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- American consumers are experiencing "tipping fatigue" amid high inflation, according to CNN.
- Many have taken a stand against the pressure to tip everywhere, saying the US has a "tipping culture."
- But others say tipping is necessary to support workers in the service industry.
As electronic cash registers have become ubiquitous at businesses from coffee shops to convenience stores, so too has the question: "Add a tip?"
But as more and more businesses call for gratuities, many in the US have begun to tip less amid inflation and ongoing fears of a looming recession. According to point-of-sale platform Toast, Americans are tipping more frequently, but forking up less for each tip.
"Folks definitely have tipping fatigue," CNN business reporter Nathaniel Meyersohn said during a broadcast last week. "And it's being driven by the high costs of meals and inflation."
According to Vox, American shopping culture has shifted so that tip jars are a feature at nearly every kind of business now, making it clear that tipping has become expected of customers in most places.
"Let's say you already shopped at a restaurant or coffee shop. You're already committed," Meng Zhu, a professor at Johns Hopkins who studies consumer decision-making and marketing, told Vox. "When they ask you for something else, you're more likely to comply because you want to be consistent with your earlier decision."
But the shift in American tipping culture has come with some consumer backlash. Even as consumers expect to be solicited for a tip when they're out and about, some on social media are working to draw a new line, spurring regular debates.
On Reddit, service workers regularly discuss patrons who refuse to tip, including a recent post in which a cafe employee said he's tempted to stop serving a regular who never tips, describing the customer as "extremely punchable."
"This Reddit post highlights exactly what's wrong with the North American tipping culture," Bryan Passifiume, a reporter for the Canadian newspaper National Post, tweeted in response this week.
—𝘽𝙧𝙮𝙖𝙣 𝙋𝙖𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙛𝙞𝙪𝙢𝙚 (@BryanPassifiume) March 8, 2023
Dubbed "tipping culture" by many on social media, the feeling that gratuities have become compulsory has also spread beyond North America and into other countries like Australia.
"Dominos now asking for tips," Blair Wigley, whose Twitter profile shows he's located in Melbourne, tweeted. "Stop trying to make tipping culture happen."
—Blair Wigley (@BlairWigley) February 24, 2023
Meanwhile, others on social media are discussing expanding tipping into unexpected services. In a recent TikTok video that garnered nearly 12,000 comments, two landlords argued that tenants should tip them for things like fixing leaky faucets and being on call 24/7.
"Gratuity for a landlord doing his legal obligation is frankly absurd and likely illegal," one commenter wrote under the video.
"My landlord never fixes anything lol," another chimed in. "My oven hasn't worked for over a year."
Still, many on the side of service workers argue that tipping is necessary for many workers to be able to stay afloat and pay their rent.
"If you cant afford to tip, dont order," one Twitter user wrote under a video depicting a delivery driver lashing out at a customer for skipping out on a tip. "Its that simple."
—Raphousetv (RHTV) (@raphousetv2) March 1, 2023