Etiquette knowledgeable reveals the 5 occasions you by no means should tip

Etiquette experts have revealed the five cases that you should never tip, as consumers continue to express their frustration over digital check-out screens.

According to a recent survey by Bankrate, about six in ten adults see tipping in a negative light, and 35 percent say things have ‘gotten out of control’. 

Just 67 percent of respondents in the survey said that they always tip in sit-down restaurant, a drop of eight percent in three years. 

Speaking with NBC, etiquette experts have broken down when is the right time to tip and when it is not appropriate so you don’t fall victim to being guilt-tripped.

According to the three experts who spoke to the outlet, these include cases like if a repair person comes by, when service is poor and when buying at a counter. 

Experts say there are five interactions in particular that do not require a customer to tip, even if they feel pressured to by swiveling tablets

Thomas Farley, an etiquette expert and keynote speaker known as Mister Manners, contests that you do not have to tip workers that are salaried. 

According to Farley, such a practice can even be considered inappropriate at certain times.

‘Not only would it not be expected, it would be highly unorthodox and very awkward,’ Farley told the outlet. 

‘You could be seen as attempting to curry some sort of favor or that it might be some sort of a bribe.’ 

Farley also said anytime you buy at a counter, it is not a requirement to tip as far as etiquette is concerned.

Consumers have expressed their frustration over how much the tablets at restaurants are asking for, with one TikTok user claiming a tablet asked her for an almost 50% tip for a coffee.

‘When they turn that device around, it’s this glaring thing, and, but you don’t have to,’ Elaine Swann, a lifestyle and etiquette expert, told CNBC.

Swan is not saying you should avoid tipping service-industry workers such as baristas but that gratuity should be given at the discretion of the customer. 

American customers have expressed their frustration over how much the tablets at restaurants are asking for, with one TikTok user (pictured) claiming a tablet asked her for an almost 50% tip for a coffee

Swann adds that events at open bars do not require you to tip. Oftentimes, the bar staff may put out a tip jar, but there is no obligation to tip.

‘Keep in mind that the host of that event has likely already taken care of the tip,’ said Swann. ‘That tip would be included in what they’ve had to pay for the venue or to the bartending service.’ 

While tipping isn’t necessary in this instance but very much appreciated, Farley adds that tipping may help you get better service throughout the night.

‘If there is a busy bar, and there are multiple people to take orders from, the fact that you acknowledged them may get you a heavier pour’, he added.

Another instance in which experts say you don’t need to tip is when it seems like double-tipping or fees are built in.

Swann said she recently heard from a woman who tipped a nail technician after a manicure, and then was asked to tip again when paying at the counter. 

In some instances, tipping can be inappropriate, such as giving salaried workers extra cash, said experts

In this case, Swann said it is appropriate to ask the server who the included fee goes to.

While the service charge might cover the house, Farley, who recently tipped an extra 20% on top of a 20% service fee in Denver, recommends leaving an additional gratuity for your server. 

‘From an etiquette standpoint, we still tip the servers who are bringing us our food,’ he says. ‘But I did leave that restaurant feeling like this was not a tenable situation.’

And lastly, and this goes without saying, if the service is bad, Swann said you are not obligated to tip.

If the issue is with the server themselves, Swann said it is appropriate to reduce their tip amount, but only if you bring it up to management as well. 

It comes after a report last year that detailed how tipping screens are to blame for what is being branded ‘tipflation’. 

An exclusive poll by DailyMail.com revealed how 38 percent of the 2,000 shoppers surveyed said they disliked digital check-outs and one in five felt the machines had caused them to accidentally tip too much.

Such systems boomed in popularity during the pandemic when retailers stopped accepting cash due to fears notes could spread Covid-19 germs.  

Across the board, consumers seemed most frustrated by prompts to tip at self-checkout kiosks – a phenomenon which has been criticized widely on social media.