Should You Tip on Takeout or Coffee Orders? Here’s When It’s Okay to Skip the Tip

• Certain individuals are encountering " "tip exhaustion" since an increasing number of establishments now ask for gratuities. For additional products and services.
• However, customers are resisting these changes, despite some employees stating that they now depend on tips more than before.
• Is it alright to just do this? not What do experts advise in such situations—especially when requested to?

The practice of tipping seems to be expanding wherever you look. —and some customers are tired of it, questioning when it’s alright to just not tip.

After all, these days, when you make a purchase at a coffee shop, convenience store, or even a self-checkout kiosk You could receive a prompt on the checkout screen asking for a tip.

Some customers could potentially be disregarding these prompts due to a wave of tipping exhaustion Others may simply be curious about the unwritten rules that have emerged recently.

Their dissatisfaction is evident: Approximately 59% of American adults hold an unfavorable opinion about tipping (down slightly from 66% in 2023), and over a third believe that the practice of tipping has become excessive, as reported by Bankrate. survey from June.

"Individuals are now finding themselves expected to tip in situations where such practices were previously uncommon, and also required to leave bigger gratuities than usual for certain jobs where tipping is customary—this perceived social push is what’s annoying folks," explained the tipping specialist. Michael Lynn He is a professor specializing in consumer behavior and marketing at the Cornell University School of Hotel Administration.

Business Insider spoke with experts in tipping and etiquette to determine precisely when you can skip a gratuity without committing a social blunder.

Consider it a recommendation, not a requirement.

During the pandemic, people began tipping more kindly, setting a new standard for worker tip expectations. As we adapt to life after the pandemic, many companies continue to depend on tips to enhance their employees' earnings.

The widespread presence of checkout stations featuring tip prompts also stems from this. increasing number of companies that have implemented customer-oriented POS systems , similar to Toast or Square, over the past few years.

Thomas Farley, a New York-based manners specialist referred to as Mister Manners indicated to Business Insider that these elements do not automatically lead to the assumption that tips should be increased accordingly.

"Simply because the display during these point-of-sale or counter-based interactions offers you this recommendation, consider it just as what it is—a suggestion rather than a requirement," Farley stated.

You have the option to bypass adding a tip when using self-checkout kiosks.

We understand the importance of tipping for the services we get, but how does this apply when we’re the ones offering the service?

What truly astonishes me is that customers are expected to tip for using self-service kiosks and checkout lanes," Lynn stated. "This is the part that shocks me the most since it’s unclear who actually benefits from these tips.

If you're scanning your own purchases, there's no need to leave a tip, he advises.

... and avoid tipping for takeout and counter service, such as coffee.

If you're collecting your own food, you might as well omit the tip as well. Of course, food delivery differs when it comes to gratuities. .)

“If you decide not to leave a tip with your takeout order, once it’s sitting on the counter and you pick it up, you’ve essentially covered the cost,” explained etiquette specialist Avery Johnson. “So you’ll simply take it and be on your way.” The Academy of Southern Manners. Nevertheless, she points out that you can leave a tip of 10% or higher when ordering takeout, particularly if you made special requests such as asking for extra items.

Lynn similarly omits the tip when ordering takeout and in scenarios where she serves herself, such as purchasing a cold brew and a pastry from a café.

There's no need to feel obligated to leave a tip for a sweatshirt you've just purchased.

Tip prompts that pop up when you're making retail purchases are where the rules of tipping etiquette might get a little blurry, Farley said.

Imagine you ended up with tickets to catch the largest musical event of the year , and you decide to purchase a $100 sweatshirt as a memento of the event. You head over to the merchandise booth where the attendant has to use a pole to retrieve the sweatshirt you selected from an upper shelf. As you proceed to the checkout, the screen asks you whether you’d like to add a tip to your payment.

Customers who have never previously tipped for such transactions might ponder whether they should add an extra amount here.

Farley mentioned that in such situations, customers are not required to leave a gratuity. "Even when someone offers a smile and provides excellent service, making for an agreeable interaction, tipping remains optional," he explained.

... or a tip on a meal for which you have already covered the gratuity.

Farley mentioned that the strangest tipping request he has ever encountered was at a sit-down eatery where the menu clearly stated that a mandatory service charge of 20% would be added to the total bill.

When the server presented Farley with the final bill, however, the card reader asked him to add an additional 20% as a tip.

“I felt quite puzzled,” Farley stated. When he questioned the waiter about the additional fee, he mentioned that the server informed him the 20% tip was meant to be shared among all the staff members, whereas the 20% suggested on the payment terminal was explicitly for his evening’s service.

Farley stated that he didn’t receive 40% service; instead, he got only 20%, yet ended up paying for 40%.

If you’re concerned about ending up in such a scenario, Farley suggested asking the restaurant to waive the upfront gratuity fee. “Should you feel very strongly about it and believe that this responsibility should not fall upon you, many of the restaurant owners I’ve spoken with, as well as those whose interviews I’ve read, would agree to remove that charge if customers express their desire for it to be taken off.”

Alternatively, he recommended researching a restaurant's tipping policy beforehand to prevent any potential uncomfortable situations.

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