There’s a new trend in business. Businesses outside of the food and hospitality industries are presenting customers the option of leaving a tip, according to mobile payment company Square. This means everyone from your dentist to your urologist could present you with the option to tip.

The company’s Square Register allows businesses to not only accept credit cards, but also track inventory and receive orders online for products. It also has a “Smart Tipping” feature that can be turned on or off at the businesses discretion. So should they choose, a business can simply off the option to tip once services are rendered.
If a business is using the tipping feature, it can choose whether to present customers with percentage-based tip options or set dollar amounts. Business owners can also decide when the tip screen appears — either before or on the same screen as the signature. The app also gives customers the ability to choose “No Tip” or “Custom” tip under both settings.

Tipping is standard in the food and hospitality sectors, with many workers depending on tips as part of their pay. According to Square, more than 70% of all restaurants, bars, salons and taxi companies that use Square offer the tipping screen.
Square also offers two printed receipts options: either a standard format or the “Quick Tip Receipt.” The traditional receipt option does include a tip line, and the Quick Tip Receipt has boxes with different percentage tips for customers to select and shows the total with the added tip.

The question is, would you tip your dentist? What about your lawyer?  Should tipping be an option in all areas of business?