Feel Like Tipping Has Gotten Out Of Hand? Here’s Why

#124: If you’ve ever worked in a restaurant, or as a barista or bartender, you know that tips matter. But on the customer side, it’s gotten a lot more confusing in recent years. More and more businesses are asking for tips now, including fast food restaurants and online retailers — places that didn’t used to make that request. Why?

To answer that question, we turned to NPR's Stacey Vanek Smith, to talk about her reporting on this. She's co-host of NPR's The Indicator from Planet Money. She's also a correspondent for Planet Money, where she covers business and economics.