BETA
Chapter 1
The surprising origins of the tip
Chapter 2
How the world handles gratuity
Chapter 3
The psychology and economics of tipping
Chapter 4
The rise of digital tip creep
YOUR GOAL
Master of The tipping debate
Ch 3 · The psychology and economics of tipping
sloane Swipe through checkout screens to learn how social pressure and wages shape tipping culture.
sloane Small behavioral nudges, like drawing a smiley face on a receipt, can measurably increase gratuities.
sloane Studies show that the quality of service has a surprisingly small impact on how much people tip.
Fun Fact
Smiley receipt drawings: Drawing a smiley face on a customer's receipt can increase a server's tip by 18%.
Glossary
gratuity (noun)
A sum of money given voluntarily to a person who has performed a service. Cornell professor Michael Lynn's research shows service quality accounts for only five percent of these payments.
A sum of money given voluntarily to a person who has performed a service. Cornell professor Michael Lynn's research shows service quality accounts for only five percent of these payments.
Quiz
How does dining in a larger group typically affect the average percentage of the tip per person?
Quiz
According to researcher Michael Lynn, what percentage of tip variation is actually decided by service quality?
Quiz
A 1996 study showed that drawing what symbol on a receipt increased server tips by 18%?
Quiz
What environmental factor, surprisingly, has been shown to slightly increase average tipping percentages?
Quiz
Which demographic group statistically faces the highest rates of customer harassment due to tip reliance?