The practice of tipping is very prominent in the United States. According to the Pew Research Center, seven out of ten adults say that more places now expect tipping than five years ago. Although tipping may have been useful for small businesses to rely on during times like COVID-19 pandemic, it is now an unnecessary custom.
Contrary to popular beliefs, the practice of tipping could actually hurt employees. Restaurants could pay their waiters less due to tipping, which could be upsetting if this unreliable source of income was cut off from them on a bad day. It also puts the responsibility of deciding whether the employee gets a livable wage on the customer, thus pressuring customers to tip more than they would like to. People should not have a moral dilemma forced upon them every time they purchase something.
Tipping should not decide how much people get paid; it should be reserved for showing appreciation when services are done superbly. Therefore, we should raise the minimum wage in the United States to a livable wage and stop pressuring customers to tip. The Federal Government has a minimum wage of $7.25 an hour. However, the minimum wage could be decreased further to a 2.13 dollars base salary if tipping covers the minimum wage. This allows business owners to cut off costs at the expense of their employees. Increasing the federally mandated minimum wage would ensure that servers get the rewards they deserve from tipping and allow customers to decide whether they really want to tip or not.
Furthermore, Tipping is a way for people to show their appreciation for service, so it makes no sense to tip if you are ordering takeout or just buying food to go. However, when someone goes to a place like a coffee shop and orders a cup of coffee to go, they are still expected by social norms to tip. There is no reason for someone to tip if they are only there to buy the food without expecting to be waited on.
Businesses also often pressure customers to tip more with tablets showing predetermined tips for customers. Although customers can use the no-tip option or customized tips, the customers may feel pressured into tipping more. Some businesses even put 20 percent as their lowest predetermined tips, which is absolutely preposterous.
Tipping should not be a necessity because customers should not be socially pressured to pay an optional fee that is essentially the lifeline of waiters and waitresses. It is awkward and it transfers the responsibility of paying a livable wage from the employers to the customer.