America needs to stop turning every purchase into an uncomfortable tip request

I have no problem tipping.

I love tipping for a job well done.

It’s part of American culture.

However, I do have a problem being manipulated into it.

America didn't just create a tipping culture.

We’ve created a guilt culture coupled with technology.

Somewhere between the pandemic and the explosion of digital payment screens, saying "thank you" quietly became a financial obligation.

What used to be a reward for exceptional service has turned into an expectation for simply completing a transaction.

Is there anything more annoying than a takeout employee saying, "The computer just wants to ask you a question?" Guess what, it didn’t ask me how happy I was with the service but instead asked how much I wanted to leave for a tip.

Today, whether you're buying a latte, picking up takeout, ordering frozen yogurt or grabbing a sandwich, you're often confronted with the same three oversized buttons: 20%.

25%.

30%.

In one place, I saw four buttons of 18%, 20%, 22%, and 25%.

Notice what's missing? Fifteen percent.