Chip is dead.
As you and I both understand, at least a tip is required. Does he require a 20% tip on all restaurant meals? Is it mandatory to tip housekeepers, concierges, tour guides? Kiss them goodbye.
If you want to know why, just ask Jerry Heather.
Like many Americans, she is tired of the attitude that all service workers are entitled to tips. She was furious at her POS terminal asking for a tip before serving the meal. But her final crisis was when restaurants started automatically adding tips to her bill for her “favor.”
“I don't tip anymore,” said Heather, a retired nurse from Mesa, Arizona.
learn more: best travel insurance
check out Elliot Confidential, the newsletter the travel industry doesn't want you to read. Each issue is packed with the latest news, deep insights, and unique strategies to help you become a better traveler. But don't tell anyone!
Americans are known to be generous and willing to tip for good service. But a recent poll by USA TODAY's Blueprint found that 63% of respondents said too many companies ask for tips, and 48% were tired of being asked to tip. .
In a separate survey, a similar number (62%) said they would not tip service workers at the end of the year, according to digital personal finance company Achieve. reason? Tip fatigue.
This type of vacation rentalCancellations are increasing. Are you next?
“Expensive in every way”:What travelers should expect this summer
Why Americans are tired of tipping
Carla Bevins, a management communications expert at Carnegie Mellon University's Tepper School of Business, said more Americans believe tipping expectations are unfair. And that led to a change in public attitudes towards tipping.
“The momentum behind the no-tipping movement comes from increased scrutiny of the fairness and necessity of traditional tipping practices,” she explained.
When you hear people like Ian Duncan talk about it, it's a reaction to the entitlement attitude that prevails in the hospitality industry. Tip jars found in coffee shops, laundromats, and grocery stores. Tipping must be paid before receiving food or service.
Duncan, a small business owner in Toronto, recently booked a cruise. However, when he received his bill a few weeks before departure, the cruise line had added an automatic tip of over $200 to his bill.
“That’s what worked for me,” he said. “I canceled my trip and requested a refund of my deposit.”
Mr. Duncan said he wants to decide who to tip, when, or if he should tip, and he is angry that companies assume they are entitled to tips. He also doubts that the staff will receive tips that are automatically added to the bill, which is a legitimate concern.
Etiquette experts also say it's time to talk about tipping.
Etiquette expert Jody R.R. Smith of Manners-Smith Etiquette Consulting says, “Tipping has evolved over time, and it's long past time to reconsider legal and social norms regarding how employees are paid.'' It was late,” he said. “Expecting individual consumers to tip generously at every turn is not a long-term plan for economic success.”
Service workers agree it's gone too far.
Even those who rely on tips understand that things are going too far. Mike Aguirre, a blues guitarist who performs in the Caribbean, blames new devices that try to extract tips from customers before they even receive their meals.
“Leaving a tip before you have received your order seems premature. Even though no service has been provided yet, there is clearly a sense of guilt involved,” he said.
It actually gets worse. In some places overseas, restaurant staff will come to your table with a portable payment system and ask you to enter your tip. while they are watching. Talk about pressure!
But a player like Aguirre will likely suffer from the fall-back of course. Many service industry workers have become dependent on tips to make a living. It is not the employee's responsibility to extract tips from customers before the meal is served or under the server's supervision. But employees are likely to pay the price for these misguided policies.
Even etiquette experts limit tipping. Etiquette consultant Rachel Wagner said she no longer tips at self-service hotel snack bars (even if they have tip jars), restaurants where you order at the counter, and airport grocery stores.
“Whenever the device presents a tip option, I choose ‘no tip,’” she says.
She calls this kind of tip a “right” and doesn't care about the service person's reaction.
“All this person did for me was take my money and bag my items,” she said. “I don't need a tip!”
Flying cars are coming!Here's how to change the way you travel.
“Flying feels different”:Here are the recent changes in air travel
How to avoid tipping
The fact is that most service industry workers still rely on tips, and many believe they should always leave a tip. However, there are ways to avoid this implied obligation.
- Go to a restaurant that doesn't require tipping. Some hotels and restaurants advertise “no tipping.” The easiest way to avoid tipping and encourage other businesses to adopt smart tipping policies is to give your business to these businesses. Enjoy dinner at Thattu in Chicago. This Indian restaurant pays servers a competitive wage and does not ask for tips. Or, Casa Bonita, a Mexican restaurant in Lakewood, Colorado, doesn't accept tips.
- Please take out. No sane person would tip a restaurant employee when ordering takeout. So one of his ways to avoid leaving a tip is to take away your next restaurant meal.
- Refuse the tip. You can also send a message to the business about your tip by entering a zero in the tip line. Heather, a former nurse who stopped tipping, said the reaction from service workers was one of resignation. It's like they know the system is broken, but they don't know how to fix it.
The future: Tipping based on great service
When it comes to chips, the future may look a lot like the past. Travelers say they believe it is unfair to subsidize the salaries of service workers with mandatory tips. But they prefer the traditional idea of offering service workers a little extra for good service.
Heather said she is still willing to tip for good customer service. But out of her sense of duty she will never again pay more than her 20% of the bill.
“Tipping should be based on excellent service,” she said. “It's not a right.”
Christopher Elliott is an author, consumer advocate, and journalist. He founded Elliott Advocacy, a nonprofit organization that helps solve consumer problems. He publishes Elliott Confidential, a travel newsletter, and Elliott Report, a customer service news site. If you need help with a consumer issue, you can contact him here or email chris@elliott.org.
