Most Americans feel like they’re being asked to tip now more than ever, studies show. Everywhere they go, from salons to dispensaries to coffee shops, customers are greeted with digital point-of-sale systems (often accompanied by the now-common phrase, “It’s just going to ask you a question…”) that prompt tips ranging up to 30%. There’s even a phrase for the phenomenon: “Tipflation.”
According to credit card processor Square, and as reported by CBS, nearly 75% of remote transactions in food and beverage now ask for a tip, including online orders and at self-service kiosks. At the same time, there’s also a wave of restaurants nationwide slowly shifting away from tipping, opting instead to raise menu prices to support higher hourly employee wages.
