Tipping has gotten completely out of control. It used to be a standard growing up of 10-15% and it was actually based on quality service where servers put forth the effort to do this. Now it's 20, 25 and even 30% with a sense of entitlement. I've been to so many places where servers just half *** it and expect 20% and higher tip.
Things I don't tip that seem to be a norm now:
- If I'm ordering from a counter, standing up which is typically fast food. They already make a standard wage anyway.
- If I'm picking up a to go order. I was a server in college and after and really never understood why anyone would do this.
The level of effort of simply putting food in a back with plastic forks is minimal. Depending on the place, the back of the
house is doing most of this anyway by an expediter or someone else.
- If I'm driving to pick up a pizza instead of delivery, I'm not tipping the person at the counter. I went to pick up a pizza one
day and paying for it. The guy goes "it will ask for a tip, you don't have to", I'm thinking, he gets it. The proceeds to say "But it's appreciated" with a smile. I'm thinking, I'm the one that drove here, I should get the tip.
- There's probably many other tip scenarios I'm missing, because everyone in anything close to a service industry expects one now.
Things I do tip:
- Standard dinner service with a server waiting the table, tip 15-20%
- The person that cuts my hair because it's hard to find someone good, oddly enough.
- My dog sitter because it's really hard to find a good one and we don't use them that much anyway.
- If someone truly does something above and beyond that I appreciate, I will tip. Which is what a tip is designed.
One thing I've noticed as well. How and why has percentage based tipping become the way we tip. A $30 steak will get more tip than a $12 cheeseburger, however the level of effort for a server is the same. It should honestly be time based, but that would never happen.
If you really want to see over the top anti-tippers, there is a sub reddit r/endtipping, they are WAY over the top.