Are You Tipping Less?

Let's face it. Thanks to sky-high gas prices and costly groceries, everyone's a little more strapped for cash. The other weekend, my boyfriend and I were buying groceries for a barbeque and on our way out, he dropped a dollar in to the tip bin for the guy that bags his groceries. Shocked, I asked him how often he does that, and he said, whenever he has it on him. It occurred to me that since I almost always debit my purchases, I never have change-though I can't say I'd be more inclined to drop in the tip jar if I did. (Note: I realize this may make me a bad person.) Well, it seems I'm not the only one. Workers whose livelihoods are heavily financed by tippers are starting to see a downturn in generosity. And the Delaware Senate has even gone as far as to increase the minimum wage for service-industry workers.

In an ailing economy, we are all looking for ways to cut back but, is it fair to tip less when the level of service is arguably the same?