Australians’ tipping habits are not keeping pace with higher menu prices, new research shows, as household costs soar and diners grapple with pandemic-era hospitality charges.
A report by Lightspeed Commerce, using payments platform data, found that the average tip amount dropped in August to 8.1% of a total bill.
This is the lowest amount in four years recorded by the point-of-sale and software company, and the first time it has dropped below 9% since early 2021.
The article says that 0.52% of transactions have a tip, and the average tip is 8%.
At 0.52%, it’s a stretch to describe tipping as a ‘habit’. Most of that is probably American tourists or people fat fingering the tip prompt.