ATLANTA — A new survey shows fewer Americans plan to give holiday tips this season, though those who do tip are giving about the same or even more than last year.
Bankrate analyst Ted Rossman said the survey found tipping declined across all six service categories studied: housekeepers, childcare providers, landscapers, teachers, mail carriers and trash collectors.
“We actually saw that for all six of the categories that we asked about … all six are being tipped less frequently than last year,” Rossman said.
While fewer people plan to tip, Rossman said the amount given by those who do has remained steady or increased.
“We see this in a lot of arenas right now, where it’s higher-income households that are carrying a lot of the spending,” Rossman said. “Holiday tipping seems to be following the same lines.”
The survey also found women are more likely to tip than men, and older customers tend to tip more than younger ones. Childcare providers are seeing the largest drop in holiday tipping this year.
Rossman said the trend reflects what he called a K-shaped economy, where many households are cutting back while higher earners continue spending.
“While fewer people are tipping, those who are are generally giving at least as much as they gave last year, sometimes even more,” Rossman said.
Rossman added that holiday tipping should be based on what people can afford.
“I realize that money is tight for a lot of people,” he said. “We may want to tip everybody, but we cannot afford it. In that case, maybe think about who truly went out of their way for you this year.”
WSB Radio’s Sabrina Cupit contributed to this story.