Tipflation

Tipflation and tip creep are terms to describe the United States' recent widespread expansion of gratuity to more industries, as opposed to being traditionally only prevalent in full-service restaurants.

Touch-screen digital payment systems run by companies like Clover and Square include gratuity prompts that are often visible to nearby members of the public and the service worker.

All three companies manufacture integrated hardware and software services which not only have expanded the ability for small businesses to accept payments by card or contactless, and at the merchant's discretion come with prompts to add gratuity.

[1] These systems, most frequently in the form of a tablet, can request a tip prior to receiving the full completion of a paid service.

The format of the tablet also displays, either directly through the screen or through hand movement patterns, how much a person tips to not only the employee, but also everybody else waiting in line.

Additionally, these credit card tipping benefits are only being provided to Starbucks stores which have not unionized, further dividing the company's baristas.

While journals, newspapers, and other mediums of media have previously published on abolishing tipping in the United States, such as a 2015 episode of the CollegeHumor series Adam Ruins Everything, tipflation is widely credited with popularizing the movement to a broader audience.

[19][20][21][22] Some response videos made by TikTok creators, themselves servers, have incited viewers to publish comments themselves reasserting the practice of optional tipping, arguing that bad service doesn't deserve gratuity.

[23] One video in particular reported on by CBS News expressed the request to tip on a worker simply pouring the customer a glass of water.

A CNBC report published in early June cites statistics released by Bankrate showing that fewer Americans always leave a gratuity, including for dining at restaurants.