Yes, Tipping Fatigue Is a Real Issue for Americans
Think of the last time you got food or coffee. Chances are, modern technology played a role in that interaction. The sales clerk likely let you insert your card, then flipped a screen asking you how much you’d like to tip and if you’d like a receipt.
There was a time years ago when you’d just receive a paper receipt; it wasn’t an option. Most of those just get tossed, so it was likely a welcome change. More recently, the touch-to-tip option was introduced. In some scenarios, this is a simpler way to complete a transaction, but it also presents restaurants with a new opportunity to earn some money.
Of course, Americans are used to tipping, but it feels like we’ve been asked to do it more frequently and in higher percentages. As more places are adding tipping into their standard checkout process, customers are getting exhausted. It feels like everyone is asking for more money, customers are paying more, but products and experiences haven’t changed.
Why Do Americans Tip So Much?
The short answer, or at least the version that pertains to your life, is that we always have and it’s become expected. It’s so common that the federal minimum wage for a tipped employee is $2.13, rather than the standard $7.25, because businesses assume that they’ll receive the difference in tips. Without tips, that full-time employee would make around $340 a month, so they truly need those tips.
Of course, this federal regulation is going to get the American treatment. Only 16 states actually pay tipped employees the federal minimum, and the other states set their own standards. Some have a higher tipped minimum while others pay all employees the same minimum wage. With all the variations, it can get very tricky.
As the customer, it’s not your job to understand these regulations, but it is your responsibility to tip. At least, you think it is. If you’re a decent person you’ll add some money to your bill because you want your server to earn more than $2.13 an hour.
But if the answer really is that we’ve always tipped so much, why are people now feeling the fatigue?
