“Tips are appreciated” is a saying businesses have used to get extra cash from customers for years. Since the 1840’s Americans have incorporated tipping culture. Inspired by European customs, Americans created their own tipping culture with a twist for business. Companies would pay freed slaves low wages on purpose in order to make customers feel pity for the workers and give them some extra cash (restaurantbusinessonline.com). Though some things have changed, the tradition is still going. If the service from a worker is good, customers will include extra money as a bonus to show appreciation. However, the jobs asking for tips have evolved. Now workers at Starbucks, hair salons and gig economy services expect a bonus as well. Who and who not should Americans be tipping? Has this culture gone too far? Is it necessary to tip workers outside of restaurants?
For years everyone has seen the tipping jar businesses put by the ordering counter. If one chooses, he or she can drop a cash tip or ignore it all together. However, ignoring it might not be as easy as it was before. According to nypost.com, Starbucks employees are required to show a screen that virtually asks for a tip. This option is shown when paying with a card in the drive through or store. “TikTok user @yassimodo, who claims to be a Starbucks employee, says in a new 52-second viral video. ‘It’s gonna ask if you want to leave a tip — it’s totally up to you, but you have to make a selection for the card to go through.’ Plain and simple.” On average, American Starbucks employees make about $12.54 per hour, (indeed.com). This amount is good enough for high schoolers, or college students that have support from home, but not very much for people living in the “real world”. Starbucks isn’t the only business demanding better tips. Independent contractors like DoorDash or UberEats, have advocated for this now more than ever. Camera footage in 2021, that has recently gone viral, shows an angry DoorDasher threatening to return a customer's food because of an 8 dollar tip. “The driver then asks the man to adjust his tip to which he responds ‘What the h*ll are you looking for? I gave an $8 tip.’ At this point the driver explains that she is going to return the food and starts walking back down the path towards her vehicle,” (indy100.com).
Is tipping outside of waiters/waitresses a bit much? Some consumers seem to think so. It’s become a courtesy for customers at beauty salons to give a tip to their stylist even if they’re paid hourly. However, this demand is starting to be a bit much for some customers. According to behindthechair.com, an anonymous client claims, “I feel awful when I can’t afford to tip. Do stylists get super annoyed if there’s a lack of tip? I rave about my stylist to make sure they get more customers but I just can’t afford a tip every time.” While some clients think this is too much, others like Julie Kandalec, a celebrity for her manicure work in New York, claims it’s the bare minimum. "The tip should be part of the final price that a client expects to pay," she says. "For example, if your service costs $50, you should see it as costing $60, (real simple.com).” Clearly, the views on this topic are mixed. While some think tipping is just a nice gesture and shouldn’t be mandatory, other think tipping is the norm and “if you can’t afford the tip, you can’t afford the service.”
Has tipping culture gone too far? In short, yes, but not because workers are demanding tips and customers are refusing to tip those outside of waiters/waitresses. It’s because of the real enemy, the big corporations. While workers and consumers go at each other's throats, the corporations, the real people in charge, are getting rich. Workers shouldn’t have to rely on tips in order to provide for themselves and their families. They should be relying on the money from their pay which is provided to them by corporations. What are these corporations doing with all of the money customers give them to pay for a service? Shouldn’t they be making a profit so they can provide their workers with enough money and run their business? Tipping has become a scam to both consumers and workers. For example, in 2019 DoorDash was accused of changing their tipping policy in a way that benefited the company more than the drivers. They were also accused of keeping some of the tips Dashers made as well, and didn’t stop until drivers had an outcry (bestferraldriver.com). The problem is that companies expect customers' tips to make up for their low pay. The interesting thing with this example though, is that DoorDash didn’t stop until the dashers said enough was enough.
The only way to fix this is to demand more pay for service workers. Consumers and service workers have to go against the enemy's wishes and join forces. Petty protest won’t do it, this has to be a statewide strike that will make corporations see that this won't stop until the goal is achieved. It’s better to demand a better pay than demand a better tip. Of course, there is a lot to lose from this, but the gain outweighs the loss. If corporations lose workers they will lose money, once they lose money they’ll have no choice but to make things right. This chain reaction is the only way service workers will get the rights they deserve and consumers won’t be victims to this excessive tipping.
If service workers want more money and consumers want to stop giving up so much money then they’re going to have to go out of their way to receive it. Consumers will have to stop tipping, service workers will have to stop working temporarily and change has to be demanded. It’s better to demand a better pay than demand a better tip. Corporations won’t want to change the system if the system is benefiting them. In the wise words of MLK “change does not roll in inevitability, but comes through continuous struggle.”
________________________________________________________________________
Photo courtesy of Getty Images
Kei Jones is a staff writer for The Lion's Roar. You can learn more information about the writer by clicking here.
Comments