Customers in the US are likely to be prompted to offer a tip for almost every business they interact with. This has led to reluctance and even frustration among people who are now pulling back on the tips. Recently, a TikTok user Ev (@incrediboii) expressed how capitalist culture always wants to get more out of the people’s pockets. She shared her experience of shopping from what she called a "bougie grocery store" where she and her boyfriend discovered a new level of tipping.
Here's what Ev had to say about the tipping culture in the U.S.
Ev did a TikTok stitch with another creator named @minna. In the original post, Minna talked about how she was done with "unnecessarily tipping" establishments. This reminded Ev of one of her experiences when she and her boyfriend went to a grocery store named Tiny Grocer in Austin, Texas.
Ev called the store "bougie," a place they usually don’t go to. She explained that on the day the couple was simply in the mood to shop for a romantic date with "cheese, cured meats," and "wine." While Ev was prepared for her bill to be a little more expensive than normal, she wasn’t expecting the cashier at her checkout to "flip her tablet around and ask for a 25% tip on their $40 grocery bill."
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Ev is not alone
Ev's emotions were echoed by her viewers in the comment section, some of whom shared their own experiences as well. One of the users said that she was bizarrely asked to tip even at the doctor’s office which she swiftly avoided.
Another woman said something similar happened to her at Charleston as well, where she was asked to tip for getting one box of her white claw ringed.
Another user who lived in the Austin area said the city has a history of having a negative "tipping culture."
Another woman called out businesses for paying employees less and thus pushing them towards tips for sustenance.
However, another user differed and said that she knew that the particular grocery store Ev went to pay its employees fairly. Thus, asking for tips there was not ok.
The uncontrolled tipping culture in the U.S.
Ev's opinion of her experience with the tipping culture is entirely valid. Requesting a tip at a grocery store isn't a good business practice as the shopper does most of the work before they checkout. Practices like these have led to consumers in the U.S. developing a negative view of tipping entirely. According to a Bankrate survey, about 66% of Americans have a negative view of tipping and 30% of consumers think that tipping culture is “out of control.”
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The rising tips or “tipflation” came about during the pandemic when people started tipping for services that weren’t tipped before. This was done to appreciate the essential workers and encourage their efforts in keeping things moving. While the country overcame the pandemic, the tipping practices seem to have stuck with the businesses.
