Inflation-weary Americans are cutting back on tipping this Christmas after becoming exhausted by constant requests for tips, research shows.
But a New York etiquette expert is urging families to show some holiday spirit — and tip MORE.
Thomas P. Farley – aka Mister Manners – says households should tip more during the holidays, even up to 50 percent in a restaurant.
He told DailyMail.com: 'This is the time of year when tipping is something we need to think about more – especially when it comes to the long-standing traders we use all year round – like our hairdressers, nannies and our doormen.
'As a general rule, your tip at Christmas should be the cost of one service. So if you go to the same hairdresser all year round and they charge $25, your tip should be $25.
Thomas P. Farley – nicknamed Mister Manners – says households should tip more during the holidays. He is pictured in New York in June 2022
Hairdressers, waiters and couriers who deliver food usually give pocket money
“But if you get a $300 haircut, your vacation tip should be $300.”
Farley, who previously wrote a column titled “Social Graces” as editor of Town and Country magazine, added that nannies should be paid for a day's work, while doormen should be “at their discretion” but “around the $50-$100.”
“You should look at it as thanking these people for their professionalism and kindness for the entire year,” he said.
'There is a lot of resistance to tip requests at self-service screens and at coffee shops, but your regular servers should not be punished for this.'
Data from payroll Gusto this week showed that tips for service workers in non-restaurant leisure and hospitality jobs were 7 percent lower than last year.
As of November, such workers earned an average of $1.28 an hour in tips, up from $1.38 the year before, according to figures provided by the Wall Street Journal.
Experts say the trend has been driven by a widespread backlash against “tipflation,” which has brought requests for tips out of bars and restaurants, into coffee shops and even self-service kiosks.
This trend has been fueled in part by the mass adoption of iPad checkout screens, which give customers the opportunity to leave a tip.
Such systems became hugely popular during the pandemic when retailers stopped accepting cash over fears banknotes could spread Covid-19 germs.
Last month, a Pew Research Center survey found that 72 percent of Americans think tipping is more widespread than in the past.
Inflation-weary Americans are cutting back on tipping this Christmas after becoming exhausted by constant requests for tips, survey shows
And earlier this year, an exclusive DailyMail.com survey found that more than half of Americans believe we're living in an 'age of tipflation'
And earlier this year, an exclusive DailyMail.com survey found that more than half of Americans believe we're living in an “age of tipflation.”
But Farley says frustration with the phenomenon is punishing the wrong employees.
For a Christmas or New Year's meal, he recommends tipping between 40 and 50 percent.
“It completely depends on your resources, but sticking with your usual 20 percent over the holidays feels a bit creepy,” he told DailyMail.com.
“You have to ask yourself: Would you rather be home cooking or doing the dishes?”