Tipping to the top? Three conceptual replications on tipping tendencies in the non-WEIRD world

Purpose Most tipping studies from actual field settings have been conducted in Western, educated, industrialized, rich, and democratic (WEIRD) societies, typically in the United States. Because tipping practices are culturally contingent, the current research sought test the applicability of former findings in a different cultural context. To this end, we examined the replicability of US-based tipping studies in the majority world – where most people live – through three conceptual replications conducted in Turkey. Design/methodology/approach We carried out three field experiments (Ntotal = 694 dining parties corresponding to 1737 consumers) as conceptual replications of published US-based tipping studies. Dining parties either received a blank check or a check with (a) the words “Thank you” added, with or without the server’s name included (Study 1); (b) a “smiley” drawn (Study 2); or (c) the words “Wish you a sunny day” written (Study 3). Tip amount, tip percentage and tip likelihood were analyzed depending on the assigned condition of the dining parties. Findings Across studies, most dining parties engaged in tipping irrespective of treatment. However, compared to receiving a blank check, tip amounts and tip percentages significantly increased by receiving a check with (a) the words “Thank you” added, especially when the server’s name was included (Study 1); (b) a “smiley” drawn (Study 2); and (c) the words “Wish you a sunny day” written (Study 3). Tip percentages were considerably lower than those reported in former US-based studies. In fact, the conditions with the highest tip percentages in the current studies fell far below the conditions with the lowest tip percentages in the original studies (i.e. the control conditions), indicating cross-cultural variability in certain tipping tendencies. Research limitations/implications The present studies generalize prior results in a different cultural context. From a managerial viewpoint, this research attests to the robustness and replicability of seemingly subtle tipping strategies, documenting that small details can benefit servers and possibly also the restaurants in which they operate. Practical implications Managers in the service and hospitality sectors can use the results reported herein to train and educate their employees in ways that generate practically relevant and economically significant boosts in customers’ tip amounts and tip percentages. Originality/value Studies 1–3 replicate some of the main results from prior research in another part of the world, with different cultural values and norms. Importantly, however, some results clearly diverged from prior findings, suggesting that certain tipping tactics may be contextually sensitive and, hence, might not generalize from WEIRD societies to other cultures. Considering repeated calls for more generalizable theories, these results add nuance to the tipping literature.