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Given how omnipresent tipping is these days, many customers are unsure where it is and is not an appropriate place to tip.
Most of the time, not tipping when one doesn’t think a tip is appropriate will result in nothing more than a few upset stares, if there’s any reaction at all. However, occasionally, service workers will confront those who don’t tip, leading some customers to wonder whether they were in the wrong for not leaving gratuity.
A recent instance of this behavior has the internet talking after a video on the subject. The video comes from TikTok user @beastandabeauty, and it’s accrued over 308,000 views. Was this worker right to confront her?
What Happened After This Diner Didn’t Tip?
At the start of her video, the TikToker appears rattled. She says she’s “not sure what the f—- just happened.”
According to her, she went to a sandwich shop and ordered a sandwich from their menu. She also purchased a drink. In order to pay, she had to go to a second window. There, she says she was prompted for a tip.
“I pressed ‘No’ on a tip, and the transaction went through, and [the employee] said, ‘You didn’t tip me,’” the TikToker recalls.
A tense conversation ensued in which the TikToker was questioned about why she didn’t tip, to which she responded that she was simply getting a to-go order.
“She goes, ‘Well, everybody tips us. … We’re making your sandwich for you,’” the TikToker recalls. “ And I said, ‘Isn’t that what your hourly salary, hourly wage is for?’”
The whole interaction, the TikToker says, left her “dumbfounded.”
“I am all for tips where it’s deserved—you know, bartenders, servers, waitresses, you know, your hairstylist. … I am all for leaving a tip when it’s a service job, that you have given me a service for in an appropriate tip,” she explains. “But all I did was walk to the window, order, and take it with me. Why should I have felt guilty [for] not [having] left a tip on an $8 sandwich that was on your menu?”
Where Should You And Shouldn’t You Tip?
As rules of etiquette are ever-changing, it’s hard to make any declarations about where it is and isn’t appropriate to tip.
That said, studies have been performed to see where people tip, giving Americans a good idea as to where it’s appropriate to leave gratuity.
For example, a 2024 Bankrate study found that two-thirds of Americans always leave a tip at sit-down restaurants. In contrast, only about one in 10 Americans leaves a tip for takeout food orders. This indicates that tipping in this situation is more discretionary than customary.
Not only do many people not tip for takeout and fast-casual food, but according to research from Technomic, more than 60% of Americans believe that fast food restaurants should not ask for a tip. An additional 17% believed that asking was OK while clarifying that they personally would not tip.
Commenters Have Thoughts
In the comments section, users agreed that tipping has gone too far. Many offered their own rules for determining when it is appropriate to leave a tip.
“The way I look at it is. If I’m standing up and ordering and leaving, no tip. if I sit down and I’m being waited on, tip!!!” said a user. “That is my rule.”
“Tips are intended for those making ‘TIPPED MINIMUM WAGE’, which is typically less than minimum wage,” observed another.
For context, the federal tipped minimum wage is $2.13 per hour. Though, it may be higher in some cities and states.
That person added, “The tipping culture is getting insane, and I’m sick of it!”
“No matter what, the sandwich maker should not have confronted you,” declared a third.
BroBible reached out to @beastandabeauty via TikTok direct message and comment.
Content shared from brobible.com.