TIPPING IN AMERICA HAS GONE TOO FAR — AND PEOPLE ARE FINALLY PUSHING BACK

Tipping in America used to feel simple. You sat down at a restaurant, somebody gave you good service, and you left a tip. Now people are being asked to tip at coffee counters, drive-thrus, takeout spots, self-service kiosks, hotel rooms, and places where they barely received any service at all. And the frustration gets even worse when delivery fees, automatic gratuities, and tip prompts all start showing up on the same bill. But there is another side to this. Some workers genuinely depend on tips to make their paycheck work. One server in this video explains how tipped wages and tip-outs can make a zero-tip table hurt financially. And then there is the customer side. One woman pays more than $26 for Five Guys and still gets a tip prompt. Another says checkout workers compliment customers right before the tip screen appears. A hotel guest pays a delivery fee and then gets asked for another tip on top. There is even a counterpoint from an Australian visitor who came to America refusing to tip — and then completely changed his mind because he thought the service was better. In this episode of Everyday Perspective, host Kayla looks at why both customers and workers are frustrated, why tipping feels less optional than it used to, and why the system itself may be creating more anger than generosity. Pew Research has found that most Americans believe tipping is expected in more places than it used to be. And a 2025 Bankrate survey found that pre-entered tip screens annoy a large share of customers — with some saying those screens actually make them tip less. So the question is no longer simply: Should people tip? The bigger question is: Why has tipping become so confusing in the first place? Tell me where you draw the line. Timestamps 0:00 Why tipping feels different now 0:17 Tipping culture has gone too far 1:23 The data behind tip creep 1:45 $26 at Five Guys — then a tip prompt 2:40 Checkout compliments and tip pressure 4:01 Why some servers depend on tips 5:03 The $2.13 tipped wage explained 5:25 An Australian changes his mind about tipping 6:30 Hotel delivery fee + another tip 8:24 Why fee stacking makes people angry 8:50 Mandatory 20% gratuity in New York 10:28 “Stop calling that a tip” 10:48 A $415 dinner and a $60 suggested tip 11:59 Why suggested tipping feels mandatory 12:19 Americans are pushing back 13:42 Tip screens may be backfiring 14:04 Kayla’s final takeaway