Higher sticker prices have made some people stingier in recent years, a new Bankrate survey finds. “They’re no longer appreciating service industry workers as much.”

People are a little bit stingier in barber chairs and Ubers than they were just a few years ago.

The shares of adults who say they always tip their hair stylists, servers at sit-down restaurants and food delivery people have each fallen 8 percentage points since 2021, according to a Bankrate survey released Wednesday. That rate slipped 7 percentage points for taxi and ride-hail drivers over the same period.

Three years ago, the economy was reopening from the pandemic and inflation was higher than it is now, but so was concern for front-line workers.

At the time, three-quarters of consumers reported always tipping restaurant servers, but today just two-thirds do. Despite modest upticks since last year, barely more than half of people now count themselves reliable tippers of hairdressers (55%) and food delivery drivers (51%), while only 41% say the same when it comes to ordering a ride.

The survey reflects Americans’ growing ease bypassing ubiquitous tipping prompts, from coffeeshops to airport terminals in the post-Covid economy, especially as sticker prices have risen. While consumer spending has held remarkably steady, many households are feeling the squeeze from persistent inflation and tightening their belts accordingly. Some of that newfound caution may be factoring into when, where and how much people tip.

  • SandySocks@lemmy.worldEnglish
    261·
    5 months ago

    They are supposed to be paid the difference if tips plus base pay don’t add up to minimum wage. But I’m guessing a lot of places don’t do it.

    • AbidanYre@lemmy.worldEnglish
      3·
      5 months ago

      If you aren’t making up the difference, you probably aren’t going to last long anyway.

      • conditional_soup@lemm.ee
        12·
        5 months ago

        California has, for a while now, required that tipped workers be paid the same minimum wage as anyone else, period. Tips are extras on top of minimum wage.

      • grue@lemmy.worldEnglish
        11·
        5 months ago

        No, that’s a Federal requirement, too. It only requires them to be brought up to the $7.25/hour Federal minimum wage so it’s pretty useless, but it exists.

      • Vyvanse@lemm.ee
        3·
        5 months ago

        In Oregon tipped employees are required to be paid the state minimum wage. Tips are considered extra on top of that. Seems to be an exception though unfortunately.

      • AngryCommieKender@lemmy.world
        1·
        5 months ago

        California as well. Tipped workers make the service industry minimum wage, which is actually higher than the state or city minimum wages, so they make $20 an hour plus tips. Which means that they are barely scraping by.