No More Tipping! 15 Things That You Do Not Need to Tip
Tipping isn’t exactly a thing of the past, but many Americans think it should be. This is especially true for industries that don’t customarily receive tips, like fast food restaurants. However, in recent years, more and more service sectors have started putting out tip jars to supplement their wages, which aren’t keeping up with inflation.
While wages have certainly increased, inflation is still much higher than the Federal Reserve’s preferred annual 2%.Because wages can’t keep up with inflation for most Americans, the subject of tipping is getting a rework on every level.
People no longer automatically feel obligated to tip any service industry, even ones notorious for underpaying their employees, because they often rely on tips. Heads up, if you work in the service or hospitality industries in any capacity, your tips may be coming to a swift end. To see where Americans are pinching their pennies, we’ve created a list of businesses likely to see a downturn in tipping.
1. Retail
In a strong economy, retail workers, cashiers, and baggers wouldn’t have to ask for tips to help boost their hourly wages. However, even if doubling the minimum wage doesn’t keep up with rising prices, desperate times call for desperate measures. That doesn’t mean you must tip them if you see a jar sitting out on a cashier’s stand.
2. Fast Food Eateries
From a mental standpoint, I can see why fast food workers put out tip jars. Flipping burgers for a living is not fun, nor is it remotely glamorous. However, as part of the food service industry, it’s a staple in almost every developed or developing nation on Earth. People in the fast food industry earn regular wages, so don’t feel the need to tip them.
3. Self-Serve Kiosks
If you want to tip yourself, feel free to do so at any self-serve kiosk you use. The idea of tipping a kiosk you utilize yourself is ludicrous. Even understanding that kiosks take maintenance doesn’t obligate users to tip the kiosk’s owner. Feel free to skip with one.
4. Coffee Shops
Baristas have been supplementing their income by adding tip jars for ages now. It doesn’t require you to leave them a tip. However, unlike other industries on this list, I don’t mind tipping your coffee creator occasionally, especially if you’re a regular and they always take great care to fulfill your order.
5. Takeout Orders
I love great Chinese takeout, and curbside pickup has made it so you don’t even need to enter the restaurant to pick up your food. However, that does not mean you have to tip them. However, if you order from them regularly and they always do a bang-up job, tipping them every so often can be a nice gesture of thanks.
6. Grocery Stores
Like retail, grocery store associates make a regular minimum (or higher) wage. It won’t stop them from putting out a tip jar if they’re inclined, but it doesn’t require your participation, especially if you find yourself bagging your groceries or not finding the assistance you need in the store.
7. Drive-Thru Windows
Whether you’re picking up your favorite fast food or stopping by the pharmacy for your medication, tipping at a drive-thru window has to be the strangest place to put a tip jar. The worker is just handing you a bag and dealing with your payment, five minutes tops. Please don’t put a tip in a jar at a drive-thru.
8. Delivery Services
Food and other goods delivered to your home is customary, especially since the pandemic. Many people will put out drinks and snacks for their regular delivery drivers; please don’t tip them. Many companies prohibit cash incentives, and you could put your driver’s job in jeopardy. A nice cold drink and awesome snack options are much appreciated (especially during the summer) and are an excellent show of appreciation.
9. Hotel Housekeeping
When I was home from my freshman year of college, I worked cleaning motel rooms, and I will tell you that it was hot and dirty work. Workers often make an average wage, and while tips aren’t mandatory, I can vouch for how nice it is to receive them. If you regularly stay in hotels on business or travel a lot as a destination nomad, a dollar or two per stay (not per night) is a lovely gesture. However, housekeeping will still change your sheets and dump your trash, even without the tip.
10. Ride-Sharing
I’ve never had to call an Uber or use a ride-sharing app to get home. However, I can imagine it’s nice to have a ride in your hour of need (especially in bad weather or a bad neighborhood.) Most ride-share apps take your payment electronically; adding a tip is optional. Unless extenuating circumstances warrant a tip, you don’t need to add a cost bump.
11. Gratuity Dispute
I was sixteen, enjoying a meal at Chi-Chi’s, when I ran into my first gratuity tip. Thankfully, I had money to pay for my meal, but I had no idea what a gratuity tip was. If you’ve never run into them, they are tips that waitstaff include in your bill. However, there is great debate over when to calculate a gratuity tip. I agree that it should only cover the cost of the food and drinks you order and not the tax and other surcharges that get added at the end of your meal. Don’t add a tip on top of this already-charged appreciation.
12. Fitness Centers
Owning a fitness center comes with certain issues. You must maintain the building, equipment, pool, changing rooms, etc. This does not entitle you to a tip. It also doesn’t entitle employees of the fitness center to a tip. The fitness center itself doesn’t give a hoot whether you tip it or not, and the owner and employees should not expect you to pay extra for the use of the facility. The owner should factor it into your monthly or yearly fee if they do.
13. Pet Service Industry
When I was young, my mom had a cocker spaniel, and three to four times a year, she’d take her to the groomer and have her hair cut. She’d always come home looking cute with a pink bow in her ears that they always left untrimmed. Taking your pet to the groomer or vet is not an occasion to tip the worker. These industries pay at least minimum wage and don’t require an extra bump in pay.
14. Medical Services
Seeing medical offices and pharmacies putting tip jars out for customers intrigued me. Pharmacy techs, receptionists, and the like earn decent pay, and while they might not be rolling in money, you don’t need to tip them for doing their jobs. The medical industry is not going anywhere anytime soon and is one of the most well-compensated fields.
15. Convenience Stores
When I was sixteen, I took a mission trip to Mexico and earned donations by putting jars in convenience stores around my hometown. A tip jar to give the counterperson a boost for the night isn’t necessary and shouldn’t make you feel indebted to them.
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