iPad Tipping Etiquette

I consider myself a generous tipper when I go out to eat, but something about this new trend of iPad tipping bothers me.

I was in Rhode Island over the weekend, when I stopped to grab a quick muffin. The person behind the counter was pleasant enough, used a sheet of wax paper to grab my chocolate chip muffin, threw it in a paper bag, and totaled me up. The muffin came to $4.82.

Then, an awkward moment of decision.

She spun around the iPad for me to sign with my finger, and I was face-to-face with what is positioned to be "convenient" tipping options. Let's call it what it is: a shakedown.

I mean, are we at a place in society where we ACTUALLY need to tip someone for literally tossing a muffin in a bag and handing it to me? Really? There wasn't even any coffee involved for them to put cream and sugar in and mix up for me.

I mean, sure, an option would be to look this young woman right in the eye and tap "no tip," but that just seemed a little too savage for my Saturday afternoon treat.

I talked about this today on the show, and we had multiple waitresses call in and say that they hit "no tip" all the time. They BOTH said they have a fundamental problem with tipping people who don't offer true restaurant service, because it waters down what a waitress does. More importantly, without tips, waitresses get paid a fraction of what people who work behind a counter make.

What is your take on this? Do you feel pressured into leaving a tip when a worker is staring at the button you are pushing on an iPad?

Filed Under: ipad, service, tips

Categories: Articles, Money