BY DAVE PRICE
Daily Post Editor
I don’t mind tipping for service, having worked once as a bartender in what is now called the “hospitality industry.” I understand the concept of tipping.
If you provide great customer service, you get bigger tips.
But my generosity flags when a restaurant puts an iPad in front of me and asks me to designate a tip. I guess the thinking is that if you’re using a credit or debit card, it’s easier to get the money out of you than if you have to dig into your wallet and give them cash.
If the service is great, I’m happy to tip 20% or more. But when a cashier puts an item in a bag and hands it to me, that’s not worth a tip.
Tipping has expanded to everywhere.
I saw one of these iPads at a booth in a farmer’s market. A car-repair place I use added an iPad for tips. Some restaurants ask for tips on to-go orders that the customer picks up. And coffee shops are asking for tips on items as inexpensive as a $4 cup of coffee.
I picked up the check at a restaurant that had a 20% gratuity as one of the line items. Then, at the bottom, they had a place to add a tip. In other words, a second tip. How irritating. I wondered how many people didn’t look over their bill, and automatically added a tip at the bottom.
I wish we could go back to a time when there were no payment kiosks, no iPads, and no attempt to guilt customers into bigger tips. If you want a bigger tip, earn it.
As for me, the only tip I want is a news tip.