There was a time whentipping in America was simple. You went out to eat, enjoyed your meal and left 15% for good service. Iftheserver was outstanding or you were feeling generous you went to 20%. That wasthecultural contract we all understood.When I was first trained on how to sell, my boss told me to always showthecustomer three choices and leave some room between option one and option three.Therationale behind this is that most people emotionally dont want to feel cheap, sothey wont pickthelowest option.They also worry about spending too much, sothey wont pickthemost expensive option.Whatthat leavesthem is generally pickingtheone inthemiddle. When it comes tothepressure oftipping at restaurants, cafes and takeout, we hardly ever emotionally want to feel cheap.Fast-forward to 2025, and somehow that "norm" has ballooned to 25%, 28% and even 30%. Its simply way out of control. Youre ordering a $5 latte, and before you take a sip,thecard reader spins toward you, asking if youd like to leave a 30%tip for a transaction where you poured your own milk, grabbed your own napkin and left thetipbefore you even gottheservice.Now, does that make any sense?IT'S NOT JUST DEMOCRATS. SOCIALIST MAMDANI'S PLANS SHOULD WORRY REPUBLICANS NATIONWIDEHow did we get here? Well, itstheresult of technology, inflation, pandemic-era habits that didnt die and a growing shift of payroll responsibility ontothecustomer untiltheconsumer cant burden it anymore.At 30%tips, we might be reaching our breaking point as Americans.TheRise oftheDigital Guilt TripIntheold days, you calculatedthetipin your head. Now, point-of-sale systems like Square, Clover and Toast flash pre-settipbuttons 20%, 25%, 30% withthe"customtip" option tucked away like a secret menu item. Or, even better, many plans automatically addthe20% "service gratuity" and playthehide-and-seek game of making you try to figure outthetipthey already left for you onthebill.And lets be honest:theperson who just rang you up often flipsthescreen around and standsthere, watching, while you make your choice.Thepeople in line behind you see it too. Its not just payment its a real-time social experiment in generosity and public pressure.People have called it "guilttipping" for several years, but it feels like flat out extortion.TRUMP SENDS MILITARY AFTER THE CARTELS AND ITS LONG OVERDUEIts Not Tariffs. Its a Shift of ResponsibilityInflation has beenthesuggested silent partner intipping creep. If a burger was $10 a few years ago, a 20%tipwas $2. Now that same burger is $14 or $15, so your "same" 20%tipis already costing more. But heresthekicker those digital prompts arent even suggesting 20% anymore. Sincetherestauranteur setstheamounts,they continue to shifttheresponsibility by shiftingtheprompts to a 20%, 22%, 25% and 30% grid, meaning yourtiphas nearly doubled in dollar terms since 2019.Whose Job Is It to Pay Wages?Heresthepart few want to say out loud, but Ill say it even if nobody likes it: its notthecustomers job to pay a companys employees a fair wage thatstheemployers responsibility.If a bakery chooses to raise its hourly wage from $14 to $18, thats a cost of doing business. But instead of raising menu prices transparently, many businesses simply crank upthetipprompts, quietly outsourcing payroll costs to customers.Thats silent inflation. Your coffee didnt get bigger, your sandwich didnt improve, but your bill went up because youre now covering part oftheemployers wage bill on top of higher food prices.TRUMP BREAKS 'DAY ONE' PROMISE TO LOWER COSTS AS PRICES SURGE ACROSS AMERICA IN FIRST SIX MONTHSTheExpanding Definition of "Tippable"Tipping used to be for service jobs where base pay relied on gratuities servers, bartenders, delivery drivers. Now? Youll findtiprequests at self-checkout kiosks, bakeries where you serve yourself, and even car washes where you never meet an employee.And consider companies like Uber, who saidthemain differentiation was that you dont have to worry abouttips. Now, you are in some weird random dating game where your driver is rating you and you are ratingthem.Except if you dont leave atip,whatrating do you thinkthey are really going to give you?When every transaction is "tippable,"tipping stops being a reward for exceptional service and becomes just another line item in your budget.Are You AllTipped Out?Mandatorytips erodethemeaning oftipping itself. Its why people love to travel to Europe becausethey dont have to worry about it whenthey go out for dinner. Customers starttipping out of shame instead of appreciation. And whentipping is seen as automatic,theincentive for great service can disappear.And its disappearing every single day.For families already feelingthepinch of inflation, an extra 510% on every meal out isnt small change its real money.CLICK HERE FOR MORE FOX NEWS OPINIONCan We Get ATipping Reset?We need a cultural reset. Businesses should be transparent about wages and service fees, rather than quietly leaning on customers to closethepayroll gap.Payment systems should stop stacking suggestedtips atthehigh end, and customers should feel free totipbased on service not because a tablet toldthem to.Nexttimetheserver spinstheToast device toward you with 30% asthefirst option, remember: youre rewarding service, not payingthecompanys wage bill.Maybetheanswer, is you always click custom so you cantipwhatyou actually thinktheservice is worth.Because if were not careful, 30% wont betheceiling itll bethestarting point.CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM TED JENKIN