Tipping Culture Has Gotten Out of Control

Last week at a cigar bar in Old Town, Alexandria, I overheard some jolly bartenders discuss the tips they’d gotten that weekend: “Five hundred last night. Five hundred the night before. Seven hundred the night before that,” one of them said. Unable not to pry, especially when it comes to money, I asked them if that was a standard take for a weekend. “Oh, sure. It’s tough work, but you can make a lot of cash here,” one replied. Satisfied, I paid for my drink and left a 20% tip. "I'm not going to look like the tightfisted Brit, ignorant of American norms," I thought. "Not again."