I cannot be the only one who is sort of startled every time I pay with a credit card and, after swiping my card, the prompt comes up asking how much tip I would like to leave for the person who literally put one Danish into a bag for me. By the way, that one Danish cost $6.50. Stores can choose to charge whatever they like for their merchandise but honestly, when a bread is $7.95 is there not enough profit involved that I should not be made to feel guilty for not tipping the person who, without any type of facial expression, put it into a bag for me. I don’t even think that the words “thank you” are expressed.

How many have visited our local fruit store called by many the “farmers market”? I think that farmers would be insulted if they were to see the amount of bruised and old fruits and veggies sold there. Just recently I noticed that next to the place where the cashier stands at the checkout counter are jars with one word written on them: “TIPS.” Really? For what service? For putting the money that I am paying for my fruits and vegetables into their cash registers?

How long will it take for receptionists in a doctor’s office to put a little reminder next to their desks? Want a faster appointment? See that dish over there? It works wonders!

The diatribe of tipping in restaurants goes on and on. Should the restaurant be adding on the cost of a tip within the bill? Should it be up to the individual to decide himself depending on how he feels he was treated? There are so many arguments back and forth.

Today I heard the crème de la crème of tipping fiascos. A day camp (not in this area) sent out the following to the parents of campers, suggesting amounts and indicating who should be tipped. On the list of those to be tipped are the counselor, the junior counselor, the morah or rebbe, the sport coach, the art teacher, the CIT, the bus driver, the bus counselor, the lifeguard and the “waiter,” which really is mind-boggling as it is assumed that the counselor goes and gets the lunch for his bunk. Consider the fact that if you have three or four children in the camp you are being requested to quadruple the amount. The lifeguard? The art teacher? The sports coach?

I am aware that there was an entire article in The Link several weeks ago addressing the protocol of tipping in camps but, honestly, I think this is going above and beyond.

When we were parents of a camper at HASC we would have given any amount of money to reward the tzadikim who worked in the camp. Each year the camp would send out a letter with a suggested tip amount for counselors and wait staff. Imagine if they sent us a request to tip the lifeguards? Certainly they are paid well, but if this tipping phenomenon goes far enough we will soon be asked to pay for the people who pick up the garbage at camp.

Not happy with your seat on the plane? Despite their perks airline staff are not necessarily the recipients of amazing salaries. I am sure they would be happy to accept a little tip to move a passenger up to that exit row or bulkhead that is empty anyway. Is that where we are headed?

Please do not misunderstand. When I see the amount of money that is being spent in upscale restaurants these days I fully endorse tipping the staff appropriately. Come on folks, a Danish, a fast-food restaurant where there is absolutely no service except for the fact that someone behind the counter takes the order and the cook prepares the food? Then to be asked what tip you would like to leave?

Of course, we do have the right to push “no tip.” Will the order be sabotaged and a few jalapeños be stuck into the middle of a simple grilled cheese sandwich or, even worse, the stale roll left over from yesterday be served as “fresh from the oven”? Who can look into the person’s eye who is handing you your receipt once you have indicated no tip? I have done it on very few occasions but it ain’t easy. I am the sucker who always feels the need to tip even when I think it is totally unnecessary. But for one $6.50 Danish I think I am going to try to be brave enough to look them straight in the eye after I press NO TIP.

Wish me luck!

Nina Glick can be reached at [email protected].