Is “Tipping Culture” Getting Out of Hand? The Internet Calls Out Service-Worker Entitlement and “Tipflation”

I’ve always been a good tipper—I know being a restaurant server is something I’d be horrible at.  I have nothing but respect for the folks who hustle on their feet all day serving hangry, sometimes wonderful, and often rude customers. I also know that tips are a huge part of their income and that their hourly wages are low because tips are expected. So, when I eat out, I am a great tipper.

When I order grocery delivery, I am also a great tipper. If I am paying someone to do something I could do myself because of convenience, I think they deserve a great tip. Another place I tip well? The hair salon or barber. That’s another tough job where the professionals often have to pay booth rent and definitely have to pay for their own tools, and I think a good tip for a good job is warranted. But for some services, I’m kind of shocked to be asked if I want to tip or not.

For instance, I’m happy to tip a barista if I’ve got a complicated order (or a big one), but if I’m getting a $2 run-of-the-mill iced coffee, I don’t tip. It’s this expected tipping on a small, $2 order that got one TikToker up in arms about what she calls “tipping culture,” and that has inspired a great, viral debate. Is tipping culture out of hand? Are some service workers entitled? TikToker @Poorandhungry, who has 236,000 followers, has a recent viral video with 1.5 million views that has people asking those questions. The content creator says she recently got attitude from an ice cream shop employee for not tipping for a $2 cone. There was no ice cream or scooping involved in her order, she explains. She just wanted a “fresh, warm waffle cone.” She got it alright, but she also got the side-eye and some huffiness for not adding a tip on the “tip screen.”

@poorandhungry Those tip screens are OUT OF CONTROL #tip #tipping #cringe #customerservice ♬ original sound – $yd

These tip screens seem to be the source of TikTok’s ire about tipping culture. And I have to admit, I’ve been faced with one a time or two where I’ve thought, “REALLY?” TikTok is full of videos criticizing tipping screens, so I guess I’m not alone in that. But for the most part, I DO think most tipping screens are warranted. Yet, I have no qualms about hitting “no tip” when I think they’re not.

Tipping Culture in America

Many TikTokers chimed in on @poorandhungry’s video agreeing with her.

“There was a tipping screen at one of those frozen yogurt places where you get everything yourself,” one said. “I did all the work! Tip for what?” Another lamented that they’d had the tip screen show up in the checkout lane at the pet store. Still a third made her own video talking about how she’d gotten a tip screen in the self checkout at an airport snack shop. That one made me LOL! Definitely not tipping for self-service!

Others flooded the comments with stories of their own, bonding over what many TikTokers are calling “tipflation.” Tipflation, also known as tip creep, is a term to describe the recent widespread expansion of gratuity to more industries, as opposed to being traditionally only prevalent in full-service restaurants.

My feeling is that tipping culture is not really at all out of hand, and that most service workers deserve a tip. I think perhaps the more likely truth is that checkout services that use tip screens are out of hand. That is to say, not every business that uses checkout software with a tip screen should. And when I don’t think it’s warranted, I’m going to keep hitting “No.”

Do you think “tipping culture” is a thing? Or is it just a new name for something that has always existed?