Are you tightening the belt on tipping?
Penny-pinching may be America’s new pastime, but one sacred spending area may be non-negotiable: gratuities.
A new survey by Bankrate.com has found that 70 percent of Americans report their tipping habits have not been affected by the economy.
Here are more details the survey found:
· Overall, 9 percent tip more out of sympathy for struggling service providers.
· A sizable 16 percent are tipping less because money is tight.
· Nearly 25 percent of people earning less than $30,000 per year said they have cut back on tips.
· Of those earning more than $75,000 per year, 9 percent are tipping less.
Even though tipping percentages have stayed the same for many people, they tend to be ordering less, so in essence, gratuities have still taken a hit.
“When I was waiting tables in 2005, I had couples come in and buy $200 bottles of wine. Then as the recession started to hit, the same couples would start ordering less — maybe a $50 bottle of wine. So the effect of that is that while the tip percentage has not changed, the bill has gotten smaller, the tip has gotten smaller and waiters have to work more to make the same amount of money,” says Steve Dublanica, waiter-turned-writer and author of “Keep the Change” and the Waiter Rant blog.
Are you a waiter who’s working harder for less? Are you a restaurant-goer who’s slacking on gratuities?
