Vegas tipping drops drastically as visitors say service doesn't match higher costs

Declining tourism and high prices are hammering tip income for some servers across the Strip -- Tipping in Sin City is reportedly down by as much as 50% among servers, as some of them blame the economy and policy while others point to high prices, a tipping backlash and poor service. On Reddit's r/VegasLocals forum, one cocktail waitress wrote, "I used to average about 80 cents a drink. Now I'm averaging about 10 cents." -- https://www.foxnews.com/food-drink/vegas-tipping-drops-drastically-visitors-say-service-doesnt-match-higher-costs

It's Fox Nooze, so the truth of this reporting is dubious at best. As cocktail servers' tips aren't collated or reported, there's no way to know if they have in fact decreased. The "testimony" of a single waitress on an Internet forum is hardly definitive, especially since she claims that people are tipping her one-eighth as much as they used to. Doubtful.

I'm sure there are disgruntled tipped employees everywhere, but in my observation, good service is still adequately rewarded by customers. Anyone who has been visiting Vegas for a while knows that every employee's burden has increased due to staffing cuts. That cocktail waitress at whom you got mad is probably covering a larger area than she should have to. A proactive waitress would recognize this as an opportunity to hustle and increase her income. Or...she can gripe on social media.

I really doubt that there are all that many people who withhold or reduce tips because it took five minutes longer to get their drink.

   Complaints from servers in Las Vegas regarding tipping practices center around several key issues: - Decreased Tipping Revenue: Some Las Vegas servers have reported a significant drop in their tips, with one waitress claiming tip revenue decreased by half compared to the previous summer. This decrease is linked to factors like: Customer dissatisfaction with service quality: Some visitors feel the quality of service has declined while prices have increased. "Tipping fatigue" and negative perception of tipping culture: Customers are expressing annoyance at the increasing prevalence of tip requests, including situations where tips weren't previously expected (e.g., fast food). High prices and resort fees: Visitors feel "ripped off" by inflated prices and fees in Las Vegas, leading them to be less generous with tips.

No documentation of or proof for the dubious Fox Nooze claim that tipping has dropped "drastically," or at all. The testimony of a few disgruntled servers means nothing.

Of course, Fox Nooze doesn't adhere to the same standards of proof or accuracy that legitimate news outlets do. This is an opinion piece and should not be treated as fact.

I wonder if the taxes they save on tips will make up for the lost tips themselves.   Hmmm.

There is no reason to exempt tips from income tax, anyway. Tips are income, and there's nothing special about them. It was a  MAGA attempt to maybe buy a few votes.

If Vegas waiters and waitresses are seeing less tip income, it might be because of the huge drop in visitation. I really, really doubt the silly Fox Nooze contention that people are tipping less because they're feeling ripped off. Anyone who's not a fool knows that your waitress isn't the one who charged you $22 for that sandwich. Why punish her?

It's the Canadians and Europeans that don't tip....that should rile up the Canucks.

If that was true, then the waitresses' tips should have increased...right?

"I used to average about 80 cents a drink. Now I'm averaging about 10 cents."

-Some person allegedly speaking to Fox News

I can believe a cocktail waitress could have said that in the past 20 years. Talk is cheap.

I cannot believe it's been true anywhere in Vegas in the past 20 years.

Including at the Lucky Club during the Dubya Admin.

Of course...it was Fox Nooze, so the truth of that "reportage" was...dubious. Sure, they found somebody to grumble that nonsense. Probably at the end of a long shift when her feet were hurting. Very unlikely to be truthful, let alone representative.

Makes me wonder just how dumb Fox Nooze thinks its viewers are. Are we really to believe that this waitress, or any other, delivers TEN DRINKS and ONE PERSON gives her a dollar?

I'm perfectly willing to believe that their tip income is down. But there's no way to verify it, because they don't report their tips directly to management (they, of course, report them all on their tax returns, har, har). I ain't gonna shed no tears, though. Back when I worked in Vegas, a good cocktail waitress, working anywhere but the worst joints, could set aside enough money to buy a new car for cash in a year--and many that I knew did just that. It's still a terrific job in terms of making good money with NO skills and NO education (tits, yes).