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— Jeanine

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I stumbled upon a Bankrate survey late last week that found 63% of Americans have at least one negative view on tipping, and, honestly, my very first thought was: Same.

I say that with some trepidation, given I spent close to 10 years in the service industry, first as a waitress, then as a manager of several chain restaurants, and so understand the importance — or, more accurately, the necessity — of tipping U.S. service workers.

Federal law only requires employers to pay $2.13 per hour in direct wages to a tipped employee if that amount plus tips equals or exceeds the federal minimum wage — which, I mean, come on, is a whopping $7.25 a hour. So, yeah, a tipped employee isn't making any money unless you pay them for their service.

Those facts, however, don’t stop me from agreeing with the increasing number of Bankrate survey respondents who believe:

Honestly, nothing makes me feel like the biggest jerk in line more than selecting “No” on a screen prompting me to tip a barista, who is, you know, RIGHT THERE, but also probably is making more than $2.13 an hour. This is why I almost always say “yes” and end up tacking on at least $1 to my already very expensive cup of coffee.

That’s not a problem — or at least it’s a first-world one — particularly in isolation. But when your money gets tight, and tipping prompts are literally everywhere (and could, you know, start showing up anywhere), it’s easy to resent the request to subsidize a business’ workforce.

Tipping came over to the U.S. from Europe in the 1800s and became increasingly prevalent — and problematic — after the Civil War, when employers began hiring formerly enslaved people and immigrants for low-paying jobs and encouraging patrons to supplement their wages.

Over time, federal and state laws tempered this practice, although it became embedded in the restaurant industry, which remains subject to different minimum wage laws than other industries.

Americans had largely gotten used to this status quo — which, it’s worth noting, no longer really exists in Europe — but something changed during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“At that time, we began to tip people we had never tipped before,” says Suzy Lins, The Manners Maven and certified etiquette trainer through the Southern California School of Etiquette and Protocol. “Because of this, what to do post-pandemic can be confusing about who we should tip and how much. The term ‘tip fatigue’ has been used recently due to customers feeling pressured to tip everywhere they go.”

Exacerbating the issue is the rise of the gig economy, where tips are a significant part of worker pay.

But while tipping feels different these days, have the rules actually changed? I consulted Lins and a few etiquette experts to mitigate my own tip fatigue and associated moral quandaries. Here’s what I learned:

That means the list of people you’ve grown accustomed to tipping hasn’t expanded or contracted all that much.

“In general, we always tip in full-service restaurants, at salons, and for personal services, like massages and drivers,” says Nick Leighton, etiquette expert and co-host of Were You Raised By Wolves? “It's also customary to tip food delivery people, hotel bellhops, housekeepers, and in taxis/shares.”

Still, a 10% tip is likely to raise some eyebrows.

“The accepted range for tipping is 15% to 20%, with 20% being pretty standard in most urban areas,” says Leighton. “You might see electronic screens nudging you to 25%, 30%, or even higher, but that's just an upsell tactic.”

Employers typically pay these workers a standard hourly wage; however, consider offering a small gratuity for particularly good or consistent service.

“There's a local sandwich shop I frequent, and when I walk in, they greet me by my name,” Lins says. “Because of their friendliness as well as their delicious sandwiches, I always drop a dollar in the tip jar on the counter.”

It has become increasingly common for establishments to add 18% to 20% gratuities automatically.

“In that case, you don't have to add more unless you are particularly impressed with your worker or just feel like making someone's day,” says August Abbott, certified etiquette expert at JustAnswer.

"Considering that many gratuities are being auto-added, it's gauche," Abbott says. "It's not done in polite society to ask for it back."

Plus, remember, tips are how these workers make money — and it's not always their fault if service is subpar. Even if it is, we all have bad workdays from time to time.

"If you receive bad service, it's most beneficial to leave a lower tip," says Diane Gottsman, national etiquette expert at The Protocol School of Texas. "Leave 10% and talk to the general manager."

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Just days after my "Buy Now, Pay Later" magnum opus, major credit scorer FICO announced two new scores that'll account for BNPL data starting this Fall.

That means your history of paying later for (or not paying later for) your DoorDash orders could affect your creditworthiness. I'm saying "could" because there are tons of credit scores on the market, and there's no guarantee a particular lender, insurer, landlord, etc., will use one of FICO's new BNPL specialties, especially in the short term.

Still, all signs point to this financing method ultimately allowing you to build or bang up your credit. That's a good thing since people should be rewarded for paying back loans as agreed. The credit consequences of taking out too many BNPL loans, missing payments, defaulting, etc., could also dissuade someone from borrowing for something they truly can't afford.

It doesn't solve all the issues associated with the BNPL boom, though. These loans, IMHO, are still way too readily available (see almost any retailer checkout page these days) — and nothing says "recession indicator" quite like borrowing for groceries. For now, though, keep in mind that every burrito counts.

I don't know; maybe it's just me, but doesn't it seem like soap is having a moment?

🧼 $2.63

the price per bar for a three-pack of four-ounce Dial antibacterial soap sold through Amazon, for reference, of course.

🌙 $8

for a bar of limited edition Nightfall Nectar by Dr. Squatch, creator of the infamous (and sold-out) Sydney Sweeney bathwater bricks.

🌹 $30

for a single 100-gram bar of Red Rose soap from Jo Malone London, a British lifestyle brand known chiefly for its uber-expensive candles.

🏔 $79

for a bespoke 11.6-ounce circular soap (and matching soap dish) from GOOP-partner Ume Studio, poured and cast by hand.

🐐 $85

for a set of six goat milk soaps from Beekman 1802, which you may recognize as the "real-life" Rose Apothecary inspired by Schitt's Creek.

⛏ $110

for a single 100-gram bar of Synactif face soap from Clé de Peau Beauté, designed by master artisans with innovative soap technology to “achieve the perfect form."

Nowadays, most financial takes are boilerplate. These aren't.

And, finally, today, in things I would buy if I could, you know, just buy things …

In a return to the traditional thirst trap, I present to you Swarovski’s Galaxy Necklace, featuring 156.62 carats of lab-grown diamonds interlaced with 18K white gold. Priced at $250,000.

And yet, I’d be enchanted to meet you.

Got questions, comments, receipts, tips, thirst traps, etc. you’d like to share? Send them to [email protected].

_{This article is for educational purposes only. We don’t recommend or advise individuals to buy, not buy, sell, or not sell particular investments or other assets, as everyone’s circumstances are different. Also, it’s your money and ultimately up to you to decide the best use for it.}