The Swiss are becoming more and more stingy when it comes to leaving a tip at restaurants. But it’s not really their fault. A recent survey by the Cler bank demonstrates this: the amounts left willingly to service staff have fallen by 40% in two years. However, nine out of ten customers continue to do so regularly, according to a representative study of 1,066 people.
If the windfall is falling so much, it is because the purchasing power of consumers has drastically decreased since the country has been suffering from high inflation and wages have not kept up. “The phenomenon spares very few people,” says Samuel Meyer, CEO of the institution.
This is the main reason for the decline, but not the only one. “Since tips have been taxed, we also receive a lot less of them,” says Nikola, a 27-year-old waiter in Zurich, interviewed by “20 Minuten”. Indeed, the constant rise of digital payments now means that tips appear in company accounts, and they can be counted as part of the salary. The figures also show that it is the 14-29 year-olds, who are increasingly less fond of cash, who are the least generous. “I never give anything, unless a delivery person has come a long way and is very nice,” says Emmanuel, 18.
One notable exception, however, is that people are more generous when they are in a relaxed mode. When they are on holiday abroad, a quarter of Swiss people who give extra give a higher amount than when they are at home.
