Which drives you crazier? ‘Tipflation’ or tip creeping?

Tipping fatigue has been trending as a topic in the media and has sparked angry debates on social media for nearly a year. The arguments now appear to center on two different phenomena: “tipflation” and tip creeping.

Tipflation refers to the rising expectations regarding acceptable tipping percentages. Pre-pandemic, traditional tipping etiquette called for customers to give their servers at sit-down restaurants an extra 15 to 20 percent, before tax. Consumers tipped big-heartedly during the pandemic to support restaurants hit hard hit by the pandemic’s restrictions.

Another reason for tip inflation is the use of point-of-sale machines from Toast, Square, Clover and others that automatically prompt tipping. Many of the touchscreen tablets offer tip options in the range of 15, 20 or 25 percent of the post-tax bill, but some start with a default option of 25 percent.

A third factor driving tip inflation is the 8.3 increase in restaurant prices last year. Surveys from CreditCards.com and Popmenu indicate consumers are becoming less generous tippers than earlier in the pandemic, attributing the change to inflationary pressures.

Tip creeping, on the other hand, refers to the increasing array of services that now expect a tip from customers. It’s become more common to be met with a tip request not only at coffee shops and other fast-food places, but also at the farmer’s market, the auto shop, retail outlets and elsewhere.

Many consumers feel pushed or guilted into tipping by the automatic tip requests from POS devices.

“Suddenly, these screens are at every establishment we encounter,” etiquette expert Thomas Farley told The Associated Press. “They’re popping up online as well for online orders. And I fear that there is no end.”

Some argue that tipping only supports lower-wage workers, but others feel occupations that earn the regular minimum wage or above, such as baristas, should not expect tips. Cornell University professor Michael Lynn, who studies consumer behavior, told CBS News, “I feel obligated to tip waiters, but anybody else I don’t feel obligated, but often I do tip if they’ve gone above and beyond.”

• Americans are worse tippers now than before COVID-19 hit – Creditcard.com
• Fewer U.S. Consumers Are Tipping Restaurant Staff 20 percent or Higher, but Majority Expect to Boost Gratuities Over the Holidays – PopMenu/GlobeNewswire
• ‘It makes you feel bad’: People are getting sick of being asked for tips everywhere they go – The Associated Press/USA Today
• How “tipflation” and “tip creep” are sparking a backlash: “I don’t feel obligated” to tip – CBS News
• Tipping Is Weird Now – The Atlantic
• The pandemic began a trend of generous tipping. Is San Antonio suffering from gratuity fatigue? – San Antonio Express
• A tip too far? Why tip fatigue may be setting in for North Americans – The Conversation
• ‘Out of control’: No one knows how much to tip – CNN