Tired of tipping? Many Americans agree it has ‘gotten out of control': Survey

If you ask people in South Florida about tipping, you’ll get an earful about when they may decide to tip more or how often they do it.

“I don’t go by the machines,” said Blanca. “They tell you 25, 20, and usually it’s even more. But I try to do 20%.”

Clara said she didn’t mind going above the norm.

“If it’s great service and great food, then we definitely go above the 20%,” she said.

And Ronnie said he always tries to take care of the workers. 

“Majority of times I will try to tip, even if it’s a pickup order,” he said. 

But according to a recent Bankrate survey of over 2,400 adults across the country, 59% of those surveyed said they had a negative view of tipping, with 35% saying tipping culture has gotten out of control.

“There’s been a lot of tip creep, as in being asked to tip in unconventional settings and people are annoyed about it,” said Ted Rossman, senior industry analyst at Bankrate. 

Rossman said inflation is partly to blame for the tipping fatigue.

“Higher prices have squeezed people’s buying power,” he said. “They have less to go around.”

Another reason may be the fading support of service workers, he said.

“Back during the pandemic, there was briefly a big uptick in tipping, and that has really faded,” Rossman said. “A lot of people are fed up with it and I also think that some of the tip creep at food trucks and coffee shops and places like that has left a bad taste in people’s mouths and they’re tipping less.”

Some of the survey’s other findings include:

• 67% of those surveyed said they always tip servers at a sit-down restaurant;
• Only 55% said they always tip their hair stylist or barber, which is about the same for food delivery people;
• And only 41% of those surveyed said they always tip their taxi or rideshare drivers.

A little over a third of those surveyed believe businesses should pay their employees better instead of relying so much on tips, and 14% said they would be willing to pay higher prices to do away with tipping.

The survey also suggests older generations and women are more likely to tip restaurant servers, with only 35% of GenZers saying they always tip at a sit-down restaurant, compared to 56% of millennials and 78% of GenXers.

“Some young people have kind of a social justice take on this, which is tipping’s not fair, let’s not do it,” Rossman said. “Unfortunately, though, it is the rule of the land right now so if you’re not tipping, you’re hurting the worker, not the business.”

Rossman said you should always be tipping when you go to a restaurant since tips are a big part of the wages of servers there.