Speaking as an American, this crap is new. It started because of the proliferation of those iPad-based POS systems (like from Square, et al). They're ostensibly a good thing (low barrier to entry, easy to deploy) but most of them come with an inbuilt tip request.
For my part, I never tip for counter service, unless I'm paying cash, then the change goes in the tip jar because I don't like jingling when I walk. Nor does anyone I know, really. Same for carryout food. I'm not tipping you to hand me a bag.
Didn’t it really start to take over during Covid over here? All the ‘essential workers’ needed to be tipped because Uber and all the other delivery services didn’t want to pay their employees a living wage. Also all the restaurants turned to tipping for takeout as well since there was no dine in and here we are. Post lockdown and still doing this ‘goodwill’ tipping to line pockets.
It's strange to me as an American that when I visit some countries there's no where to tip. I get physically anxious when I can't tip a waiter or bartender.
In Canada, we play this game where we complain that all employees (aside from "contract workers" in gig work) make minimum wage and don't live off of tips like our American counterparts, then someone complains that minimum wage still isn't livable so tips are still important, then someone retorts that this only means everyone in minimum wage needs tipping or nobody needs tipping, which usually ends up in a lot of poop being slinged around until you get guilted into tipping before receiving any service.
It’s baffling to me that this exception exists. There’s zero justifiable reason for it imo.
Especially since I think it hasn’t been increased in ages. So it’s essentially an unpaid tip only job (yeah yeah I know they cover it if tips don’t make up to minimum)
If you're at a sit down restaurant and sit there for an hour and are the ONLY table that person has for that hour, they make minimum wage with a $3 tip. And yet, even then I hear the nonsense about not making enough on tips from time to time. It's greed at that point.