Many consumers have displayed increased generosity to lessen the negative effects of the pandemic on fellow Americans. In industries where tipping is the norm, tips have increased dramatically. According to an article by BBC, Instacart tips increased by 99%. The restaurant industry is also seeing increased kindness. One restaurant employee in Texas received a $1,300 tip when the restaurant opened back up.
People are even looking to tip in industries where tipping is unusual. Adam Tschorn, the author of an LA Times article about tipping during the pandemic, asked etiquette expert Emily Post about giving U.S. Postal Service workers cash tips. She responded that not only it is not allowed by the U.S. Postal Service, it “also increases both parties’ risk of potential coronavirus exposure.”
What does this mean for the hospitality industry?
First, hospitality workers can feel optimistic about potentially receiving more generous tips. At the onset of the pandemic, TipYo’s founder Brian Walsh interviewed Bashar Wali, a leading hotelier. In that interview, Wali spoke about the importance of kindness during and after the pandemic and how he thought tipping was an expression of that kindness. Data from other industries indicates others feel the same way about tipping.
However, the exchange of cash increases risk for hospitality workers in the same way that it does for U.S. Postal Service workers mentioned above. The difference is that tips in the hospitality industry are normalized and allowed. These tips often accrue to a significant portion of workers’ income. Should hospitality workers have to choose between receiving cash tips or maintaining a safe distance from guests? What will the impact be to their income when guests are not carrying cash? In other industries where tipping is the norm, policies and technologies have adjusted to ensure workers can receive tips. The hospitality industry can do the same.
Our Touchless Mobile Tipping solution increases the take-home pay of hotel associates as it makes tipping easy and doesn’t require travelers to carry around cash in our increasingly cashless society.
When increased tips come from generous travelers, will there be a system in place to receive them? Or will the hospitality industry rely on the outdated practice of cash tips?
For hospitality professionals interested in discussing how mobile tipping can be easily implemented to benefit their workers, contact us today.