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Has tipping gotten out of control?

Etiquette experts explained when it's acceptable and when it's not necessary to tip.

SAN DIEGO — Has tipping gotten out of control? Many Americans think it has. Some said they feel pressured to throw in a tip.

This comes as more businesses set up digital payment methods. The issue has consumers asking: How much is too much?

'Tipflation'

The phenomenon is being called "tipflation." It’s the term used to describe tip requests at checkout.

"We're living in an era of inflation, but on top of that we've got tipping everywhere -- tipflation. I take it a step further and call it a tipping invasion. Because that's really what I think it is," said etiquette expert Thomas Farley, with Mister Manner.

Consumers everywhere said they're fed up with being asked to leave gratuity, even when it seems no service was actually done.

"If they're just getting paid hourly and they’re just behind the counter handing you something, doing their job, I don’t think it deserves much more than what they’re already getting paid for," said consumer Gresham Veazey.

"I think tipping at every turn is definitely out of control," added Farley.

Farley says part of the problem is that most businesses now have a virtual tip jar that has made it easier than ever to tip workers. He says consumers shouldn’t feel pressured into tipping.

"I think just because the technology allows a company to do something or an establishment to do something doesn't mean that they should. What is happening is what I like to call the ‘guilt tipping’. So we know about a guilt trip. This is the guilt tip. Where because you know you've got to flip that screen around ultimately at the person waiting and who's going to see how much you tipped," Farley said. "Not to mention the three people standing in line behind you are going to see what you tipped."

"When you have someone standing over you or standing in front of you, you do feel a time crunch to actually quickly act," added etiquette expert Lisa Gache, Founder, and CEO of Beverly Hills Manners.

This comes as the minimum wage in San Diego rose to $16.30. It’s now $15.50 across the state.

"Here minimum wage is already higher than anywhere else… I'm originally from Kentucky and I think our minimum wage is still $7.25… so getting paid almost double that and asking for a tip on top of that-- where is it going to stop?" said Veazey.

Farley says not only has it gone too far but he fears it’s going to get even worse.

"I think the damage that can be done by this, if suddenly every service professional in our life is being tipped, the people who would traditionally do tip and require those tips…they're going to be getting a smaller piece of the pie," he added.

Etiquette experts said it’s important to continue tipping service workers, that includes servers, drivers, salon workers and others.

It's up to you to decide whether you want to leave a tip a the register. If you’re not interested in tapping to add a tip, you can try to pay with cash instead.

WATCH RELATED: New report finds military spending has added jobs and money to San Diego’s economy (Dec. 2022).

 


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