students are barely making enough to go out and buy food/items in the first place, let alone feel some underlying pressure to tip on top of that cost. If anything, companies should focus less on asking customers for tips and more on paying employees a livable wage.
While I agree, tipping culture is necessary in some circumstances, we shouldn’t become accustomed to tipping for services that don’t go the extra mile, such as simply completing a fast-food order or pouring a drink.
