Poughkeepsie, New York — A controversial question facing customers at almost every cash register these days is whether they would like to leave a tip.
many americans Think tipping has gotten out of control: Is this discretionary kindness or relentless obligation?
A November 2023 survey Pew Research Center revealed that 72% of people think tipping It is expected in more places than five years ago. Some businesses that may not have previously been known for asking for tips, like drycleaners and hardware stores, now are.
Tipping isn't just about the percentage on the screen.
With tipping, the brain releases feel-good neurotransmitters like dopamine and oxytocin, says Dr. Paul Wright, senior vice president of the Neuroscience Institute with Nuvance Health in Poughkeepsie, New York.
“Tipping is a lot like tipping when you're doing a good deed,” Wright explained. “…Many people do it for themselves, not just for the recipient.”
But many Americans don't realize that dopamine is affected.
In Bankrate's most recent June 2023 survey, two-thirds of Americans now have a negative view of tipping, and one-third think it is “out of control.”
There is also pressure from the so-called “guilt trip tip”.
“Do I feel more obligated to tip when someone is looking at me with those big doe eyes of theirs?” a woman at a coffee shop in Poughkeepsie told CBS News. “Perhaps.”
Others offer suggestions to correct the wrongs of pay inequality.
Another coffee shop patron said, “People should be paid a living wage.” “People should not rely on the tipping system.”
Poughkeepsie restaurant owner Russell Beck tried it.
“I think you should pay your people what they're worth,” Beck said.
His “no tipping, please” wine bar, the 1915 Wine Cellar, started paying employees up to $30 an hour. But there is a bitter truth in alcohol.
“Our accountant came back and said, 'Listen, you're either closing or changing your pay model. There's really no in between,'” Beck said.
Beck believes he was naive to think it could work. Now, with tips, both the bar and its employees make more money.
Beck personally makes great tips. But he draws the line.
“It's been crazy,” Beck said. “I ordered something online and was asked if I wanted to tip the people who were going to be packaging the box. And I said, excuse me?”
