The prompt allowed for a tip of up to 20%. It was a routine checkup for Rodgers’ dogs, but the prompt, which he’d never gotten before, made him wonder what was being done differently at the vet office. “It kind of made me think, ‘Well, are they just being nice to my dogs to try to get an extra tip?’ The practice of tipping has expanded rapidly into sectors where it wasn’t traditionally expected. All of a sudden it seems like you’re being asked to tip at every coffee shop, retailer and even the vet office.
While tipping at restaurants is often expected in order for servers to make a living wage, labor experts say companies and businesses are taking advantage of the practice, and consumers are often caught off guard by it.