For most consumers, tipping is first and foremost about service. According to Pew Research, around three-quarters of adults (77%) say the quality of the service they receive is a major factor in deciding whether and how much to tip. This makes sense, right? Exceptional service should kindly be rewarded with an additional tip! However, the United States workforce has normalized tipping as an expectation. What was once a small gesture of appreciation and gratitude has now become an irritating expectation, leaving customers guilted and pressured to give more money. West Boca Senior Emily Weyer comments on this issue by sharing her immense frustration over tipping controversy: “It’s crazy that I’m expected to give a 20% tip for a drink that takes little to no time to make. Aren’t these workers already getting paid to do this?”
Tipping culture in the United States has gotten way out of control. Consumers are being pressured and guilted into leaving tips. Nonetheless, some job performances are indeed well-deserving of an additional tip, whether it is because their hospitality exceeded expectations or because they went above and beyond to ensure the customers were well taken care of! Servers, hotel staff, delivery drivers, tour guides, and many other roles fall into this category.
This flawed system is constructed so that employees are forced to rely on tips, because the employers and government don’t take good care of them. Apparently, consumer tipping is supposed to make up for the poor government oversight and lack of protection for America’s workers.
The United States is one of the few countries that has normalized “tipflation.” In fact, European countries classify tipping as highly inappropriate, as it is disrespectful to workers because it shows pity and mockery.
There is a reason for this stark tipping contrast between the United States and other countries. In the U.S., many service workers are allowed to be paid far below the standard minimum wage; the American government structured the system this way because it assumed that tips would make up the difference. This financial flaw forces millions of American workers to depend on the generosity of customers, not employers, to earn a livable wage. Unlike the poor wage conditions in America, the European government takes good care of its workers.
The European Commission and the EU-OSHA (European Union Occupational Safety and Health Administration) take good care of their workforce, providing them with adequate pay, which eliminates the demand for tips. Unlike Americans, the money that European workers would be making from tips is already included in their daily pay.
Tipping in the U.S. has spiraled out of control, expanding far beyond restaurants into nearly every transaction, often with suggested amounts that feel excessive and unavoidable.
