65% of People "Have Had It Up to Here" With Tipping
How much do you think you spend per year on tips that you DON'T think are warranted? (I'll set the over-under at TOO DAMN MUCH.)
According to a new report, the average person has paid around $150 in tips they're not totally comfortable with over the past year.
Those are situations where you:
1. Don't think a tip should be expected, like for a dog groomer or an oil change.
2. When you feel pressured into tipping more than you want, like at a casual, counter-service restaurant . . . for a ride service . . . or at a hair salon.
3. OR when you end up tipping for BAD service . . . because it's customary, you feel bad for the employee, or you don't want to look cheap.
$150 across a whole year may seem LOW . . . but it's mostly the extra couple bucks here and there, as opposed to HUGE tips that you'd nix entirely.
Overall, 65% of people say they are fed up with tipping. That's up from 60% last year and 53% in 2023.
62% of people say they'd rather pay more for food and drinks to provide higher wages for restaurant workers and eliminate tipping altogether.
(I understand the sentiment, but realistically, this probably wouldn't work unless EVERYONE did it. Individual restaurants HAVE experimented with this in the past . . . and it usually doesn't work out well.)
As for the current state of tipping: 45% of people say they are tipping restaurant servers 20% or more. And 23% tip delivery drivers 20% or more.
Originally posted on October 9th, 2025