Rethinking tipping request: Examining consumer reactions in emerging tipping contexts

Abstract

Despite the rising dialogue of tipping fatigue and tipflation in various emerging tipping contexts (e.g., counter-service), little attention was given to understanding customer experiences and perceptions of this phenomenon. Drawing on two consumer experiments (N_{study 1} = 320, N_{study 2} = 414), this research reveals that requesting tips in emerging tipping contexts, such as coffee shops, can negatively impact consumer emotions, perceived tip deservingness of the service employee, and decision satisfaction. The negative effect of request tipping was found to be more detrimental when tips were requested at the pre-service stage (vs. post-service). However, visible service efforts can mitigate the negative effect of tipping requests across different tipping display stages, which is explained by positive and negative emotions. Theoretical and managerial implications are elaborated.