Tipping the debate on “tipflation”

Few culture wars unite nearly all Americans in our highly polarized society, but the out-of-control tipping culture might be the exception.

“Around seven-in-ten U.S. adults (72%) say tipping is expected in more places today than it was five years ago,” reports Pew Research.

It is true; It is hard to escape the constant barrage of tipping requests for goods and services not normally associated with gratuities, which is a phenomenon called “tipflation,” and it is driving Americans mad.

Employees now ask for tips at the corner coffee shop drive-through, and some self-service kiosks do too. Who am I even tipping in that case, a robot? One of my friends recently placed an online clothing order, and was prompted to tip to “show some love” to the factory workers. In another case, after making an online political campaign donation to a candidate, a family member of mine was asked to leave a tip. At this point, I am worried that TSA agents may also ask for one after frisking me next time.

All of this reminds me of an episode of the Office that included a discussion on tipping etiquette. “Why tip someone for a job I’m capable of doing myself? I can deliver food, I can drive a taxi, I can and do cut my own hair. I did, however, tip my urologist. Because I am unable to pulverize my own kidney stones,” the show’s character Dwight Schrute exclaimed.

Obviously, this was meant as a joke, and I am no Dwight Schrute. I fully appreciate tipping. There are some jobs in which tipping has long been—and ought to be—expected. Food and beverage servers at sit-down restaurants, food delivery drivers, bellhops, valets, hair stylists and taxicab drivers generally all deserve and need gratuity for their services. In my younger days, I worked in the restaurant industry where I earned a little over $2.00 an hour before tips. The wage essentially paid my taxes. People in that industry quite literally live off of gratuity, which is a far cry from the many others now pleading for tips.

Of course, many of them aren’t particularly well-paid and may deserve better wages, and you should feel free to tip them if you wish. However, this issue goes far beyond the ever-present tip jars. Tip requests are often integrated into the electronic payment systems, which is driven by business establishments, and may in turn trick many consumers into thinking that tipping is customary.

This is of course up to businesses to do. I just wish they would take a different approach. After all, the tipping culture war is confusing consumers over what is expected versus simply appreciated. As it stands, 15 percent of Americans are unsure over who to tip and how much they ought to tip, per a Bankrate poll, and I’d venture to say that far more are annoyed by the proliferation of tipflation. This is creating some awkward situations. Nobody wants to click “no tip” when a barista is staring at you with puppy dog eyes, but many feel obligated to do so. This is called “guilt-tipping,” and it is booming.

This may continue to worsen too as more roles ask for gratuities and pundits claim it is appropriate. A recent CNBC article suggested that tipping the mechanic changing your oil or your handyman, for example, 10 to 20 percent is optional, but supposedly appropriate. For those who cannot afford to tip their handyman, the article continued, consider buying them pizza. Don’t forget to tip the pizza delivery person, though. This is clearly getting out of hand, but the guidance on reasonable expectations is murky.

There is no shortage of not-so-helpful online tipping guides for people traveling to the United States, and in fact, in my international travels, I’ve had to learn what is customary in other countries. For instance, I was recently in Switzerland where tipping generally isn’t expected because it is built into the total price. I traveled to Egypt last year, and it is the direct opposite. You tip for just about anything, including someone telling you where the bathroom is. It appears that the United States is drifting in this direction by making optional tipping seem customary for doing little more than operating a cash register, while earning a living wage.

Unfortunately, scouring the internet for straightforward, helpful and succinct advice about tipping in America won’t get you far. So until I learn otherwise, generally consider tipping virtually obligatory for personal services in which gratuities are historically customary, and optional—if appropriate at all—for others. While tipflation promises to be a continued annoyance, at least opposition to it helps bind a largely divided America. In the meantime, don’t forget to tip your friendly newspaper columnist.