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Comment by extr | Hacker News Reader

For me it's been a slow boil with the PoS terminals asking for aggressive tips on small $ transactions. Recently I decided

- Tip generously for in-person seated dining where I'm waited on (20-30%)

- Tip generously for bartenders (say, $20 cash up front if I'm going to be there for awhile/ordering multiple rounds)

- Zero tipping anywhere else.

No, I am not tipping 20% for an ice cream cone. I used to tip $1 for coffee, but I'm not going to go through the trouble of overriding the built in 15/20/25% suggested amounts on the screen, I'm just going to press "No Tip".

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> overriding the built in 15/20/25% suggested amounts on the screen

That's the most ridiculous bit. I try doing "custom tip" and it is cumbersome, not to mention stressful because the server is the one holding the device for me... waiting and glaring (I don't blame the servers of course.)

I do blame the servers in a way, they are the ones demanding the requesting of tips on more, and more things. That's how the tipflation began and that is how it is growing. Now it has been said some hotels are asking you to tip when checking in. Consumers hate the pressure and so I don't think it's the businesses that are pushing the increase in tipping.

Servers and cashiers have had no input whatsoever into decisions to add tipping prompts to PoS terminals.

Even assuming that's true, why do you think that started to happen?

Do you think that servers just suddenly got greedier?

Or is it possible that the reason they're asking for more tips is because the tips they're getting aren't going as far, due to various systemic issues like inflation?

With the switch away from cash, it looked like some workers were losing tips at PoS terminals. So they added aggressive tip suggestions. Employees now have to pay taxes on their non-cash tips, and now employers realize they can pay their workers even less, to boot.

I don’t think they are. I think it’s the owners that are trying to buy good favor while still paying less. “I tried to pay you more! Look at the 30% button I had them add!”

Why is ice cream not deserving but coffee is? Coffee isn’t carried out to the table.

For that matter, why are bartenders tipped? They can turn around a drink in seconds. That being said, I also tip bartenders

Bartenders are special, they've always been traditionally tipped and also they also manage an informal queue. In cases where I'm tipping $20 (or more) up front it's because it's busy and it's literally a bribe to put me at the front of the queue. Tip-as-a-bribe is socially useful to me and any job where I can effectively bribe for better service, I will.

Coffee is marginal. The places in walking distance to my house get a tip because I have a personal interest in them remaining open (if they go out of business perhaps I have to walk further for coffee). Ice cream shop, I unfortunately just care less if they go out of business.

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