Service workers left in the lurch as Americans cut back on tipping

With lockdowns over and inflation rising, tips are shrinking in industries that depend on them - from gig work to restaurants

Tipping has been essential in the US for generations, but it's becoming increasingly rare to leave a few $1 bills out on the table - now when we pay for an Uber, buy a coffee or order takeout, a screen demands to know how much we want to tip, putting the ethical decision into clear focus. Thirty per cent? Twenty per cent? A measly 15%? Would anyone dare go lower than that?

Before the pandemic, Carlos Tavares says, he got as much as $75 in tips a week driving his gray Toyota Camry for Uber - nothing life-changing, but a nice bonus after working long shifts in New York City. Now that's fallen sharply, he says, to $20 to $30 a week. I don't really know why," he says. Maybe people are just trying to save money."