British consumers tip on average £4.21 following a meal in a restaurant, £2.32 for good service in a hotel, and £1.98 for staff in cafés or coffee shops, a new report has found.
The poll of 2,000 Brits, carried out by work uniform supplier Simon Jersey , found that, despite 74% of respondents considering themselves to be a good tippers, less than one in twenty said that they always pay a gratuity.
The research also found that gratuities will be £3.54 higher during the so-called “season of goodwill”, with one in 10 UK consumers saying that they’ll leave a tip during the festive period despite rarely doing so at any other time of the year.
Staff working harder and more anti-social hours are among the top reasons why customers will tip more, as well as being in a generally better mood, feeling more generous, or just feeling as though you should because it’s Christmas.
A spokesperson for Simon Jersey, which dresses more than half a million of the UK’s working population each day, said: “Tipping is something which is customary and not compulsory, but this can make it quite confusing as there are no hard and fast rules.
“Some people always leave 10% of the bill, regardless of how much this is, whereas others put down a random amount based on their experience or what they have in their purse or pockets.
“And it seems it’s not just the level of service you receive which is the deciding factor in how much money you leave as a tip, or even if one is left at all.
“Being polite and friendly is a big factor in whether any extra is left on top of the bill, but even the appearance of the server contributes to the tip left. A simple, smart uniform and clean and tidy appearance seem to all help when it comes to earning the biggest tips.”
