Evaluation of “The Case Against Tipping”
Michael Lewis is the writer of the essay “The case Against Tipping”. This essay is about his views on tipping and why he does not agree with it. Lewis does not agree with tipping because he feels it’s a scam and a shakedown (Lewis, 20-22). Many readers of this essay would agree with his views for this situation. Michael Lewis effectively supports his point because he gives good supporting examples, he has done research, and has good word choice. Lewis includes good examples in his essay. In his first example he discuses the typical setup of a coffee shop. He states “Just as you hand your money over to the man behind the counter, you notice a plastic beggar’s cup beside the cash register. (Lewis,…show more content… He has such a strong interest in unnecessary tipping that he contacts Starbucks. Starbucks is a national coffee shop chain that welcomes tips for it workers. When Lewis calls Starbucks they told him that it was was not initially their idea and that it was the customers idea. The person on the phone states “People were leaving loose change on the counter to show their gratitude. And so in 1990 it was decided to put a tasteful and discreet cup on the counter. (Lewis, 20-22)” This research that Lewis performed creates a general understanding of why tips are given to workers. Lewis however feels this is asking for trouble. He feels that our society will not tolerate the uncertainty of the cup. Lewis says “People will demand to know what is expected of them, one way or another. (Lewis, 20-22)” Lewis uses a good choice of words in his essay. Lewis says “no lawful behavior in the marketplace is as disturbing to me as growing appeals for gratuities. ()”. In a second quote taken from the essay he says; “There in a nutshell is the first problem with tipping: the more discretion you have in the matter the more unpleasant it is. There in a nutshell is the first problem with tipping: the more discretion you have in the matter the more unpleasant it is. (Lewis, 20-22)” Both of these quotes really get the message across to readers and have Lewis seem very knowledgeable about