美国经济如何影响付小费习惯？

Our first topic concerns the U.S. economy.

我们的第一个话题与美国经济有关。

What happens with it doesn't only apply to Americans.

美国经济的情况不仅适用于美国人。

It can impact many more people around the world.

还可以影响世界各地的人们。

And one indicator, one measure of that economy is the U.S. stock market.

美国股市是衡量美国经济的一个指标。

April was not a good month for it.

四月美国股市表现不好。

In that 30-day period, several major U.S. stock indexes saw their worst decreases since March of 2020 when the COVID pandemic was sinking in.

在四月的30天里，美国几个主要股票指数出现了自2020年3月（当时新冠疫情正在蔓延）以来的最大跌幅。

And the Nasdaq, a stock exchange that includes tech companies like Amazon, Apple and Google saw its biggest drop since October of 2008 when the Great Recession was taking place.

包括亚马逊、苹果和谷歌等科技公司在内的纳斯达克指数出现了自2008年10月大衰退以来的最大跌幅。

A lot of things contributed.

很多事情造成了这样的境况。

COVID cases have been increasing in China, and that country is so populated and so economically powerful that its strict lockdown policies don't only hit the Chinese economy, they can affect others as well.

中国的新冠肺炎病例一直在增加，这个国家的人口如此之多，经济如此强大，其严格的封锁政策不仅会打击中国经济，也可能会影响其他国家。

The ongoing war in Ukraine is creating global uncertainty. Investors don't like that.

正在进行的乌克兰战争正在给全球带来不确定性。投资者不喜欢这样。

The U.S. Federal Reserve is planning to raise interest rates again.

美国联邦储备委员会计划再次提高利率。

That might help reduce inflation but also might reduce economic growth.

这可能有助于降低通胀，但也可能减慢经济增长。

And the fears of a recession, a decline in the nation's economy, are also hurting stocks.

对经济衰退、国家经济下滑的担忧也在损害股市。

Another economic indicator is the U.S. government's monthly jobs report.

美国政府的月度就业报告是另一个经济指标。

The newest one will have information from April, and it's due out later this week.

最新的一份报告将于4月份公布，预计将于本周晚些时候公布。

American employers have added several hundred thousand jobs each month this year.

美国雇主今年每个月都增加了数十万个工作岗位。

And the unemployment rate, the percentage of workers who don't have a job, has been steadily decreasing, both good economic signs.

失业率(没有工作的人员的百分比)一直在稳步下降，这都是良好的经济迹象。

But while Americans average wages have also been increasing, they haven't risen enough to keep pace with inflation, the hike in prices for many things we buy.

但是，尽管美国人的平均工资也在上涨，但工资涨幅还不足以跟上通货膨胀的速度，通货膨胀是指我们购买的许多商品的价格上涨。

Last year, inflation rates rose to their highest level in decades.

去年，通货膨胀率升至几十年来的最高水平。

They've only gotten worse in 2022, and that's having ripple effects across the economy.

到2022年，情况只会变得更糟，这对整个经济产生了连锁反应。

At Stellina Pizzeria in D.C., the food has been hot and the tip steady throughout the pandemic.

在华盛顿的斯泰利纳披萨店，食物一直很受欢迎，小费在整个疫情期间一直稳定。

Have the tips been good during the pandemic?

疫情期间小费还好吗？

Oh, for sure.

哦, 当然不错。

But now, the staff, suppliers, customers, everyone is facing a tipping point, and service workers in some places are paying the price.

但现在，员工、供应商、顾客，每个人都面临着一个临界点，一些地方的服务人员正在承受损失。

Just ask Isabella Sarmiento, the operations manager.

问问运营经理伊莎贝拉·萨米恩托就知道了。

Tipping has grown a lot more complicated.

给小费变得复杂多了。

It has. You are not wrong.

确实。你说得没错。

The pandemic by many accounts pushed tips to new prominence in home deliveries, at takeout stands, food trucks, and in ride-sharing services far beyond the spots where many consumers were used to seeing them.

根据许多顾客的说法，这场疫情使小费在送货上门、外卖摊位、美食车和拼车服务中获得了新的关注，使用小费的地方远远超出了许多消费者惯常看到的地方。

At "The New York Times," food writer Christina Morales says that's left a lot of folks wondering, where to tip, when, and how much.

在《纽约时报》上，美食作家克里斯蒂娜·莫拉莱斯说，这让很多人对在哪里给小费，什么时候给小费，给多少小费感到疑惑。

What's driving a lot of this anxiety and confusion is the fact that these changes in tipping have happened so fast.

造成这种焦虑和困惑的原因是小费的变化太快了。

She says even the social norms for tipping have become unsettled.

她说，就连给小费的社会规范也变得不稳定了。

Noting one company which tracks credit card transactions found tips rose as the pandemic began, then leveled off, and now are falling amid the confusion and inflation.

一家关注信用卡交易的公司发现，随着疫情的开始小费价格上涨，然后价格趋于平稳，现在，在混乱和通胀的情况下，小费价格在下降。