Tipping: Why Do We Care So Much?

Graphic by Louden Johns

If there’s one screen that boomers and gen-z are uniting against, it’s tip screens. Critics claim that credit card tips are evidence that tipping culture is out of hand with some going as far as saying digital tip screens are a form of “guilt tripping” but…is it really that deep? 

As we enter a digital era, it’s only logical that our methods of payment and tipping should follow. With that being said, with the way some people talk about tip screens and the cashiers showing them, you’d think they were talking about my toxic middle school boyfriend.

So why do people care so much about an optional tip screen? The short answer is that people really don’t like feeling confronted by the fact that other people are willing to tip employees when they are not.

Here’s the thing, most baristas, cashiers, and other employees are not going to spit in your food or burn you at the stake if you don’t tip. The tip screen is there for people who want to show a little extra appreciation but don’t have cash (or just dont have small bills). 

Take the coffee shop I work at. Before we implemented a digital tip screen, we’d often get customers who faced that dilemma. Also, according to a Pew Research survey, about 40% of Americans don’t use cash on a weekly basis, this isn’t an anomaly. 

But when people make a huge deal about not tipping and how unnecessary tip screens are it sends one message: they don’t think that the employees in question are worth a few extra seconds. 

After a few months of working at my job they added a digital tip screen. Our tips have increased and while I do get the occasional eye roll or glare, I also have customers who are happy they are able to tip with a card.

The bottom line is if you want to tip, go ahead. If you hate tipping, don’t. But complaining about an optional tip is literally the worst way you can go about it, in my opinion. So, enjoy your coffee in peace instead of posting a Tiktok or Facebook post raging over a tip.