America’s Outrageous Tip Culture & What to Do About It
I went to this fancy barbershop recently.
This is one of those barbershops that serve you drinks while you’re getting a haircut.
I’m thinking that I am going to get VIP treatment.
There was this black guy named Chuck who introduced himself to me and said he would be taking care of me.
He was a chubby man with crooked teeth.
When I sat down, I told Chuck what I wanted.
7 on the side and half an inch off the top.
As soon as I said that, he said:
‘Is it okay if I cut the whole thing with scissors? Because… blah blah blah.’
He began giving me a technical reason for why he should scissor-cut everything.
I said, ‘sure.’
During my haircut, he was making a halfhearted effort.
He’d take frequent breaks and chit-chat with his coworkers.
He’d pull out his phone and text a ton.
There was one time that he was so distracted that he clipped my skin with the clipper.
This did not seem like top-quality treatment.
By the time he was done, I saw a sloppy haircut.
Oh well, I’ll just pay and wait till my hair grows back.
As I am getting checked out, the cashier says it will be 45 dollars.
I said:
‘45? I thought a haircut was 35 dollars.’
Then the cashier responded:
‘Well, you got a scissor cut. And those are 45 dollars.’
Wait, a scissor cut is more expensive??
If I knew that I wouldn’t have gotten that.
I just wanted my usual.
Plus, Chuck’s scissor-cut came out crooked.
I was going to give Chuck a tip despite the bad haircut.
But after he failed to notify me that a scissor cut was 10 dollars more expensive, I left him a 0-dollar tip.
What Led to the Toxic Tip Culture?
In 2007, there were 3 moments when it was encouraged to tip.
- Barbershops, fancy restaurants, and valet service.
Back then, tipping was rare.
Due to it being rare, a tip had to be earned.
The reason that America’s tip culture went out of control was predominantly for 1 reason:
- Information technology.
Nowadays, a company can add a 1-time checkout menu to allow the customer to tip.
Adding this menu will give the company 1000s of dollars’ worth of a new income stream.
From a business lens, I understand the idea of adding a tip menu.
Add all the tip menus you want.
Just make sure the service matches the desired tip.
If the service is sloppy, why would I give you more money?
What Tips and Ads Have in Common
What ads are for online businesses, tips are for offline businesses.
Netflix swore that they’d never put ads on their content.
They swore that the subscription model would take care of everything.
Fast forward to 2023 and ads are looking like a reality for Netflix.
When we get the bird’s eye view of a business, we see why they make the moves they do.
Offline business is risky.
They fail within the first few years.
That’s why many swear that they’d never add a tip button.
But then they are like Netflix, …
Economies force them to change.
The reason many add a tip button is due to wanting their business to survive.
Others add the tip button out of greed.
Greed or desire to survive… it doesn’t matter to me.
I’ll pay you extra if you do extra.
Otherwise, I’m ready to opt out.
Why Karens Became a Thing
A lot of people got entitled in the past few years.
They really began to think that money grows on trees.
After starting my business, I noticed something.
Running a business is very different than working a job.
When I worked a job, I was given a paycheck.
That paycheck would come in every week no matter what.
With a business, it’s entirely different.
I am creating money.
I’ll have a thought on a book to write, the book is written, it is marketed, then I collect money.
I see money being created out of the ether.
It’s like all of me is in that dollar bill.
When someone takes advantage of the money I gave them, it feels like they are taking advantage of me.
That’s why I lowkey like Karens.
They voice my inner thoughts when I feel like I am given awful service.
The comments make fun of these ladies for going ape-shit at poor customer service.
I see something different.
I see folks who may be throwing a tantrum because they feel like they are being expected to pay full amount for partial service.
Humans hate it when things are unfair.
These Karens are voicing the annoyances of the silent majority who believe customer service has gotten too bad.
When customers don’t tip, they are shamed.
When they tip, they are expected to.
The cold war is slowly coming.
Cold War
The Cold War is when people will either tip the full amount or nothing.
It’s going to be binary.
I felt so good leaving Chuck nothing for his half-assed effort.
Wouldn’t change a thing.
If I gave Chuck a 10-dollar tip for his shitty service, then I’d be angry with myself later.
I used to hate going to barbers for that reason.
They are distracted and I am expected to still pay them the full amount.
Afterwards, I think:
‘You idiot, why did you tip him for?’
That day I left Chuck nothing, it felt like therapy.
Maybe he will learn to respect his customers more.
I plan to do that more nowadays.
Rather than giving a slight tip just because…
I will give nothing or something.
Today, I got another haircut.
It came out to 25 bucks.
The barber was attentive, enthusiastic, and skilled.
I gave him a 10-dollar tip.
Chuck got nothing.
This competent barber got something.
Binary is the fix for the outrageous tipping culture.
It’s time to stop rewarding bad behavior.
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