Many Americans Tipping seems to have gotten out of control.: Is it discretionary favor or relentless duty?
Oh November 2023 survey The Pew Research Center found that 72 percent of people think Tipping Expected in more places than five years ago. Some businesses that may not have been known for asking for tips in the past, such as dry cleaners and hardware stores, now are.
Tipping isn’t just about the percentage on the screen.
Dr. Paul Wright, senior vice president of the Neuroscience Institute in Poughkeepsie, New York, says that with tipping, the brain releases feel-good neurotransmitters like dopamine and oxytocin.
“Tipping is just like when you’re doing something good,” Wright explained. “…many people do it for themselves, not just for the recipient.”
But many Americans don’t feel that dopamine hit.
In Bankrate’s most recent June 2023 survey, two-thirds of Americans now have a negative view of tipping, and one-third feel it is “out of control.”
There is also the so-called “crime trip tip” pressure.
“Do I feel obligated to tip when someone is looking at me with their big eyes?” A woman at a coffee shop in Poughkeepsie told CBS News. “Maybe.”
Others suggest correcting the wrongs of wage inequality.
“People should be paid,” said another coffee shop patron. “People should not rely on the tipping system.”
Poughkeepsie restaurateur Russell Beck tried it.
“I think you should pay your people what they’re worth,” Beck said.
His “No Tipping, Please” wine bar, 1915 Wine Cellar, began paying employees up to $30 an hour. But there is a harsh truth in wine.
“Our accountant came back and said, ‘Listen, you’re either closing or you’re changing your pay model. There’s really no in between,'” Beck said.
Beck believes he was naive to think it could work. Now, with tips, both the bar and its employees make more money.
Beck personally great tips. But he draws the line.
“It’s been crazy,” Beck said. “I ordered something online and I was asked if I wanted to tip the people who were going to pack the box. And I was like, excuse me?”