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I Actually Like Having the Choice to Tip
But tipping culture isn’t a long-term solution for workers
A recent Los Angeles Times article examined how tipping culture feels out-of-control for many in the United States, with more “tablets with quick-tap default tip options” and increased societal pressure to add a gratuity.
As a barista myself, I’ll concede several points. Certainly, I thought of this article when I stayed at an Airbnb recently. As the above picture depicts, a tip jar was placed in the kitchen. Though I’m happy to leave a tip for a hotel housekeeper, “there’s no way of knowing whether the cash you leave behind at a rental is going to the host or a housekeeper.” And hosts often ask for cleaning fees, anyway.
Nevertheless, the option to tip is just that, an option out of many. With so many places offering the ability to add a gratuity, it’s unreasonable to be expected to tip generously, or even to tip, everywhere you go. (Unless you’re ultra-rich).
In scenarios where it’s not expected that I leave a tip, I myself have ranged from amazing tipper (okay fine, I accidentally put a $20 bill in the donut shop’s tip jar when I meant to drop a $1 bill) to poor tipper, but I try to make an effort, particularly with small businesses that are meaningful to me.
