Guilt tipping: What is it? Are you doing it?

DAYTON — Most people leave a tip for their server when they go out to eat. But these days tips are being collected for just about everything and some people feel guilty if they don’t fork over any extra money.

News Center 7′s Gabrielle Enright investigates where that cash is going.

Ashley Powell is a long-time server and bartender. “I think tipping is great,”

Se makes most of her income in tips, but said she has expectations when she gives a gratuity.

“If you’re going to McDonalds or to pick up a sandwich. If they’re delivering, yeah, great, but I don’t know if I want to tip if you’re just making it in front of me,” Powell said.

“Uber drivers are getting way aggressive with asking for tips,” said one person on Tik Tok. People across the country have taken to social media to talk about tipping.

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Another person on Tik Tok said, “Is it just me or has the tipping culture gotten way out of control.”

Many said when they paid for their service or purchase, they were confronted with a digital screen asking for a tip.

Many felt guilted into giving workers extra money.

“I just went and ordered at Subway and picked it up myself and they asked you if you want to leave a tip two different times. So, you look like a jerk if you say no,” said one person on Tik Tok.

According to Nerd Wallet, on average most people tip 15 to 20 percent of their total bill for servers. Give a dollar or two per drink to bartenders. A buck or two is a normal tip for someone who prepares food or coffee, while 15 percent is standard for delivery drivers.

Nerd Wallet said a 20 percent tip is average for beauticians and cosmetologists.

New data from Square found tipping for full service, such as eating out at a restaurant went up 16 percent between 2021 and 2022. And tipping for quick service went up almost 16 percent.

Tip jars are popping up everywhere.

News Center 7 asked our Consumer Advisor Clark Howard why people feel pressured into tipping extra.

“Every restaurant, service business, you name it is having trouble attracting new employees. So, they all want to have a method of trying to get tips that will keep employees.”

“I’m all about tipping if you deliver my food or wait on me,” Powell said. But said she is leery of giving digital tip dollars.

“I really want to know where the money goes and that would give me more of an idea of what I wanted to do,” Powell said.

Howard said, “We can never be guaranteed that those tips you’re adding to the register are actually going to employees,”

He said there’s only one way to make sure your tips go to the right place. “If there’s someone who serves me and I want to give them a tip, I give them cash, then I know they’ve got that cash and it’s going to them,” Howard said.

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