Tipping Isn't about Service – It's a Psychological Con Job
(thewalrus.ca)
If you’ve recently paid for a coffee at a java joint, you might have been prompted by a point-of-sale payment device to add a tip of 15 percent. Or you might have been asked for a more generous 18 percent. A pushing-it 20 percent. A borderline-offensive 25 percent. For a cup of coffee that runs you about $3, and which someone poured from a carafe, that can seem a big ask.
If you’ve recently paid for a coffee at a java joint, you might have been prompted by a point-of-sale payment device to add a tip of 15 percent. Or you might have been asked for a more generous 18 percent. A pushing-it 20 percent. A borderline-offensive 25 percent. For a cup of coffee that runs you about $3, and which someone poured from a carafe, that can seem a big ask.