Chatted with a guy at the bus stop who changed my whole view on tipping

I was waiting for the 42 bus downtown last Tuesday and this older man just starts talking about his time as a waiter in the 70s. He said back then tips were 10 percent easy and people felt good about it. Now he says some places expect 25 percent for handing you a coffee and it blew my mind how much that number jumped. He told me servers today actually make less base pay than he did when you adjust for inflation. Has anyone else noticed how the suggested tip amounts on those screens just keep creeping up?

3 comments

3 Comments

davis.noah1mo ago

Does that mean the screen tip suggestions are just quietly training us to pay more?

lindag331mo ago

Absolutely, it's just quiet training to get us to spend MORE.

jade_jenkins1mo ago

My rule of thumb is to just tip what feels right based on the actual service, not what a screen suggests. @davis.noah is spot on that those presets are designed to make you second-guess yourself and hit a higher number. A little cash in the jar at a coffee shop goes a long way without the pressure of that awkward screen.