Tipping is a great way to show appreciation for providing exceptional service, but people often do it voluntarily. This generous act has now been transformed into a corrupt activity that makes people pay tips even when they don’t want to.
Nearly 66% of Americans now have a negative view of tipping and 30% of Americans think the tipping culture has gone out of control. If you’re asked to pay tips everywhere you visit, you can choose not to tip for the following 12 services or people.
Bad Service
Since tips are generally paid as appreciation for good work, you aren’t obligated to tip anyone for lousy service. According to Etiquette experts, people don’t have to tip someone if they’ve had a rude interaction with them or provided poor service. For example, if a hairstylist at a salon ruined your hair, you can ask for a refund from the salon instead of giving them a tip.
Takeout Orders
While tipping servers at restaurants is a norm, you don’t have to pay any tip on takeout orders. When a recruitment coordinator, Saad Kabir, who works in New York, was asked whether he would tip on takeout orders, he refused. Saad said he always tips servers a minimum of 20% when dining out but skips tipping for takeout orders because he picks the food himself.
Rideshares
If you often book Uber or Lyft, you may feel compelled to tip your drivers. However, tipping rideshare drivers isn’t mandatory. Since these companies usually charge hefty amounts, especially during peak hours, some customers choose not to tip their drivers. According to Pew research, 61% of Americans tip drivers after using a taxi or rideshare service, while others don’t.
Contract Services
A blanket rule is that individuals shouldn’t tip anyone who performs a trade. If you’re paying a plumber, cable technician, carpenter, etc., for a particular task, you don’t have to tip them. Thomas Farley, an Etiquette expert, says tipping for such contract services is highly unorthodox and very awkward. In some instances, tipping contract workers can be misinterpreted as bribing them for some favor.
Counter Service
People delivering food or serving you in restaurants often depend on tips to earn a livable wage. However, this isn’t the case with people working at a counter earning a monthly salary, like baristas, cashiers, etc. You can refuse to tip for any counter service. A Pew research revealed that merely 25% of Americans tip their barista while buying a coffee, while others don’t.
Open-bar Events
Many events have open bar arrangements, and the bar staff may or may not place a tipping jar on the counter. A general rule of thumb says that people don’t have to tip the open-bar staff as the event organizers have already taken care of it. You can tip the staff if you’re impressed by their service, but it isn’t mandatory.
Double-Tipping
There have been instances where women were prompted to tip at the salon counter after tipping the technician separately for their service. Such events are called ‘double tipping’ and are viewed as a way to extract more money from customers. If you have already tipped a person for their service, you can refuse to pay an additional tip, citing previous tipping.
In-flight Services
Flight attendants are paid by airlines to serve travelers onboard; it is a small part of their overall job that doesn’t require tipping. For this reason, major American airlines like Delta, American Airlines, etc., follow an ‘anti-tip’ stance. However, some airlines, like Frontier Airlines, allow passengers to tip flight attendants, but it isn’t compulsory. If you frequently travel by air, you can avoid paying any tips to flight attendants.
Medical Procedures
Tipping culture has expanded into various industries, but fortunately, it hasn’t reached the medical sector. Tipping isn’t acceptable for medical procedures and dental hygiene treatments for all the right reasons. Doctors performing any medical procedure are fairly compensated for their hard work, eliminating any need for additional payments via tipping.
Coffee Shop Orders
While some workers in coffee shops expect tips, it hasn’t become widely acceptable or mandatory to leave tips unless you voluntarily want to. Only 25% of U.S. adults pay tips when buying coffee or any other beverage at a coffee shop, while others don’t. Since many Americans grab coffee on their way to work, paying regular tips can put excessive financial strain on them. You can politely refuse to tip on such coffee shop orders.
Food Trucks
All servers in the food industry expect a tip from customers, but it doesn’t apply to food trucks. While food trucks have a particular element of customer service, it isn’t enough to qualify for mandatory tipping. Currently, it’s socially acceptable not to tip food truck workers, so you can skip tipping in this case. Some people, however, believe that food truck workers should also receive tips because small businesses deserve more funds.
Professional Services
If you’re hiring lawyers, tax consultants, graphic designers, or any other professional for work, you aren’t expected to tip them for their services. They are highly qualified professionals who know how to bill for their services, eliminating any need for tips. You can simply pay their billed amount without worrying about tipping. Some professionals can even misinterpret your tipping gesture as an attempt to bribe them for certain favors.
