Tipping in America

Interesting research from November 2023 by Pew:

https://www.pewresearch.org/2023/11/09/tipping-culture-in-america-public-sees-a-changed-landscape/

Some of the key points:

A broad majority of Americans say they’re being asked to tip service workers more frequently than in the past. Around seven-in-ten U.S. adults (72%) say tipping is expected in more places today than it was five years ago.

But even as Americans say they’re being asked to tip more often, relatively few have a great deal of confidence about when and how to do so. Only about a third say it’s extremely or very easy to know whether (34%) or how much (33%) to tip for different types of services.

… we gave our respondents a hypothetical scenario in which they went to a restaurant and had average – but not exceptional – food and service.

In this situation, a majority of Americans (57%) say they would tip 15% or less, including 2% who wouldn’t leave a tip at all. Another 12% of adults say they would leave a tip of 18%, while a quarter say they would tip 20% or more.

Above all, tipping is a question of service for most Americans. Around three-quarters of adults (77%) say the quality of the service is a major factor when deciding whether and how much to tip, while 18% say it is a minor factor. Only 5% don’t consider it a factor at all.

When looking at the restaurant menu you just have to have in your mind that the real price is 20% more than what is on the menu because you need to factor in a tip

Another post opportunity to trash the US. Plus the usual cliches that go with it. 🥱

Ugh the tipping thing 100% puts me off travelling to the US. It's crazy. I obviously don't have a problem with paying whatever the costs are but I wish they would just put the costs on the bill. It feels deceitful. In London when you go out for dinner you get a bill and that bill includes service and tells you how much that service is. Why can't it just work like that? I don't want to have to do mental gymnastics every time I do ANYTHING and I don't want to have to carry cash about. It's such a PITA.

Tip if you are happy with the service. Many places work out the tip for you at the bottom of the receipt. Usually as they rely heavily on tips they provide a better service than other places. For the housekeeping I leave it the last day. Can’t really be bothered to fuss about tips at all times so that is what I do. However, is handy to take cash for tips.

When you have people dying from manageable illnesses like Diabetes, because they can’t afford basic medication, whilst the manufacturers are making billions, you know there is something wrong.

… forgot to mention, no Mat leave either

If you go to the states you need to tip.

It's simple really.

The UK is very, very far from perfect in many ways, but I still struggle to believe some of the healthcare-based horror stories you hear from the USA, when people fall through the cracks with health insurance and job-based security.

You see and hear all the devastatingly sad stories about how people with health problems suffer in desperately poor African and Asian countries; then you see the countless reports from supposedly the richest country in the world, and so many people end up needlessly suffering and dying there too.

There's so much wrong with the UK, but the (far from perfect) NHS is a real jewel in our crown that we should never, ever allow to be jeopardised.

We brought our own bags up. I left a tip for housekeeping at the end as there were four of us squashed in the room and they did really well to make the beds!!

The tipping really adds to the cost of everything!!

We were in NYC last Spring. A lot of bars and restaurants seemed to calculate and a suggested tip to the bill, especially if they had electronic card machines. We found that easier and less awkward!

We stayed at fairly basic but fine hotelon the uppet west side and there weren't services like bag carry or anything lile that. We didn't leave a tip for chambermaid as we didn't know it was a thing, we didn't see room staff but our room was made up fine each day and the front desk were lovely to us.

I got in to the swing of tippimg culture by the end of the trip. The only time I declined was in a Costa style cofee shop in Boston where a suggested 20% tip was added to the cost of a cold canned drink I took to the counter with the intentio of taking it away - I thought it was a bit much to ask for a 20% service charge for ringing up a three dollar drink and taking payment!

But presumably whoever gifted the flights intended to gift them to OP and family; not to free up extra money that de facto then becomes the entitlement of strangers.

That's a strange argument. If you got a promotion or pay rise at work - or even any kind of generous birthday or Christmas gift - would you feel horribly tight if you didn't immediately hand a large chunk of it to charity?

It's an absolute con when percentage-based extras - anything; not just tips in the US - are periodically increased over time.

Inflation of course means that prices keep going up, so a percentage-based tip is already taken care of automatically in that. Double-dipping and saying that 10% now needs to increase to 15%; or 20% needs to rise to 25% or whatever is a transparent scam, and I'm amazed that anybody just accepts it as such.

Unless you are planning on going back to the exact same place in the near future, only tip if you feel the service warrants it. Housekeeping at the end is maybe a nice thing to do if you’ve had good service. I wouldn’t worry about a frowning worker or threats of being treated poorly (which in this case is carrying your own bags!). 20% is ludicrous and the expectation is baffling.

Terrible hourly rates
Terrible holiday allowances
No sick pay
Unlimited Hours

Land of the free eh

Thank goodness we had Unions in this country.

I meant wages overall, not specifically for servers. In some places, not NYC now, they really do make only $2.13 base.

the bigger answer, though, is that it continues because there's a sufficiently large number of wait staff, as well as employers, who benefit from the system. Whether you'd make more with a higher wage or with tips depends on where you work. If you are in a restaurant that not only has pricey food, but people are routinely ordering nice wine (at quite a markup) or fancy cocktails... well, that is going to add up to a lot of tip money.

So why are they expecting 20% tips then? Back in the olden days when I was there the reason for tips was to top up a crappy wage.

@User74893677 "These replies are so interesting. So $100 is about what I’m budgeting per day for food and public transport. So yes, $100 feels like a lot."

How many people is this to cover? Food prices in the US are high, even in supermarkets. $100 a day for a family doesn't sound like it would stretch that far in NYC.

We were in NYC at Christmas. Tipping in restaurants was 20%. In Cafes, 20%, In Bars 20%, Any service 20%. It soon racks up. We left housekeeping a few dollars in change as I had already paid for the hotel on line before. It was more expensive than London and portion sizes are more in line with Europe now.

OP you absolutely can decline things like bag carry, just be firm.

Equally, if you don't want your room cleaning put the sign on the door saying you don't want cleaning for the duration of the stay. We have a friend who does this because they are too tight to leave a small tip for the staff.

YANBU for declining services-it's your choice

However

YABU for not tipping the services you get. It's hugely insulting to those providing them

It's not anymore. US wages have risen more rapidly than British ones and the pound is worth a lot less than it was 20 years ago. Back then NYC was a bargain for the Brits, now it's very expensive. The minimum wage is not terribly high, but wages climb rapidly.

Exactly this, you are being gifted what , the equivalent of £1200 mimimum. So bloody tight.

One day we can hope the US will stop being so backwards and that Americans will grow a pair and start advocating for themselves and a proper wage. Someone states do but It should be all. It is for the employer to pay wages and therefore staff's bills, not the customer, after all. It won't happen anytime soon through idleness and excuses, but maybe one day.