Americans tip less than before COVID-19 pandemic

Americans are skipping out on tipping more than they used to. In 2020 and 2021, more than a third of Americans pledged to become better tippers, but it appears that sentiment is gone, according to a new survey from CreditCards.com.
Blame a combination of inflation limiting customers' purchasing power and short-staffed businesses struggling to provide "top-notch" experiences, said Ted Rossman, senior industry analyst at CreditCards.com.
The survey found the amount of Americans who "always tip" decreased in 2022 compared to 2019 levels for all of the following service industry employees: sit-down restaurants, food delivery people, taxi and rideshare drivers, hotel housekeepers and coffee shop baristas.
In 2022, the amount of Americans that always tipped restaurant servers was 73pc, followed by food delivery people, 57%, taxi and rideshare drivers, 43pc, hotel housekeepers, 27pc and coffee shop baristas, 22pc.

Meanwhile in 2019, 77pc of Americans "always" tipped restaurant servers followed by food delivery workers, 63pc, taxi and rideshare drivers, 49pc, hotel housekeepers saw the same amount as 2022, 27pc and coffee shop baristas, 24pc.

The one bright spot — hairstylists and barbers. In this category, two thirds of Americans (66pc) say they always tip, compared to 63% in 2019 and 2021.
However, there was a stark difference for leaving tips when it comes to self-pickup for takeout food. In 2021, as restaurants were struggling to recover, 17pc Americans always left a tip, compared to 13pc this year so far.

-B