Should you Tip for takeout?

A job is a job, right?  However, every job's benefits, tasks list and more are all so different.  So what constitutes incentives on a job?  In most cases, it’s the service or the work ethic behind which tasks are executed.  In corporate America, you may get a certificate or a free cup of coffee.  In education, you may get a pat on the back or an apple for your reward.  In industrial work, you may get a free box lunch or to pull a snack from the break room leftover box.  You get the point.  True rewards and monetary ones specifically are limited.  Bonuses are few and far between.  Wage increases are rare.  Therefore, some jobs, especially in the food and beverage industry, almost require a tip, even if it’s for take-out.  But there is a discrepancy here, why don’t all jobs get tips.  A job is a job.  Why is it the workforce’s problem to compensate the workforce’s labor? Why are we not taxing companies with this responsibility? 

I’ve gone into juice bars, coffee shops, ordered takeout and more from places of business that are seeking a tip before they ever even hand me my goods.  Baristas have intensely watched me fill out my receipt or edged their tip jars a little closer to me in order to force the notion.  Each time, I feel pressured to leave a tip.  Actually, I almost always leave a tip.  However, when I go to more traditional fast-food restaurants such as McDonalds, Taco Bell and more, no one’s edging their tip jar towards me for the cup of Joe I've just ordered.  I’ve found it to be an interesting concept, so I took it to social media to give some insight on how other people felt about this issue.  When asked if one should tip for takeout, the majority said, no.  This audience included votes on Twitter and Facebook.  

A few year’s ago CNBC’s digital team took a poll where the answer was also majority no.  They even talked to an expert on the matter. 

"I do not tip for takeout at restaurants even though the workers want tips and many other people do tip them," said Michael Lynn, a professor of food and beverage management at Cornell University who's done research into tipping, via email. "Why don't I tip them? Because the service they provide (bagging food and handing it to me) is minimal and standardized. I don't think they deserve a tip."

The issue made me want to delve into a discussion on the matter.  When is the appropriate time to tip?  What do you do when someone is coercing you into leaving a couple of dollars?  What’s a couple of dollars in addition to your already average-costing meal of $12.17?  P.S. that is more than what some people make in an hour.  

In my own opinion, ordering takeout patterns a meet-you-halfway methodology.  The consumer made the call using their cellular data.  The consumer drove there to get the goods.  The consumer paid for the food and services through a set price.  That price set by a company includes an array of budgetary items.  The laborer took the order.  The laborer gathered the order.  The laborer rang the consumer up.  If it is sure to cause to leave a tip in the food and beverage industry, why not leave one for your mailman too?  As a former mail clerk while in college, I can tell you that they do in fact sort mail individually, transport the mail and deliver it specifically to your house.  As do many other jobs entail above and beyond service.  So again, why are we responsible for certain places employment's compensation to their workforce?

There are people like teachers, firemen and more who work their souls with no reward.  I’m not telling you not to tip for takeout.  My aunt always says bless somebody else.  I agree if you have it.  It should not be mandated or innately forced.  I almost always tip.  

If you happen to be on the service side of this issue, this is not to antagonize you.  It is to make you aware that earnest people come into your establishment, perhaps with just enough money to get food.  Perhaps they don’t have anything extra to give.  I encourage you all to examine both sides and make the best decision.  Moreover, there are more components to the rewards culture that we should all be conscious of as more and more industries are starting to solicit tips: hair stylist, nail techs and more.  There are still quite a few who don’t get tips: mechanics, receptionists, janitors, police officers, nurses, marketers, bankers, grocery store clerks and more to name a few. What does their reward look like?  But a job is a job, right?  Think about it. 

See more from my inquiry on Facebook here.