Tipping has crept into everyday transactions well beyond restaurants, and many people now tip on autopilot. Should tipping be scrapped and folded into listed prices instead?
The debate isn't new, but "tipping fatigue" has become a genuine cultural flashpoint as tip prompts spread to takeout counters, self-checkout and services that never used to ask.
What happened
Tip prompts have spread well beyond their traditional home in sit-down restaurants, showing up at coffee counters, takeout windows and self-checkout screens, prompting widespread complaints about decision fatigue and social pressure.
Why people disagree
Supporters of abolishing tipping argue it would give workers predictable pay and customers predictable prices, removing the awkwardness and guesswork. Defenders of the status quo argue tipping rewards good service directly and that folding it into prices usually just means higher menu prices without workers actually earning more.
What's still unclear
Whether any large-scale shift away from tipping would actually raise base wages to compensate, or whether businesses would simply pocket the difference.
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