According to nutritional economist Mike von Massow, tipping is now an issue established social norm in Canada, particularly at payment machines.

Payment terminals have made it easy for businesses to offer a tipping option, even in industries where tipping was not part of their business practices.

Even more so is the location worryingAccording to von Massow, data from Canadian trade associations has revealed that the average tipping percentage for restaurants has increased since the pandemic began in 2020.

Mr von Massow, who is also a professor at the University of Guelph, said Canadians expect spikes to get out of hand.

I drove to my neighborhood brewery the other day to pick up a few bottles. And when it came time to pay, I had to tipargued Herr von Massow.

For Herr von Massow it is a double whammy for consumers, because more and more companies that ask for tips also increase the prices of their products.

You know, I started wondering if I’m giving a great class, I had to put a glass at the entrance of the room. And maybe in the end while they [les étudiants] come out, maybe they’ll deposit some tickets for me too. I think [tout simplement]where are we going with this situation? he asked himself.

Outraged customers, culture shock

Oonagh Butterfield, co-owner of a Toronto restaurant, noted that ever since they added a tip option to their payment machines, this one [le pourboire] experienced a significant increase.

But according to Ms. Butterfield, despite the on-screen display, such as To bypass the hint option, please press greenalways question the e-tip option.

Sometimes there is a bit, I would say, outrage just by asking the question, “Would you like to tip?” Especially if they’re just buying bread, so again I’m trying to get people to understand that this isn’t a necessityshe explained.

Although she currently has the option to tip customers, Ms. Butterfield says she is in favor of abandoning the current tipping culture in Canada. so that everyone can be guaranteed a living wage.

Kate Malcolm moved to Port Perry, Ontario from the UK in 2017 where tipping is not customary. Five years later, she says she still struggles to understand tipping culture in Canada.

In England you never give a barber $10, $20, $30She said. It’s so expensive to get your hair done like that and then you have to tip them too?

Ms Malcolm, who runs a podcast for newcomers, captured her reaction to Canada’s unwritten tipping rules in a TikTok video describing her culture shock.

remove tips

Carl Heinrich is co-owner of the Richmond Station restaurant in Toronto. They got rid of tipping in July 2020, opting instead to raise prices to pay staff more.

The tipping culture in Canada is Very unfair to pay staffhe said.

But that practice isn’t very fruitful, according to Marc Mentzer, a professor of commerce at the University of Saskatchewan.

Apart from restaurants very high endwhere customers may not be as sensitive to how much they spend, many companies that substitute service fees for tips are unsuccessful, he explained.

Customers like the illusion of having power over the server, and the server likes the illusion of controlling the amount of its own income, he added.

” In an ideal world there would be no tipping. It is a human rights catastrophe. But it’s so ingrained. I think we’re sticking with it. »

Strong pre-programmed tip percentage options on smart card machines can Getting people to give a higher percentage than they ever considered beforeadded Menzer.

Everyone complains about tipping, but given the choice between a tip restaurant and a service charge restaurant, I don’t know how customers would make that choice. I think customers might prefer the tip approach if given the choicehe guessed.

With information from Bob Becken of CBC News