Published2 July 2022, 11:05
The Germans are more generous than the Romands when they leave a tip. And older people open their wallets more.
Rounding up to the next franc occurs in 95% of coffee cases.
20 minutes/Simon Glauser
In Switzerland, tipping has been optional since the introduction in 1974 of the concept of “service included”. But customers often leave a little more, especially in restaurants. Nearly 95% of Swiss leave a tip in restaurants, as shown by a survey of 500 people by the market research institute GFS for the Cler bank. In other places, customers are much less numerous to untie their purse. At the hotel, in a transport service such as a taxi or at the hairdresser, the tip rate is 50%.
Difference between German-speaking and French-speaking
A rösti graben is observed. The German-speaking Swiss have a greater propensity to give than their French-speaking compatriots, the former spending on average 53% more on tips than the latter. As for the motivations for being generous, for just under half of those surveyed, the main reason is the low level of service providers’ salaries. For a quarter of respondents, it is only because it is part of good manners.
There are big differences by age. People between the ages of 18 and 39 are the most reluctant to tip. The gap is particularly large with people over 65. In this age group, at least 20% more than among 18-39 year olds say they tip in hotels, taxis or hairdressers. As a general rule, people who earn more also tip more. About a third of respondents add 10% to the asking price. Hardly anyone gives more and most are below 10%.
Few refractories
But 4% of men still say they never tip. For women, this percentage drops to 1%. Here once more, there are clear differences between the different linguistic regions: while in Romandie, 5% of those questioned refuse to give a tip of any kind, only 2% say so in German-speaking Switzerland.
Manners expert Katrin Künzle understands that younger people are more reluctant to lend a hand. “An apprentice cannot afford much.” The older people are, the more refined they tend to eat. For the expert, “It is easier to tip a multi-course meal with good service than for a pizza with a cola.” In addition, young people tend to pay by card and Twint, especially since the pandemic.
(fpo/jbm)
