Current:Home > Contact-usAmericans are reluctantly spending $500 a year tipping, a new study says.-InfoLens
Americans are reluctantly spending $500 a year tipping, a new study says.
View Date:2024-12-23 15:23:57
Do you feel a ping of awkwardness or pressure when you see a tip request pop up on a screen at the end of a transaction? In other words, are you guilt tipping?
You’re not alone.
Americans spend nearly $500 a year tipping more than they’d like to, according to a new study.
Talker Research, a research and polling agency, recently surveyed 2,000 Americans asking how much “tipflation” may be impacting people’s wallets.
The poll found the average respondent reluctantly tips $37.80 a month, due to the pressure of tipping options presented to them.
“That figure equates to $453.60 a year in guilt-induced gratuity, with over a quarter (26%) feeling they are always or often forced to tip more than they would like,” Talker Research said in a post about its findings.
“We know that tipping has been a hot topic,'' Van Darden, head of media relations for Talker Research, told USA TODAY. "It’s trended on TikTok, there’s all kinds of online conversation about it, it’s been in the news as people transitioned out of the high peaks of COVID and delivery services.”
Darden said Talker Research noticed that a lot of businesses have kept the automatic gratuity that was popular during the pandemic.
Talker Research wanted to get reactions from consumers on their feelings about tipping, including how people of different generations feel, he said.
Do we really need to tip?
According to the survey, the average respondent tipped more than they’d like on six occasions within the last 30 days.
“Whether it’s the watchful eyes of a barista, the hastily swiveled tablet or the waiter handing you the card machine, more than half (56%) of respondents note that pressure to tip higher is a regular occurrence,” Talker Research said in its post about the survey.
Only 24% said it was a rare experience for them to feel put on the spot when tipping.
Here are some other results from the survey:
◾ Forty-nine percent of respondents said they’d noticed their options for tipping on tablets and digital devices increased in value in the last month alone.
◾ Nearly a third (31%) answered that they had been asked to tip for a service they wouldn’t normally consider tipping.
◾ Men feel pressured to tip higher more often than women (28% vs. 25%).
Are we at a 'tipping point?':You're not imagining it. How and why businesses get you to tip more
Do people of different generations feel differently about tipping?
There are generational differences in how people feel about tipping.
◾ Gen Z (16%) and millennials (16%) “were almost twice as likely to say they 'always' feel pressure to tip than older generations,” the study said.
◾ Just 9% of Gen X and only 5% of Boomers felt the same constant tipping obligation.
◾ When tipping in-store, a third of Gen Z (33%) and millennials (33%) always or often feel pressured or were made to feel guilty when tipping. That compares to 23% for Gen X and 13% for Boomers.
Should you tip a machine?
The pressure to tip also doesn’t require service from a human: “23% of all those surveyed said they would likely leave a tip for service that required no human interaction, such as a vending machine or a self-checkout kiosk at the grocery store,” Talker Research reported.
Betty Lin-Fisher is a consumer reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at [email protected] or follow her on X, Facebook, or Instagram @blinfisher. Sign up for our free The Daily Money newsletter, which will include consumer news on Fridays, here.
veryGood! (3142)
Related
- Sister Wives’ Kody Brown Explains His Stance on His Daughter Gwendlyn Brown’s Sexuality
- Teen Mom's Maci Bookout Reveals How She and Ryan Edwards Finally Learned to Co-Parent
- Fact checking Trump's remarks after historic conviction in hush money trial
- Woman pleads guilty to negligent homicide in death of New York anti-gang activist
- Bitcoin has topped $87,000 for a new record high. What to know about crypto’s post-election rally
- Jersey Shore police say ‘aggressive’ crowds, not lack of police, caused Memorial weekend problems
- Advocates Ask EPA to Investigate Baltimore City for Harming Disinvested Communities
- Most US students are recovering from pandemic-era setbacks, but millions are making up little ground
- RHOBH's Erika Jayne Reveals Which Team She's on Amid Kyle Richards, Dorit Kemsley Feud
- Woman pleads guilty to negligent homicide in death of New York anti-gang activist
Ranking
- Inside Dream Kardashian's Sporty 8th Birthday Party
- Planned Parenthood sought a building permit. Then a California city changed zoning rules
- Brittany Mahomes Shares Fitness Secret That Helped Her Prepare for SI Swimsuit in One Week
- Live Nation reveals data breach at its Ticketmaster subsidiary
- At age 44, Rich Hill's baseball odyssey continues - now with Team USA
- About 1 in 3 Americans have lost someone to a drug overdose, new study finds
- Facebook, Reddit communities can help provide inspiration and gardening tips for beginners
- Three Maryland family members fatally shot, another wounded, suspect takes own life, police say
Recommendation
-
Don't Miss This Sweet Moment Between Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce's Dads at the Kansas City Chiefs Game
-
Bisons catcher Henry hit by backswing, hospitalized; Triple-A game is called after ‘scary incident’
-
What's next after Trump's conviction in his hush money trial? How he might appeal the verdict
-
Detroit Pistons to part ways with general manager Troy Weaver after four seasons
-
Spurs coach Gregg Popovich had a stroke earlier this month, is expected to make full recovery
-
Retired Navy admiral arrested in bribery case linked to government contract
-
Black leaders call out Trump’s criminal justice contradictions as he rails against guilty verdict
-
Daughter of Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt files court petition to remove father’s last name