The awkward encounter we’ve all had: the employee at the frozen yogurt shop flips the screen around at you, asking for a tip. As you reflect back on the last three minutes, you remember that you filled your cup, you poured your toppings and you placed the cup on the scale. As the employee stares at you, you debate if you should give $2.00 to someone who simply stood behind a counter or face the guilt of pressing the “No Tip” button. But this guilt shouldn’t exist, there is absolutely no reason that anyone should even face the infamous screen reading “Would you like to leave a tip?”. When an employee works hard, like waiters at sit-down restaurants, a 20 percent tip is always deserved. However, when the customer did more work than the employee, like at self-serve places, there is no reason to give a tip.
The definition of what a deserved tip should look like becomes skewed from what tipping’s intended purpose was: to show thanks for someone who performed a service for you. The constant pressure to leave a tip anywhere you go, even when the employee does little to no actual work, has detracted from the point of tips.
While generous tips should be left for those who work hard and are deserving, no one should feel guilty for choosing not to leave one when the employee did not perform any labor l. An hourly wage from their employers is what people get for being present at work; a tip is given to reward and show thanks for good work. Instead, it has become a cultural norm that if no tip is left, it is rude and disrespectful. Tips are something to be earned and should motivate workers to always put their best foot-forward and continually work hard.
Skilled professionals—hairdressers, waiters and manicurists—all deserve tips due to the expertise they provide in their service of choice. These people all work extremely hard, unlike those who, while still giving up their time, sit at a desk and check people out at the register. It is ridiculous that workers who do the bare minimum expect a tip in return for no service. Though tipping can be a great way to show employees appreciation for their excellent work, tipping culture has gotten to a point where the pressure to tip has masked the true meaning of what a tip represents.
