The spirit of the holiday season isn’t necessarily driving Americans to tip service workers more than they normally would. Due to inflation, layoffs and various economic setbacks, a study conducted by Play USA has found that nearly 20% of Americans are tipping less than they usually would. Meanwhile, the same study found that only 10% of Americans are typically more than they normally would during the holiday season.
As tipping continues to decline during the pandemic and inflation, many industry experts have attempted to find answers. Some have suggested that the decline in tipping has been caused by inexperienced staff.
“Servers who show up for work, especially newbies, are not as well trained or motivated to go above and beyond to create a memorable guest experience,” New York-based restaurant-industry consultant Arlene Spiegel told Market Watch.
Of the 1,000 respondents observed by Play USA, 98% of Americans say they provide tips to restaurants with tableside service. With that said, 68% of Americans base their tip on the quality of service they receive while only 32% tip the same regardless of service.
Moving forward, many Americans are hoping to see a change in the nation’s tipping etiquette. Nearly 40% of survey respondents say they have been embarrassed because they couldn’t afford to give a proper tip. Furthermore, 43% of Americans say they haven’t used a service because of how much they’d have to pay when factoring in a tip. As a result, 60% of Americans want to follow the steps of other countries and get rid of tipping entirely.
