Shirin Khizzar

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OPINION: Why am I paying your employees?

Tipping itself isn’t the problem. The real issue is that America has blurred the line between workers who depend on tips as part of their wages and workers who are simply presented alongside a tip screen. As tipping prompts spread from sit-down restaurants to coffee shops, smoothie counters and takeout orders, customers are being asked to subsidize wages without knowing when gratuity is actually necessary. That confusion contributes to tipping fatigue — risking the livelihood of workers who depend on tips.