Everywhere you turn, you’re being prompted to leave a tip. Tipping became a common way to show you appreciated great service — like in a restaurant or a salon. However, today, you can’t pick up a drink at a coffee shop or buy a donut without being asked if you’d like to leave a little extra cash behind.
A recent post on a popular internet forum had users discussing the weirdest places they’ve been asked to tip. Have you been asked to tip at these places?
1. Food Court
One Redditor was asked to tip at an Auntie Anne’s pretzel shop. And, to add insult to injury, the standard “No Tip” option did not display on the screen. So, they had to fumble through the custom tip for another 30 seconds to enter the zero tip manually.
2. Paint-Your-Own Pottery
You pay for your supplies and the time fee, and now, at some of the paint-your-own pottery locations, they’re asking if you’d like to tip. What for? Who knows?
3. Frozen Yogurt Shop
Menchie’s, a build-your-own frozen yogurt shop, now asks for tips at the register. You pick your yogurt, go get it, and add your own toppings. All the shop does is weigh it and hand you a spoon. What gives?
4. A Retail Website
One user expressed shock when asked if they wanted to add a tip after cashing out on an online retail store. You wouldn’t have seen these requests years ago, but this is where we are today. It’s not expected to tip when shopping retail, especially when you’re doing so online.
5. Self Serve Restaurants
Many food stops have a self-serve model, especially coffee shops. The employees hand you an empty cup for coffee, and you head over to the station to pour and fix your brew up for yourself. But before you walk away, an option to leave a tip pops up on the checkout screen, and worse, the employee is watching as you decide whether or not to leave a few extra bucks.
A commenter expressed particular disdain for this model, frustrated because the only work the employee did was hand over an empty cup.
6. Convenience Stores
Another person stated they were asked to tip at a convenience store. While some gas stations have grab-and-go food prepared by employees available for patrons to grab, everything else in the store is self-service, from filling up soft drinks to grabbing snacks from the shelf. The principle goes back to tipping in self-serve restaurants: if you’re doing it yourself, should you really have to tip?
7. A Fast Food Restaurant
A forum member was surprised when they were asked to tip at a popular fast food restaurant. They said it felt a bit excessive, even though service workers are notoriously underpaid.
8. A Liquor Store
One respondent was particularly shocked over finding a tip jar inside their locally owned liquor store. Other commenters agreed, with one saying it was pointless to tip if they did the work of finding their bottle, bringing it to the register, and carrying it to their car.
9. A Medical Spa
This may be the craziest spot of all. After getting some Botox done, one person alleged they were asked to add a gratuity for their nurse on top of the cost of the procedure. Though this commenter stated her Botox was not a medical necessity, many choose to get injections to treat chronic migraines and pain, which begs the question: Does tipping belong in a doctor’s office?
10. The Dentist
One forum member shared that they were asked to tip their hygienist while paying for their annual dental cleaning—hard pass.
11. A Tow Truck Company
Not only did a commenter get stuck on the side of the road during rush hour traffic, they were asked to tip the tow truck driver who came to their rescue. Tip options started at 20%.
12. The Movie Theatre
After choosing a seat, one moviegoer accidentally clicked a button on the screen to leave a tip for the ticket seller at a movie theater. While this commenter was willing to tip the concession stand workers, they felt throwing a few extra dollars toward someone handing out tickets was a bit much.
13. A Pest Control Service
When getting their house fumigated, a forum member was asked if they wanted to leave a tip for the technicians who completed the service. Since they were put on the spot, they agreed but vented their frustration about tipping even being an option for work already paid in full.
14. An Ice Cream Truck
Several people mentioned being prompted to tip after purchasing pre-packaged popsicles for their kids at an ice cream truck. As one member put it, why should a customer have to tip someone for distributing a product that can be bought in every grocery store?
Source: Reddit.