6th February 2008
The art of tipping appears to be in decline unless you’re a cabbie or a hairdresser!!
Excluding restaurant waiters who universally seem to be tipped, the findings from a survey by Budget Van Insurance discovered that 81% of UK households no longer tip tradesmen for a job well done, while just over half (56%) still feel obligated to tip a cabbie and 57% tip their hairdresser.
Unsurprisingly nearly two thirds of women 66%, tip their hairdresser compared with only 38% of men. The big question is why 34% of women didn’t tip their hairdresser – was the outcome not to their liking ?
Reflecting the increased professionalism of skilled tradesmen, only 5% of plumbers and 6% of builders receive a tip. Only 4% of electricians got a tip – shocking - and just 3% of plasterers. This compares to nearly a quarter of the public (22%) who tip bar staff, a rubbish 12% tip dustmen and 9% tip milkmen.
But why do we favour certain groups over others? The survey found that 42% of the UK tip because they think it’s ‘the custom’, with another 29% linking it to the perceived low wage earnings of the service provider. Overall women are more generous than men with 60% tipping compared with just 42% of men.
Lisa Corston, Budget Van Insurance:
“It appears that tipping is fast becoming a thing of the past as we no longer see it necessary to give a tip to all service providers. This does not seem to be the case for cabbies or hairdressers where ‘custom’ dictates that a tip is still paid, but for other sectors gone are the days of cash settlements – and it looks like the tips have gone with it!”
