Mo’ money, mo’ problems — and New Yorkers are at a tipping point.
Coughing up an extra few bucks for a job well done to a waiter, taxi or Uber driver, or even a speedy delivery person isn’t a big deal to most folks.
In fact, many feel compelled to leave a little something extra for service-industry staffers, owing to meager minimum wage rates in the US.
But even the big spenders of the Big Apple are tired of being bullied into giving obscene amounts in gratuity amid the ongoing “Tipflation” crisis.
“Pay people a living wage and leave us alone already,” carped NYC comedian Robby Hoffman in a viral anti-tipping TikTok clip with over 17 million views.
“People say, ‘Oh, well, inflation [prices] are up’,” added Hoffman while on Kareem Rahma’s “Subway Takes,” a series of impromptu interviews with straphangers. “Well, a tip is a percentage…so you’re getting a percentage of the inflated price!”
“What, are we double dipping?” she questioned of the sky-high tip demands being forced upon paying customers.
And the budgeting brunette is not alone.
As the cost of everyday life continues climbing, over 66% of US consumers feel less inclined to spend any more money than they absolutely must, per a recent report.
However, it seems that the push to leave exorbitantly large tips for service providers — regardless of the employee’s courteousness or competence levels — has become stronger in recently months.
An April 2024 survey of 2,000 not-so-cheerful givers found that Americans have recently felt pressured into leaving nearly $500 extra in tips during the past year.
“Whether it’s the watchful eyes of a [barista], the hastily swiveled tablet or the waiter handing you the card machine, more than half (56%) of respondents note that pressure to tip higher is a regular occurrence,” said assayers from Talker Research, formally One Poll US, in Brooklyn.
The probe, conducted between April 3 and April 8, determined that the average respondent tipped more than they’d planned to on at least six occasions in the last 30 days alone.
A.J. Chiarealla, a Westchester County-based content creator has openly groaned over the puffed-up prices being tacked onto bills at bars and bistros across the state.
“Can we all agree that tipping in New York is absolutely out of control these days,” he vented in a vid to over 25,000 social media spectators. “By no means do I consider myself a cheap person…but these days it seems like they ask for a tip for everything.”
He went on to blast an unnamed Gotham hotspot for arbitrarily charging him 22% gratuity, then requesting he pay an additional tip of either 20%, 25% or 30% on the already inflated check.
Podcaster Jesse Lin separately noted that hospitality in NYC has severely plummeted over the past few years, prompting him to feel slightly less generous.
“Living in New York City…no service workers are happy — so you’re already inclined no to tip,” he said in the cyber post. “And when the person is literally just pouring me coffee, I’m like, ‘I don’t really know what I’m tipping you for.’”
“There’s not really anything complicated or complex about giving me coffee.”
And Brooklynite Andre Dior, who claims he’s been urged to tip retail workers at apparel shops, agreed.
“How,” he shrieked. “How did gratuity jump from food to clothes? I’m confused.”
“Everything is ‘tip, tip, tip,” Dior moaned. “What are we doing?.”
