Sailor Jerry Rum Exposes America's Tipping Habits!

NEW YORK, Dec. 6, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- With the arrival of the holiday season, so starts the busiest time of the year for the hard-working bartenders throughout the USA.  December 9th marks the first-ever Bartender Appreciation Day (www.bartendersday.com) and, to recognize those hard-working individuals, Sailor Jerry Rum has commissioned a survey to gauge the tipping habits of Americans, revealing some very interesting facts. 

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The survey, performed by Harris Interactive on behalf of Sailor Jerry Rum, found that the majority of Americans value a good bartender more than a stylish bar, reflecting the important role bartenders play in today's society.

Survey findings included:

• The majority of Americans think a bartender is more important than decor: 76% of respondents who visit bars agree a good bartender is more important than how trendy or stylish the decor of the bar is, showing how crucial the role of a bartender is to a customer's experience.
• Americans are good tippers: 74% of respondents that visit bars tip a bartender more than 15%, reflecting America's reputation as a nation of tippers.  Unsurprisingly, 74% of respondents also believe that the better they tip, the better service they will receive.
• The South has the best tippers: Respondents in the South are the most generous tippers, with 57% of those who visit a bar tipping a bartender 20% or more.
• Tipping is Sexy: 63% of female respondents who visit a bar find people who leave good tips for bartenders more appealing, while 60% of men find the same.
• Being a bad tipper can be a dating deal breaker: 44% of respondents who visit bars agree that they would never go out on another date with a person if they did not tip the bartender.  Of this, women lead the pack, with 51% saying they would not go on another date, with only 37% of men feeling the same way.
• Men, however, are better tippers: Perhaps because of the above, men who visit bars are more likely than women to leave large tips of more than 20%, with 57% of these men professing their generosity, compared to 50% of women.
• 21-34 year olds are the best tippers: Of all respondents who visit bars, people between the ages of 21-34 tip the highest with 61% tipping 16% or more, compared to only 47% of respondents over 45 years of age.

"Bartenders serve a hugely important role in society, and we want to encourage Americans to take the time to appreciate that," said Daniel Deephouse, Brand Manager for Sailor Jerry Rum.  "Bartenders can be friends, confidants and pillars of the community and, as the survey shows, their expertise can significantly improve the experience of being in a bar.  The time between Thanksgiving and New Year's Eve is the busiest time for bartenders and with that in mind, on December 9^th, we hope to see people across America show their appreciation!"

In addition to staging a series of events across the country on December 9^th to celebrate bartenders, Sailor Jerry is also running an online contest, where bartenders are encouraged to amass virtual tips from customers for the chance to win a cash prize.

For more information, visit www.bartendersday.com.

Respect his legacy, Drink Sailor Jerry Responsibly

About Sailor Jerry Spiced Rum

Sailor Jerry  Rum was created in the name and spirit of Norman "Sailor Jerry" Collins, the father of old-school tattooing. A man who never gave an inch on his ideals or compromised his work. It began with a mom and pop company based on Sailor Jerry's art, motivated to keep Sailor Jerry's heritage alive. With the intent of creating something as enduring as The Man's legacy, they partnered with William Grant & Sons and the rum was born. Sailor Jerry is the original 92-proof  rum. A straight-up, no-nonsense, old-school spirit. Blended the way it should be. Bold and smooth. It's crafted with distillates from the finest Caribbean distilleries — selected, blended and spiced by William Grant & Sons' formidable blending team. The unique recipe of all-natural spices and flavors delivers a rich smooth taste characterized by top notes of vanilla and cinnamon. Since the rum was founded, the brand has been absolutely committed to sustaining authenticity and originality in all forms,  supporting all walks of creative individuals who feel as strongly about the nature of their work as Sailor Jerry did about his.

About William Grant & Sons

William Grant & Sons, Ltd. is an independent family-owned distiller headquartered in the United Kingdom and founded by William Grant in 1887. Today, the luxury spirits company is run by the fifth generation of his family and distils some of the world's leading brands of Scotch whisky, including the world's most awarded single malt Glenfiddich^®, The Balvenie^® range of handcrafted single malts and the world's fourth largest blended Scotch Grant's^® as well as other iconic spirits brands such as Hendrick's^® Gin, Sailor Jerry^® Rum, Tullamore Dew Irish Whiskey and the award-winning Milagro^® Tequila.

Abbreviated Methodology

This survey was conducted online within the United States by Harris Interactive on behalf of Sailor Jerry Rum from November 18-22, 2011 among 2,078 adults ages 21 and older. This online survey is not based on a probability sample and therefore no estimate of theoretical sampling error can be calculated. For complete survey methodology, including weighting variables, please contact Dan Griffin at [email protected].

Full Methodology

This survey was conducted online within the United States between November 18^th and 22^nd, 2011 among 2,078 adults (aged 21 and over) by Harris Interactive on behalf of Maloney & Fox via its Quick Query omnibus product. Figures for age, sex, race/ethnicity, education, region and household income were weighted where necessary to bring them into line with their actual proportions in the population. Propensity score weighting was used to adjust for respondents' propensity to be online.

All sample surveys and polls, whether or not they use probability sampling, are subject to multiple sources of error which are most often not possible to quantify or estimate, including sampling error, coverage error, error associated with nonresponse, error associated with question wording and response options, and post-survey weighting and adjustments. Therefore, Harris Interactive avoids the words "margin of error" as they are misleading. All that can be calculated are different possible sampling errors with different probabilities for pure, unweighted, random samples with 100% response rates. These are only theoretical because no published polls come close to this ideal.

Respondents for this survey were selected from among those who have agreed to participate in Harris Interactive surveys. The data have been weighted to reflect the composition of the adult population. Because the sample is based on those who agreed to participate in the Harris Interactive panel, no estimates of theoretical sampling error can be calculated.

SOURCE William Grant & Sons