It was a snowy day in Manhattan, and the standard 25 minute trip to JFK took over an hour.

When we finally arrived, I quickly scanned my credit card and rushed for the bags.

“$4.00 tip? You serious? On a $55 dollar cab ride in the snow!”

Tipping is not about the money, but what the money represents and what the consumer expects from the service.

After our quarrel I felt guilty. $4.00 was a little lower than what one would expect to tip given the circumstances.

… and that’s the point. Tips are expected.

The fact I felt guilty stems from my belief that I underpaid what I owed, when in fact, I owed nothing at all.

Tip (to insure prompt service), is meant to do just that. This cab driver was by no means out of the ordinary (in fact, when you stop and think about it, is there really a way a cab driver can be extra ordinary?) He talked loudly on the phone, which, in a normal circumstance would be forgivable had it not been for the absurd fact that he was wearing a microphone which augmented his voice over ours.

But measuring his actual service has become almost irrelevant. What happens to a system whose purpose is to ensure prompt service when the people who work in it have grown to expect a tip?

It de incentivizes the person providing the service to care about the quality which they are providing.

… which is the whole point of a tip in the first place!

Tips have become annoying expected.
Hair stylists, taxis, night club hosts and bellmen are among the few who work on tips.

It’s become so socially accepted that employers now get to freeroll off the consumer. Waiters are paid lower salaries because much of their income is derived from tips.

Is it really the responsibility of the consumer to employ the person serving us food?

My personal favorite is when restaurants add an automatic 18% gratuity to parties of 6 or more. Should we really be taxed for bringing our friends to dinner… and have no recourse to vote with our dollars as to the quality of service?

Just to be clear I’m not against tips. But when we tip everyone for everything the act loses credibility and stops serving its purpose.

The most ridiculous part of this whole thing?
… that it takes something like this to happen for us to question the system that we blindly allowing to continue.

– Me