Woman's Skipping Tipping Screen Resonates With Netizens Who 'Feel Like iPads Are Peering Into Their Souls'

The woman declining to leave a tip for employees she believed did not merit it is serving as an example for others. On March 17, Addisha Williams, a cow-print enthusiast and resident of the U.S. Virgin Islands, posted a video on TikTok, in which she pays with her cow print card in the video, and ignores the iPad screen's tipping option. She loves cow print accessories so much that she goes by the handle Cow_ribbean Print-cess on TikTok.

She then talks about not leaving a tip whenever she thinks the employees accomplished nothing. More than 775,000 people watched the video and left positive comments on TikTok. 

Another proudly said, "I always skip and smile at them." And someone else agreed, saying, "I don't let anyone pressure me into tipping when I don't think it's deserved."

The tipping process on iPads has become a big deal, and many people, like Crumbl Cookies customers, feel unsure about who they're actually tipping, especially when they see multiple workers around but none directly helping them.

One person (@Adriana) shared, "Once, a girl told me 'You don't have to tip if you don't want to,' and I pressed skip while she was still talking."

In a different situation, an employee at a self-serve yogurt shop felt a bit awkward about the tipping screen on the iPad. She even joked, "I wouldn't tip me either guys, it's okay."

One viewer @bella was also asked to tip a Frozen yogurt shop which she had to make herself!

This situation gets more confusing because experts don't agree on what to do. For example, Elaine Swann said, "When you get something at the counter, like at a self-serve shop, you don't have to tip."

But then there's another perspective. Bella Biagio, who has worked in the service industry for 35 years in Seattle, thinks we need to think differently. She said, "The problem is many people in these jobs don't make enough money to live on. So even though you're just getting something at the counter, maybe those workers still deserve a tip."

This makes things tricky for customers. One person said, "I feel like the iPad screen is staring into my soul."

Addisha Williams, when asked by the Daily Dot for her thoughts, said, "It was interesting to hear what everyone thinks. Most people don't like feeling pressured to tip, and it seems like we're being asked to tip everywhere we go these days."

She mentioned that the tip screen was at a coffee shop, but she was just buying two drinks that were already made and kept in the fridge.

Some businesses try tricky ways to get more tips. For example, they might add the sales tax to the total bill before suggesting a tip. In some restaurants, they make tipping mandatory by adding a fixed percentage to the bill, no matter how many people are eating. But many workers don't like this. They think customers should decide if they want to tip.

But it's not just restaurants. Other businesses are getting in on tipping too. You might see tip jars in places like dry cleaners or hardware stores now. This shows tipping is becoming common in places where it wasn't before. And even online businesses ask customers to tip employees they've never met. This makes it unclear when and where tipping is expected.

Follow Addisha Williams on TikTok (@cow_ribbeanprint_cess) for more such fun content.