Customer's Hilarious Response To a Tip Prompt For a To-Go Order Sparks Online Discussion

Another thought-provoking discussion on the tipping culture in America was sparked by a Redditor on the forum r/EndTipping. While the name of the forum is enough to suggest how fed up people are with tipping, the user r/matterri provided another talking point that suggests tipping has gone out of control. The user shared their story of how they were asked to tip for a pickup order and their hilarious response to the request has drawn the attention of fellow Redditors.

The Redditor’s Story of A Tip Request For a To-Go Pizza Order

In the post, the user said that her husband had placed an online order for a pizza to go with a restaurant. The order was paid for online and nothing was put for the tip as it was a to-go order. However, when the customer got to the counter to pick up the order, the guy at the counter said, “I noticed you didn’t leave a tip; I wanted to let you know that you can still leave one.” This particular prompt shocked the customer who hilariously replied “Good to know,” and left with the order, without leaving a tip.

The post received widespread response from users with the post receiving 320 upvotes and 111 comments from fellow anti-tippers. Almost all of the users supported the actions of the Redditor and supported not tipping for to-go orders.

One user shared how a similar thing happened to them when they were prompted by an automatic kiosk to pay a tip for a to-go order. The user said that when they selected no tips, the guy at the counter gave them looks of disapproval which made them feel like canceling the order and walking out. “That establishment lost my business though,” the user wrote.

Meanwhile, another user quipped back at the comments of the employee in the initial post. The user suggested that the customer should have asked for a free pizza like the employee asked for tips.

However, a fellow Redditor brought the attention of the feed to the other side of things. The user said there is a thread for waiters where the employees are arguing that they are entitled to receive 20-25% tips from customers.

Tipping Culture Is ‘Tipping Out Of Control’ In the US

The pandemic brought about a new tipping culture in the US when people started tipping for almost all services to show support to the service workers and businesses. However, while the restrictions are gone, the culture seems to have stuck with the businesses and employees.

Today, customers are facing tip prompts even at the automatic digital kiosks for to-go coffees, takeout orders, and other transactions that were previously free from tipping.

This has led to the coining of the terms “Tip fatigue” and “Tip creep” representing the customers’ frustration. Further, according to a recent survey, about two-thirds of Americans have developed a negative view about tipping. This is more evident in the case of contactless and digital payment prompts. About 30% of the people in the survey said “tipping culture has gotten out of control,” citing tip prompts ranging between 15% and 35% for each transaction.

The fire against the tipping culture has been fanned by increasing inflation which has caused the prices of necessities to go up. Even legal action against tipping is being considered in cities like New York, where legislators are trying to remove the tip credit system and establish uniform pay for employees.