Out of Control Tipping: What DailyMail.com Readers REALLY Think

Americans are putting their foot down on the ‘etiquette’ of out-of-control tipping, as struggling workers are finally fed up with paying more for everyday items.

Although tipping has a long history in the nation, rampant inflation and the expectation of tipping for just pouring a cup of coffee have left people wondering if it’s time for unspoken tip codes to change.

DailyMail.com took to the streets to find out what people really think about the practice, and one of the biggest nightmares is iPads at checkout, leading them to tip up to 30%, forcing them to shell out extra money.

But DailyMail.com readers say they’ve had enough, going so far as to completely avoid places that harass their customers for tips.

Tips were originally meant to be free, seen by many as an added bonus for good service and a pleasant experience.

But one of the most offensive aspects of modern tipping is the expectation that customers should now pay more ‘no matter what the service’.

In response, one commenter said, “Not sure why I’m supposed to tip a bartender who takes a bottle of beer and pops the cap off, 5 seconds involved.”

‘I don’t mind tipping a waiter who serves me for an hour. I mind tipping someone for giving me a drink. Are checkout lines at grocery stores going to start requiring tips now, too?’ questioned another.

And while tipping has long been a custom in the US, the dramatic rise in prices in recent years led one commenter to call the tradition “ridiculous.”

“They are always asking for tips for everything,” he continued.

‘Before, tips were optional and 10%, but only if the service was good. European countries don’t demand tips in this militant way like they do here.

It has been abused and misused for far too long and we have to put an end to it. NO MORE TIPS.’

The new prevalence of tipping iPads in major US cities is a major point of contention, with the system implicitly designed to push people to add extra tips, even if they don’t want to.

Numerous readers agreed that the technology is inappropriate, with one person noting, “You get to the counter to pay, and the tip button is right there with the staff looking at you.” Strange.’

“I’ve really stopped going to places where they have those hint screens,” said another disgruntled reader.

Technology seems to put many off all the time, as another reader pointed out: “I was always tipping, until they put the screen in my face demanding a tip.”

Many people also objected to the fact that tips have now become a subsidy for low-paid workers.

One reader criticized tipping as “another tax,” while another agreed that it “is getting out of hand.”

Another said they only tip ‘based on level of service’, adding: ‘That’s what a tip is supposed to be not an addition to a salary but a reward for good/excellent service.’

‘Tipping regardless of level or lack of service is the adult equivalent of minor league participation trophies. And we’ve seen how well it worked.’

And while some have said they now go as far as avoiding eating out or going into town, others have seen the funny side of the weirder situations for which they were expected to pay more.

“The worst tipping situation I’ve ever seen was at a Chinese buffet,” said one commenter.

‘There was a tip jar at the sushi station, a tip jar at the grill station and the expectation that customers would also tip their waitress who did nothing but bring their drinks to her table.

‘Everything else was, of course, self-service.’

Another person said that tipping was once expected for room service at a hotel, adding: “Not only is the food expensive, but there are all the service charges and then a tip.”

‘When you’re late and you just need something, even tea or coffee and a snack is very expensive, but we still have to tip.’

“I’m a pilot and no one has ever offered me a tip,” another reader quipped.

Debates over tipping etiquette erupted this month after New York magazine The Cut published new ‘guidelines’.

Intended as a new code of honor, the suggestions generated a furor after they recommended people routinely tip 20 percent no matter what to avoid being considered “rude.”

And while one of the proposals was to add an extra 10 percent for even buying your own takeout, readers criticized the absurd new “rule.”

“The magazine article is the biggest culprit here, trying to brainwash young people who read them into paying (even in cash they don’t have) using guilt manipulation and peer pressure,” one said. reader.

‘I tip according to the service.’

Another agreed, adding: “There is no tip on a takeout order, never has been, this is super inappropriate for these establishments to request.”

‘I never tip if I go in and pick up the food. I’m sorry, I’m not sorry.

‘I give a 20% tip to waiters, hairdressers, pizza delivery people. But never for them to pass the food over the counter.

In the UK, Germany and the Netherlands, tips tend to be between five and ten percent, according to maps published by hawaiian islands.com.

But in the opinion of The Cut, those who oppose tips for everyday items are ‘miserable’, while those with disposable income should spend much more than 25 per cent in restaurants and bars.

For coffee shops, coffee carts, cafes and bodegas, customers must tip at least 20 percent due to the “tense atmosphere” and “complicated orders,” the magazine says.

But while he argued that Uber drivers should also get 20 percent, since they earn less in tips than regular taxi drivers, some criticized the costly lawsuits.

Kirsten Fleming agreed with many of our readers, as she wrote in the New York Post: ‘They are totally out of touch with real New Yorkers who are struggling to pay sky-high rents and inflated food bills.

‘The list should have been reduced to a few useful ideas.’