It is well-known in America that a gratuity of 20% to 25% is pretty standard for a tip (before taxes), and the UK is looking to adopt this tipping style. British hospitality and service providers now routinely add gratuities to card payment machines. The UK citizens oppose the change, with some refusing to comply with this new policy.
The surge in demand for tips in the UK
Business owners are now applying a suggested tip on their card machines, which wasn’t previously the standard in the UK. According to the renowned contactless payment firm, SumUp, this phenomenon has exponentially increased by over one-third over the past two years.
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Even the cafés and restaurants have hopped on the train
According to The Times, the number of cafés and restaurants applying tip prompts on their card machines has increased by 78% in the last three years — but the Brits are not having it, their average tipping stayed between 10.2% and 10.6%.
The straw that broke the camel’s back
The Brits are used to restaurants asking them for a gratuity for their staff. However, it’s when they’re asked in a place that’s not used to asking for gratuity, such as pubs, that reportedly gets on their nerves and raises a lot questions.
People express their takes on tipping
Phil Inzani shared his strategy around tipping, garnered from his years running the Polo Bar in Central London: “With our system, the tipping prompt comes pre-programmed but I take it off.” He does that because he sees that there is no necessity to it and “it’s all a bit American.”
Inzani continues
Inzani thinks “It’s all a bit American. I’ve just come back from over there and it’s the norm, it’s just part of their psyche but here, we’re not like that.”
He continued, saying: “If I go somewhere and someone has gone that extra mile then I leave a tip but I don’t like a prompt. It’s a bit irritating and that’s the philosophy I have applied here.”
All venues are opting for a gratuity prompt now
Brits have seen a surge in places demanding from them prompted gratuities. For instance, hair salons, nail bars, and other beauty industries have seen an uptick of 6% when it comes to asking for gratuities. Additionally, there has been over a 12% surge in using tip prompts in venues.
The biggest surge
The biggest increase in tip demands was found in hotels and B&B industries. The demand has increased up to a staggering 112% over the last two years.
Some experts have stepped forward to advise Brits on how they should consider tipping — including handling the pressure to tip even if the customer thinks the service isn’t worth it.
Another expert chimes in
Etiquette Coach and founder of Polished Manners Laura Akano said that tipping is never obligatory in the UK. However, at the end of the day it is a, “nice thing to do.”
She also advised that a service fee is commonly added in restaurants, so go to the restaurant prepared instead of having to hassle with the staff there.
The tipping etiquette
Femail gave some handy tips on how much to tip the hairdresser, café, or restaurant, in addition to how and when to make an exception. Many restaurants, especially in London and other big cities, include a service charge of 12.5% to 15%. If the service charge hasn’t been added, the least you should offer is 10%.
Additional tips
If the service fee is already there, according to Akano, you shouldn’t feel obliged to add additional tips, unless you feel that the service was top-notch and worthy of appreciation. She also pointed out, “While it’s not mandatory, I would say that if you can’t afford a tip, consider not going out.”
