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There is no doubt that tipping can lead to some really awkward and often unintentionally insulting moments. Usually, this occurs in areas outside of waiting tables. For example, recently I had a repair man come and fix our dryer. While he was there he did some routine maintenance on our washer, for free. As he left, I tipped him and it confused him and I think it made him feel bad. He had genuinely done something nice for me because we had a good report and he didn't expect anything in return. My tip ruined all of that.

I wasn't sure what the protocol was though. Why? Because everyone and their uncle expects a tip these days. If you go get ice cream, there's a tip jar, if you get coffee... a tip jar. It's everywhere these days. My thinking on this is changing the more I consider it.

I would almost rather that a restaurant folded 20% in to their prices and paid the servers more, just for the ancillary effects it would have on other situations, like the "repair man".