Has 'tipflation' hit the tipping point?
Talker Research has found many Americans are annoyed by payment device options that suggest tips for services with no human interaction. Credit: Getty Images / Sadi Maria
Digital payment apps on handheld terminals, tablets and kiosks have made it easier to pay for an array of consumer services. They have also made it easier for service providers to request a tip — even for services where tipping had been rare or nonexistent. As a result, many consumers say they are feeling “tipflation fatigue.”
Talker Research found that Americans are “reluctantly tipping” nearly $38 a month above their normal tip practices because they feel pressure from options presented to them on payment devices and worry declining to tip would be awkward. Most galling: tips requested for services that had no human interaction.
And in a Bankrate survey, 35% said “tipping culture” was out of control, with 34% especially annoyed when presented with a pre-entered tip screen on a payment device.
Water cooler talk
Water cooler maker Bevi estimates that current office attendance in the United States is about 60% compared with a low of 6% during the worst of the pandemic. Credit: The Boston Globe via Getty Images / Lane Turner
In a sign that many remote workers have returned to headquarters, the office water cooler is getting tapped again. Water cooler maker Bevi crunched data from thousands of its “smart” water coolers and estimates that office attendance is about 60% compared with a low of 6% during the worst of the pandemic. But the data also points to hybrid work: Mondays and Fridays typically see attendance of 50% or less.
FBI offers ransomware decryption
The FBI is reaching out to companies and individuals affected by LockBit ransomware, offering free decryption keys that can help victims restore their data. The agency began a massive operation in February to disrupt the Russian-based gang behind LockBit, which it says “was the most-deployed ransomware in the world” in 2022. Decryption help can be found at lockbitvictims.ic3.gov.
Robinhood buys crypto exchange
Robinhood will acquire European cryptocurrency exchange Bitstamp for $200 million this year if the deal gets regulatory approval. Credit: NurPhoto via Getty Images / Jakub Porzycki
Stock-trading platform Robinhood will acquire European cryptocurrency exchange Bitstamp for $200 million as part of the online brokerage’s expansion outside of its home market in the United States. The transaction, pending regulatory approval, comes about a month after the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission warned Robinhood it faces an enforcement action over its own crypto business. — BLOOMBERG NEWS
LI man admitted killing domestic partner ... 7 charged in money laundering scheme ... Track star can run ... Suffolk CPS investigation
LI man admitted killing domestic partner ... 7 charged in money laundering scheme ... Track star can run ... Suffolk CPS investigation
