In many cultures and countries, tipping is a normal practice. Tips are given to customer service workers at places where people are performing a service. The most common places where people tip are at restaurants and other food establishments. Most people tip based on the “quality” of the service they receive from the person waiting on them.
There are also common tipping amounts — such as 15 percent of the overall bill. However, there are some instances where individuals feel like tipping is not needed and prefer not to tip at all.
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One person online shared the story of “removing” a tip
CardiologistSilly926 shared on Reddit that they were unsure if they were in the wrong for having a tip removed from their bill while eating out. They shared that at Subway, a chain sandwich shop, she and her husband each ordered a pretzel, and her nieces each had a footlong sandwich sub. She also got a drink along with her meal.
Subway is not a restaurant where people wait on customers at a table
Although it is a food establishment, Subway is not a restaurant where people wait for customers at the table. Instead, customers order at the register and the employees construct their sandwich subs at the counter.
The woman on Reddit shared that aside from getting the sandwiches and pretzels handed to them, the employee handed her a cup and a straw for her beverage.
When the woman checked out, she noticed something odd
When checking the couple and children out, the person at the register automatically added a 20% tip to their bill. The woman said the tip came out to $8.51 on top of their food.
The Reddit user was not pleased that the customer service employee added this automatically and felt that it should be removed from the bill because technically, they weren’t waited on like at a sit-down restaurant.
She shared her reasoning:
“I said I do not tip where I have to stand to order my food, get my own drink, and clean up after myself,” the Reddit user wrote.
In addition, she shared that she lives in Washington state in the United States, and the minimum wage there is $16.28 an hour. However, she feels that “tipping pressure” is real in her state and that this isn’t the first time she has seen a place automatically add a tip to something.
Despite this, she feels it doesn’t warrant someone adding it automatically.
Many online agreed with her
People feel that tipping has gotten “way out of hand.” Others said it could be against the law.
“Automatic gratuity is only legal if you are properly notified. Secretly tacking it onto the bill isn’t legal. I’m not sure if that link is the best or only way to report them, but it’s what I found. If go ask on legal advice or ask lawyer about all the ways to report them,” said Daninomicon.
Others who work in the service industry even agree
Those who work in service even say they agree and that it should never be automatic.
“I’ve worked in the food service industry for over 20 years, 16 years of that as a barista, so half my life I’ve worked tip based jobs. Tips should not be automatic, they should be earned. You should be given the option to pay extra for better service, not forced to pay for great service and then receive mediocre service,” wrote spytez.
Some individuals say tipping isn’t required anywhere
While sit down restaurants expect tips, many said it’s not required there either.
“Even in sit down restaurants, tipping isn’t mandatory. Of course you SHOULD tip, but if the service is poor, you aren’t obligated to give any specific percentage tip. Definitely speak to the manager if you have poor service,” added AdventureWa.
And many realize how much tipping can hurt your wallet
“I’m a really generous tipper. Like $20 on a $60 tab if the service is good. At the end of 2022 I realized I was spending a lot of money, and I realized that tipping 10-15% at places like vape shops, subway, Dunkin, etc really adds up. I still tip when needed at places like nail salons, estheticians, photographers, out to eat, etc because they’re doing a service,” wrote Breaking-Chemist73.
They continued: “Why tip someone $3 because they went behind the counter to grab a cup that they’re already getting paid hourly to do so? Tipping culture is getting so ridiculous. I’m a firm believer in finding a new job if tips are that important.”
Some say that America has gotten out of control with this
“Americans are being nickeled and dimed to death already, and then you have all this tipping nonsense. My favorite pizza place charged a $2.00 general service fee last year and that was not a fee that included a tip. Needless to say I haven’t been back since,” agreed jeremyworldwide.
They continued: “Consumers aren’t supposed to subsidize employee wages for a business. It’s insane Subway automatically charged you this fee. I’m in TN and will check my receipt every time from now on. It’s outrageous, and that money is essentially going straight into the CEO’s pocket by default, since they make millions and you are now paying a percentage of their employees salary when you tip.”
One person even said that they were asked to tip at a store
One person shared their experience. “I walked in a store, picked out a baseball cap and went up to the register. Waited about 10 seconds for someone to appear. Rang me up, turned the screen around which I thought was for my signature. I was a bit taken back it was a tip screen. I had to press other and then 0 on the next screen to get to the signature. Bought a hat, was I supposed to tip? I feel bad for those who legit work for tips, this culture is ruining it for them,” confessed codal1119.
Do you agree with the majority — or should she have kept the tip on the bill?
H/T Reddit
