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May 13, 2008 8:45:08 AM CDT

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Service Sector Sees First-Hand the Economy's Tipping Point  

Posted Apr 29, 08 3:50 PM CDT in Business    Most Covered

(newser) – Restaurants across the country have been dealing with shrinking dinner rushes as the economy slows, a trend that's hit their waitstaffs flush in the wallet. Though exact figures are tough to come by, anecdotal evidence suggests tips are falling, the Los Angeles Times reports—a big problem for the third-largest US employer, and for other service-sector employees reliant on gratuities.

“People who used to give us $10 give us $5," says one LA dog-groomer. "People who used to give us $5 give us just $2 or $3 or maybe nothing. We don't ask why. There's not much we can do.”

Source Los Angeles Times

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Service Sector Sees First-Hand the Economy's Tipping Point
A waitress takes an order while a customer sits at the counter of the Blue Bell Diner in McConnelsville, Ohio, on Saturday, March 1, 2008.   (AP Photo)
Service Sector Sees First-Hand the Economy's Tipping Point
"I am just not getting paid as much as I used to. It's not because I am spending more money on gas or other things," one restaurant-goer explains of why she's leaving smaller tips.   (AP Photo/RIA Novosti, Dmitry Astakhov, pool)
Service Sector Sees First-Hand the Economy's Tipping Point
With the economy weakening and food prices rising, tippers are feeling a lot less generous.   (Getty Images (by Event) Individuals)
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