By Adrian St.Onge

‘People take tipping a bit too far’: Tipping culture spreads to more industries

Jan 9, 2024 | 5:14 PM

Tipping has been a social norm for decades but the practice is coming under increased scrutiny as it expands beyond its traditional use.

Customers have noticed the trend going beyond the hospitality industry, extending as far as fast food restaurants, mechanic shops and hairdressing.

Staff at the Jiffy Lube in Medicine Hat do everything from oil changes to basic vehicle maintenance. Automotive places like this are among the growing trend of places where tipping for service is an option.

Shop manager Devin Piechotta said staff are paid a living wage, so tips are appreciated but not required.

“I think tipping is good when there’s a service being offered,” Piechotta said.

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“I know that there’s a lot of companies that are introducing tipping that I don’t fully agree with. Places like drive-thrus are getting tips which is a bit weird,” he added.

“There’s no service there. People take tipping a bit too far I think. if there’s a service involved and the service is good, I think a small tip is good.”

Even in restaurants and bars, tips are often shared among the staff.

Jayda Jesse is a local bouncer and says there are often misconceptions of how much people make off of tips.

Jesse said it’s unreasonable to expect people to tip, adding a lot of her co-workers also have part-time jobs to help make ends meet.

“You want to go out for the weekend, have fun with your friends? Use your tip money, not your paycheque. You want to go away for a weekend and have some spending money? You got to use your tip money,” Jesse said.

“For a lot of us, we try to budget excluding our tips because we never know if we’re going to have a certain amount or not at the end of the week.”

Tipping 10 to 15 per cent of a total bill has come to represent excellent service or preferential treatment.

Shawn DeGreeve, a business administration professor at Medicine Hat College, said businesses will occasionally use tips to ease the financial burden, but cautioned that there needs to be limits to the practice.

“I think there is a societal norm about tipping, and again, where do we draw that line? Who do you tip? Who do you not tip, and how much is appropriate?” DeGreeve said.

“We mentioned that if you go for a massage, you might tip that, and that’s a medical practice, so it can become an ehtical issue in some aspects.”

DeGreeve says that part of the issue is a business tactic known as anchoring, where the ease of paying electronically had made it more practical and accessible for patrons to pay a precalculated tip. Another common tactic has been to impose a gratuity for a larger group size.

“It’s interesting that if you buy in bulk or you bring more people in, that’s usually a good thing for an organization,” DeGreeve said.

“And then some restaurants will add on a tip if you have ten or more people. It leaves you thinking ‘I just brought in ten paying customers to you, now you want me to pay a premium on this’.”

A TikTok video has gone viral when one woman listed all the places she would not be tipping, including drive-thru’s and self service. The video has over three million views, with people weighing in on both sides of the conversation.

While tipping is ultimately a personal choice, DeGreeve expects the practice to continue and increase in price.

(Bob Schneider/CHAT News)