A changing drinking culture is causing frustration in the US.
Customers object to paying extra in the grocery store or when buying a takeaway coffee.
– It’s really completely out of control, says New York resident Scott Schlenzig.
Tipping at the restaurant, the taxi driver, or at a hair salon has long been considered accepted and common in the United States. But in recent years, the drinking culture has changed more and more.
Today, it is not uncommon for Americans to be asked to leave tips at bakeries, coffee shops and in stores – in some cases after they have checked out and packed the goods themselves.
– You usually leave a tip at the restaurant and that is understandable. But everywhere you go now, they expect money. They have these machines over there, the drink machines. Even when you go and buy a coffee over here. It’s crazy, says Scott Schlenzig.
More generous during the pandemic
In the USA, two main reasons are mentioned for the changed drinking system. American consumers are said to have become more generous during the pandemic and started paying tips in new situations, such as when ordering takeout.
Experts also point out that digital checkout systems have made it easier to encourage customers to leave a few extra dollars.
Among consumers, frustration has grown after prices have already soared as a result of inflation. The suggested tip amounts have also become higher.
– They have these gadgets that automatically suggest how much tip you should pay. It’s not even 20 percent anymore, it’s 18, 25 and 30 percent instead, says Jana Botic from New York.
The drinking culture in the US is often what causes employees in the service industry to reach the same minimum wage as other occupational groups.
The restaurant owner critical
Susannah Koteen, who runs several restaurants in Harlem, New York, says the system often results in her wait staff earning more than the minimum wage.
– I can pay employees ten dollars an hour as long as they get at least five dollars an hour in tips. In fact, they end up earning more than that, she says.
She is therefore critical of an increasingly vocal debate in several American states that employees in the service industry should have the same minimum wage as others.
– If we were to abandon the tipping system but still pay higher wages, we would have no choice but to raise prices. So I think it’s the wait staff that would suffer for that, says Susannah Koteen.