Tipping culture Canada turns every transaction into guilt. The screen flips before your coffee pours. 18%, 20%, 25%. You haven't tasted anything, but payment is demanded now. Do you tip for service you haven't received, or risk the label: bad customer?

Wayne Smith traces the practice to post-Civil War America, where businesses refused to pay freed slaves actual wages. Shane confronts the pre-service demand: tip screens appearing before coffee pours. The Uber Eats ranking fear. The $300 stylist asking 20% more. Smith contrasts reconstruction-era exploitation with algorithm-driven guilt, asking when encouragement became extortion.

Discover why the numbers jumped from 12-15-20% to 18-20-25%. Learn how gig economy tips became wages instead of bonuses. Understand what happens when the checkout screen makes you choose between generosity and resentment before you've even received what you ordered.

GUEST: Wayne W. Smith, Ph.D. | Toronto Metropolitan University

Originally aired on 2026-01-14