Recently, there has been a pattern of constant tipping at every turn, born out of obligation rather than good service. Americans are not happy with this unfair practice.

It is common practice all over the world to tip service providers and waiters for a job well done. However, recently, it seems like tipping has become a duty and Americans do not like this new development. People are tired of tipping at every stop when they are also struggling with insufficient funds and terrible service provision.

Tipping usually serves some significant purpose. First, most establishments that have waiters or servers usually pay them well below the minimum wage. People also tip for a good service provided and to help the servers feel better about their jobs. Therefore, people used to feel like the tips were with the good service and mood of the servers.

Unlike before, the number of people who are expecting tips from customers has increased significantly. You have to tip the mailman, movers, florists, manicurists, servers, etc. If someone requires the service of ten people in a day, almost all ten of them are expecting a tip. Therefore, this has put a huge strain on people who are also struggling to make ends meet.

Tipping initially started as a show of appreciation. Adding a little bonus could be a way of showing people that you appreciate them for providing a service for you. Most times, people even do better at their jobs when they get tipped regularly. Therefore, a few dollars was worth the extra value and happiness of the service provider.

Sadly, the culture of tipping is starting to lose its meaning for many reasons. One of the main issues is that everyone seems to be asking for a tip nowadays. Instead of completing their jobs and hoping they get tips from willing customers, service providers now ask for tips and expect rewards. Therefore, this has taken a lot of meaning out of the gesture.

According to Quartz, many Americans are experiencing a sense of tiredness with tipping, which they call tipping fatigue. They noted that almost half of Americans now tip purely out of obligation rather than after a good service. Furthermore, many people feel ashamed when they don’t drop a tip for the service providers as they can see other customers doing so.

WalletHub conducted a recent survey to properly analyze the tipping problem in the country. Their research found that almost three-quarters of all Americans say that tipping culture is totally out of control. They believe that service providers now see tipping as their right and their employers keep their wages low, knowing that they would get extra from customers’ tips.

The federal tipping wage is $2.13 an hour, and this was once the standard for servers and bartenders. This benefited them as they worked hard, served dozens to hundreds of customers a night, and could walk away with a few hundred dollars every day. These days, most people who do not do that type of work demand the same amount of tipping every day from customers. This is wrong!

Another problem people have is that places that do not have a service person present still ask for a tip. This makes no sense to most Americans as the employees haven’t actually served up any additional services. This is most commonly seen in places like takeout restaurants and pickup locations. Therefore, people only tip in these places out of pure guilt.

WalletHub believes this tactic is a very manipulative one. The money minded company also mentioned that most businesses jump at the opportunity to add a tip option to digital services. According to their findings, it makes customers feel creeped out, guilty and obligated to give a tip even though this should not be the case.

One simple way to deal with the guilt when one sees a tip screen is by paying in cash. When you pay in cash at these digital checkpoints, you do not have to tip if you don’t want to. These days, people are now paying with cash when they want to grab a simple order such as a morning coffee or lunch.

In conclusion, consumers should not feel guilty for not tipping all the time. It is not their duty to supplement an employee’s wages. Therefore, if employers cannot pay their employees adequately, it is not the responsibility of consumers to help them with this. Employers should be more mindful and pay their staff accordingly to enable them to live well without the need for tips.