Got tipping rage? This barista reveals what its like to be behind the tip screen (opens in new tab)

I don't have tipping rage, but I have recently developed what one might call "tipping apathy"; the nag screens on every point-of-sale terminal became so excessive that they lost their emotional force, and I just dismiss them now in the same way that one mindlessly clicks through license agreements and cookie warnings.

I still write a standard tip percentage on a restaurant meal receipt, as I have done all my life, but all the newly-introduced tipping requests became overwhelming, and then ridiculous, and I no longer take them seriously.

I always tip well because I get that tips are misplaced wages, but the tip economy is so messed up.

A huge piece is that it's based on an asymmetry of information. I don't know how much a barista makes so I assume min wage and tip accordingly. Consequently a business owner has less incentive to raise wages because customers are accustomed to subsidizing their payroll. Sadly employees are the pawns in all of this and viewed as having their hands out for being greedy as if they have their hands out or are the ones who program the %s into their Square terminals.

I've also seen a few courageous businesses try and move to fair wages + no tipping, and then reverse course because they weren't able to keep employees. I think the only solution is systemic, like getting rid of the tip minimum wage, but that's unlikely.

> "There's this awkwardness," he says. "It's kind of verboten to say anything about tipping in front of the tip screen. You're not supposed to talk about tipping."

And so I feel awkward when the tip screen comes up... the person _behind_ the tip screen feels awkward... why are we _both_ subjected to this terrible situation?

Keep in mind that this article is extremely misleading on federal law. It claims that employees

> earn a subminimum wage with the idea that tips will get them up to the minimum wage, but that doesn't always happen.

and insinuates that often they don't make enough money because of this.

However, federal law (https://www.dol.gov/general/topic/wages/wagestips) requires that while there is a subminimum wage, if tips plus that don't equal federal minimum, the company MUST pay the remaining to the employee. So tipping is only helpful if it gets them above the minimum wage.

I really don't mind tipping waitstaff, tour guides, delivery staff etc, where tipping has traditionally been expected. In fact, I credit it with substantially better service in restaurants than you get abroad. But 5 years ago nobody there was no expectation that your fast-casual, order-at-the-counter service workers were getting tipped. The whole point of the exercise is to express and reward some level of satisfaction/dissatisfaction with the service at hand, which isn't something I value at a fast-casual restaurant. Then you have the newest iteration, of having self-checkout terminals prompt for tips. What service have I been provided at that point to justify a tip? I walked up to an off-brand iPad and did the entire interaction by myself. I'm supposed to select a value based on how generous I'm feeling that day, completely and utterly divorced from any service being provided? Absolutely ridiculous.

tl;dr cheap employers monetize guilt of the customers and they can do so because the federal gov allows to pay the "subminimum" wage

> And today, tipping is down from last year, with a nearly 10-point drop

"In 2030 Q3, the Tipping Industry (TIP.S) has grown by 23% YoY, slightly exceeding the Wall St expectations."