“Tipping is out of control,” say 30 percent of respondents to a recent poll posted in Bankrate, and two-thirds have a “negative view of tipping.” My question is “What universe is the other one-third living in?”
When I first started traveling with my parents—and I’m now an old geezer—the only people my father tipped were restaurant wait staff and taxi drivers, and his standard tip of 10 percent was expected and welcome. The other near-mandatory tip was 50 cents or a dollar to the airport “skycap” who handed you your checked bag off a cart (yes, baggage delivery conveyors came along much later). We didn’t take any cruises, but cruisers were expected to tip—and they were (and are) even told how much by the cruise line. Ah, for those days. Now, apparently the standard restaurant tip is 20 percent, and some sources suggest you’re supposed to tip hotel housekeepers, staff at take-out counters, coffee baristas, barbers and hairdressers, delivery drivers, home service workers, tour guides, wine stewards, and many others; I’ve seen some speculation recently that airlines would like to move flight attendants into a “tip income” labor category….