Tipping getting out of hand

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 Tipping getting out of hand

In the 18th century, a tip was a gratuity given to a servant. The OED's earliest usage of tip involving waiters comes from 1825: "Sir Harry was liberal in his ‘tips’, and consequently a great favorite of Phillips (the waiter)." In this period, however, the word could also denote a bribe, as in this usage from 1819: "To take the tip is to receive a bribe in any shape." 

People complaining about needless ‘back & forth credit card game’ at restaurants. Or pretend ignorance by coffee shop staff when the iPad spins around. Or the prevalence of POS software in new types of shops that never requested tips before.

“Okay, the screen is just gonna ask you a few questions.”​Uh-huh, right,, like we both don’t know what this is all about.

That last point is the most salient. See, it used to be just a few types of businesses that expected tips. Restaurants, cab drivers, valet parking, housekeeping, etc. But now Americans are seeing prompts at totally new places.. Grocery stores, retail outlets, and (astonishingly) self-checkout kiosks.

My god, what is going on here?Courtesy of Reddit​

As we all know, during covid, restaurants suffered through debilitating lockdowns, aggressive patrons, and burned-out service workers. Naturally, customers felt bad about the situation, and wanted to support their local shops however they could.

But there are some harsh facts to stomach here:

  • Black servers receive smaller tips than white servers.
  • Servers earn higher tips if they fit a certain demographic (women, good-looking, white, slender, 20s-30s, large breasts).
  • Attractive white females can easily bring home thousands more than their counterparts.

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