How Would Montanans Feel About This Way of Forced Tipping?

Tipping is a topic that fascinates me. According to Wikipedia, tipping or a "gratuity" has been around since around 1600 and it doesn't look like it is going away any time soon. Tipping actually looks like it is even more popular than ever these days. It looks like you can't go anywhere without being expected to tip. Sit-down restaurants, fast-food restaurants, coffee kiosks, all have tip jars. If you order for take out, there is the expectation of a tip.

I Continue to Think Tipping Should Go Away in Montana

To me, tipping should go away, I have said this many times and no one has been able to convince me that tipping is a good idea. It shouldn't be up to me how much a person get's paid, unless that person is a street performer. I also shouldn't have the power to withhold how much a person gets paid for whatever random reason I determine.

Majority of People Don't Like Tipping

A recent survey from Bankrate found that 66% of Americans have a negative view of tipping, so it looks like I am in the majority on this one. It also shows that adults are tipping less for different services. Hairstylists and barbers have seen the greatest decline in tipping. According to the report "Gen Z", Millennials, and men are the worst tippers. The big tippers are older generations and women.

Certain Restaurants in Montana are Forcing Tips

There are restaurants now that are finding ways to force people to tip. There was a restaurant I went to in Bozeman, Montana that had a 20% gratuity already built into the bill, regardless of how you paid. I went to another restaurant recently in Tri-Cities, Washington that had a forced tip. It was 5%, but they called it a "Cost of Living Surcharge". This was a situation again, that it didn't matter how you paid, or how big your party was, you were automatically charged more. All of the reasons why they are doing it make sense too.

Will We Ever See Tipping Go Away in Montana?

With more restaurants finding ways to force people to pay more, can we just finally get rid of tipping once and for all and pay workers more? Or are we going to continue to charge people more and call it something different every time? For the record, I tip. Just because I think tipping should go away, doesn't mean that I won't continue to tip. I am looking forward to the day that I get a receipt and there is only one line on it that just reads "total".