Gen Z is rejecting everything they’ve been taught about tipping. It could be the start of a big shift

GURPS

INGSOC
PREMO Member
Just because inflation is finally cooling doesn’t mean Americans have financially recovered. Last summer, it hit a 40-year high, coinciding with Gen Z entering the workforce and generally curbing their spending. With economists debating whether inflation will be “sticky,” another habit is sticking around, according to a recent Bankrate survey: The 26-and-under crowd are the stingiest tippers.

Just 35% of Gen Zers told Bankrate they always tip their server at a sit-down restaurant. At the other end of the spectrum, 83% of baby boomers said they always tip. Boomers were more generous tippers than Gen Zers across the board, Bankrate found, including when it comes to food delivery workers and taxi or Uber drivers.

Every year, fewer and fewer people drop their change into the tip jar—much less tip 20% after a meal. Just under two-thirds (65%) of U.S. adults always tip their server when they go out to eat at sit-down restaurants (the activity that they pay tips for most commonly). But even that is winnowing away, Bankrate found. Last year, just shy of three-quarters (73%) of diners said they always tip. A year earlier, that was 75%, and it was 77% in 2019.


 
Top