Natalia Chi
Screens seem to be everywhere: coffee shops, sports stadiums, online travel sites. self service kiosk — Ask the customer: i want to give you a hint Shoppers get confused when to give.
Historically, tips were designed to reward and possibly guarantee good service and are usually only expected in settings such as restaurants, salons and taxis where tips are heavily reflected in workers’ wages. It was done. But with digital payments, messages asking for 15% to 25% extra payment are prevalent, even for small purchases that require little or no customer service.
What is clear is that business owners are becoming increasingly comfortable with asking customers to tip. Some critics take a darker view and see the practice as effectively pushing the responsibility of employers to pay employees a living wage onto consumers.
Stephen H. Zagor, a professor at the Columbia Business School who focuses on restaurants and food business, said, “In contrast to situations where you are expected to tip when you walk into a restaurant, tipping is a common practice. has become an everyday moment,” he said. “Now when you go to a big department store, you have space to tip at the cash register.”
Lehigh University professor Holona Rian Ox, author of two books on tipping, said that while corporate demands for tips are “constant and pervasive,” consumers should show appreciation when it’s appropriate. He said he wondered if
Old rules are obsolete
Even experts comment on many aspects of the cultural flashpoint, but most agree on one point: Norms of old chips There are no hard and fast rules about whether businesses can ask for a tip or whether consumers don’t.
Brian Warrener, associate professor of hospitality management at the University of Johnson and Wales, said: “The essence of tipping is less about rewarding service providers for good service and more about social norms. , I don’t know when to tip.” told CBS Moneywatch.
He personally doesn’t mind not tipping if he doesn’t think it’s worth tipping.
“It doesn’t matter if you don’t leave a tip if you don’t get much service or you don’t get great service. In this case it’s not guaranteed. You’re not making money. In this case tip I am not eligible to receive any,” Warrener said.
Covid-19 has destroyed norms
The pandemic has greatly impacted tipping habits. Employees and other essential workers in the retail industry were seen as risking their health, even their lives, to serve customers for more than additional financial rewards. .
“A tip during the pandemic is like a donation that recognizes the hard and dangerous work frontline service workers are doing, and we all appreciate that and give a little extra to their philanthropy. We donated a lot,” Warrener said.
Businesses are carrying on that expectation, but it’s acceptable for consumers to return to their old tipping habits, Warrener said.
“It’s perfectly reasonable to go back to the old standard,” he said. “I don’t feel like I have to leave a 20% tip for coffee at my local Starbucks.”
Josh Lueger, co-founder of fast-casual food chain Capital Tacos, has no qualms asking customers to tip restaurant workers. Ruger’s restaurant doesn’t offer table service, so he lists all the work that goes into preparing a meal where customers can see it.
“We run Scratch Kitchen and we put a lot of hard work in every day to bring you what we think is a unique and great product,” he told CBS MoneyWatch. “We are making various efforts at stores to ensure that this is communicated to customers.”
Ruger said he sees no problem with customers choosing not to add chips. However, he hopes that by the time someone places an order, it will be clear that the employees are going to great lengths to provide excellent service.
Josh Ruger / Capital Tacos
“You’ve read the walls and you’ve seen the kitchen and the work that’s going on there. We want you to know the background. So we ask the questions ‘ he said. “You don’t need a tip. You don’t have to sign and write anything on the receipt, but if you want to reward your workers, I think it makes sense to ask for a tip.”
Tips are distributed among employees, all of whom perform different duties. In some ways, it helps keep prices down and workers pay higher, Mr. Ruger said. “What consumers generally want is a lower list price and the option to tip if they wish.
“It’s like robbery.”
Professor Zagor of Columbia University believes there are two main reasons for tipping. It’s to reward good service or encourage it in the future.
“If you feel that someone is doing something useful for you and you have empathy and compassion for them, give them a tip!” he said.
But for transactions that don’t involve human interaction, such as buying something online or using an in-store kiosk or app, Zagore believes tipping is inappropriate.
“It’s like blackmail, suggesting you charge more when you don’t know what’s being charged or what it’s worth,” he said.
Zagore’s own approach to chips is straightforward. He usually tends to tip the person who provides the service rather than the business or machine that sells the goods.
“I wouldn’t tip a store that buys canned goods or ketchup, but I always feel that if someone does a service for me, that level of care and energy will be rewarded,” he explained. .
get over it already
Technology has played a big role in changing the rules about tipping. Touch screens with tip prompts are increasingly replacing the old-fashioned tip jars that were easy to pass by and ignore. And on screen you should actively deny the request.
“If you don’t put money in the tip jar, you just ignore it,” says William Michael Lynn, a professor of service marketing in the Cornell University School of Hotel Management and a tipping expert. “Since you have to actively press ‘no tip’ on tablets, it’s a sin as a fee and we feel even worse about it.”
Lin said there is no right or wrong answer when to ask for or give a tip. Businesses can ask for a tip, but they shouldn’t expect customers to show leniency or show ill will if they don’t. And customers should tip according to their values and motivations.
For consumers who might feel guilty when skipping the tipping screen, Lynn offers another humble piece of advice. “Please deal with it anyway”.
“They want you to pay for it, no question. If you don’t, at least they’ll be disappointed. But who cares?” rice field. “Many people ask me for money, but I don’t give them money.”
