04/03/2024

Surveys: Tipping Culture Giving Way to Tip Fatigue

Consumers want employers to pay salaries that don't need supplementing

The rise in the number of places where a customer can tip an employee is an unexpected source of stress for consumers, who report frequently grappling with how much to give--even when the extra payment isn't required, or deserved. That added deliberation is a big factor in recent survey results that show a majority of U.S. consumers are fed up with the psychodrama over gratuities, with nearly 60 percent saying it's time for service industry business owners to increase worker pay so customers won't be expected to supplement it.

The pandemic lockdowns and social distancing that disrupted business activity and individual lifestyles left many Americans with a renewed appreciation for dining out, relaxing in bars or cafes, and many other small pleasures they'd taken for granted. One result: an increased willingness to show gratitude to waitstaff and other service providers, creating what the Pew Research Center called a "tipping culture." That coinage covers the accepted--and increasingly expected--practice of leaving a little extra for the employee beyond the sticker price, but that culture is in retreat.

CNBC reports that "tip fatigue" and consumer resentment of coerced "guilt tipping" are on the rise. These reactions to the proliferation of tip requests across an ever-widening set of places--a trend range of settings known as (what else?) "tip creep"--are making more customers tired of the pressure to pony up. In a poll, most people said they want business owners pay staff better--so customers will not have to supplement their wages.

Please select this link to read the complete article from Inc.