Read here the full transcript of Thomas Farley’s talk titled “Has Tipping Culture Gone Too Far?” at TEDxBronxvilleHS 2024 conference.
Listen to the audio version here:
TRANSCRIPT:
The Rise of Tipflation
Picture the scene. You’re at the eye doctor, seated in the examination room, straining to read the projected letters on the wall opposite you. R-Z-Q-L-X. “Very good,” the optometrist says.
“How about the next line?” T-I-P? Tip? 20%? 25%? 30%? “Excellent! And how about the final line?”
“Oh gosh, it’s so small, I don’t think I can read it. Can I try it with both eyes? Okay, I think it says… no tip?”
It doesn’t take a visit to the optometrist to realize many of us have been rubbing our eyes in disbelief when it comes to the profusion of tipping opportunities in all aspects of our daily lives.
The Tipping Point
Suddenly, it seems you cannot purchase a bag of potato chips at a convenience store, a muffin at a bakery, or a water at the local sandwich shop without being prompted to tip, sometimes as much as 30%. And in sit-down restaurants, even a table of one or two may see a 20% line item described as a service charge, after which we are still given the opportunity to leave a tip, which apparently is no longer the same thing as a service charge.
This recently happened to me at a restaurant in Denver, and I left the eatery having paid 40% above and beyond the cost of my food. Consumers are feeling confused and imposed upon.
Was I supposed to be doing this all along, and I just didn’t know it? Why am I tipping a cashier when all he did was scan a candy bar wrapper? Am I a cheapskate if I hit “no tip”? And will the clerk give me a dirty look?
The Etiquette Expert’s Perspective
I’m Thomas Farley, an etiquette expert known in the media as Mr. Manners. I speak to TV audiences of all types on topics from what not to wear to the company beach outing to how to ensure your guests know it’s really time to leave when the party is over. But this topic, the uniquely American societal trend where we are suddenly tipping for everything, everywhere, all at once, has positively dominated my time in the media this year.
Already feeling the pinch of inflation, consumers across the country are wondering how this all started and if it will ever end.
The History of Tipping in America
The tradition of tipping in the United States has origins that are not entirely commendable. Following the Civil War, wealthy Americans would show their status by showering service workers with a tip for which they were expected to be exceedingly grateful. Wages for women and newly freed slaves were kept appallingly low.
The supposed silver lining of this was the tips themselves, often comprising the bulk of their compensation, albeit still a pittance. By the 20th century, as the middle class began to grow and consumers with discretionary income began to travel, go out for meals, see hairstylists, and pop into cocktail bars, Americans grew accustomed to giving tips for good service.
The amounts were small at first, often measurable in cents, but by the 1950s, 10 percent was considered a good tip. The racial and gender-based reasons for tipping began to fade from memory as the practice became more established.
The Evolution of Tipping
In subsequent decades, the percentage society deemed an appropriate amount for a baseline tip started to nudge upward, first up to 15 percent and rising to just under 20 percent nationwide today. That gradual increase in the amount we tip is referred to as “tip creep.”
By the 2010s, with many consumers paying for even small purchases with plastic, what was once a clumsy transaction (remember credit card imprinting machines?) evolved. And then we were swiping, inserting a chip, and finally tapping to pay.
As that all happened, many of us stopped carrying much, if any, cash in our wallets, which did not bode well for the DIY tip jar. Long a presence at ice cream shops, bakeries, coffee houses, and pizza parlors, labeled with humorous sayings such as, “If you fear change, leave it,” and “There’s a party in this jar and your money is invited,” these tip jars appealed to our sense of humor and to our kinder natures. We would casually drop in a dollar or two, often the change from our purchases.
The Digital Tipping Revolution
But paying by credit card meant no change at all. And if we had none already in our wallets, no extra dollars to show our appreciation for a college student scooping ice cream from a petrified cardboard tub or display appreciation for the baristas who created all manner of designs in the froth of our steam-to-perfection cappuccinos.
A couple of years before the pandemic, consumers began to see tablets appearing at checkout counters, the latest round of tech to make paying for goods and services quicker and more efficient. And yet, little by little, these tablets began prompting us for a little extra.
First, in the bigger cities across the country and primarily in establishments like independent coffee shops, we were given the opportunity to show the love with a touch screen tap. No math and no fishing for spare change required.
The Pandemic Effect
As our world shut down in 2020, we became reliant on food delivery apps to put meals on our tables. Recognizing the vital roles these frontline workers played to bring us that food, not to mention our eagerness to help local restaurants stay in business, we ordered in often and tipped generously, well above even our normal averages.
And yet, in 2021 and 2022, as the country began to regain its footing, consumers noticed something had definitely changed. Tip requests were everywhere. Consumers, perplexed though they were, largely complied. The trend acquired a name: tipflation, the perfect portmanteau of tipping and inflation.
The Expansion of Tipping Culture
It’s a rapid shift that in recent months has seen shoppers on Amazon being asked if they would like to tip the person who will pack their order. Music lovers at concerts are being asked to tip the person who hands them a high-priced T-shirt.