If an establishment you entered is asking for tips, it’s a brightly lit-up sign that their workers aren’t getting paid a minimum wage. By relying on gratuity, businesses don’t have to raise their salaries while keeping prices relatively low. Unfortunately, over the years, such practice has gotten out of hand, with the option to tip being everywhere: self-checkouts, Airbnb, bathrooms, and even parks.
To prove how bad it has gotten, Bored Panda compiled a list of some of the most infuriating examples of tipping culture found online. Scroll down to see them, and be sure to share your own gratuity horror stories below.
While you’re at it, don’t forget to check out a conversation with finance experts Mafe Aclado from Coupon Snake and Michael Ashley from Richiest, who kindly agreed to share a few ways we can combat excessive tipping culture.
#1 Your Waitress Doesn't Have A Salary
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#2 Only In America Would A Restaurant Display On The Wall That They Don’t Pay Their Staff Enough To Live On
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#3 It's Getting Out Of Hand. Asked To Tip For An Online Purchase, When I Put $0, It Redirected Me To This
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Firstly, we wanted to get to the bottom of why gratuity has gotten so out of hand. “Traditionally, tipping was originally an act of appreciation, completely voluntary, not an obligation or expectation,” recalls Mafe Aclado, finance expert and general manager of Coupon Snake.
“Today, it has become quite the contrary,” she notes.
However, Aclado believes that it’s not the fault of servers, who all of a sudden became entitled to be tipped 20% or more, as some people might think.
#4 This Restaurant Covered Up The "No Tip" Option With A Sticker To Force Tipping
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#5 To Get A Tip
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#6 Be Careful When Tipping At Pins Easton
Their 20% option was 60%, their 25% option was 74%, and their 35% option which was more than my bill as a whole was 104%.
After letting the manager know about this he didn’t know why at first, but after investigation it seems their POS calculates the tip before any promotions or nightly specials. The night I went was a $2 fireball shot night, however they were calculating the tip for our bill as if the shots were $8 each.
I love pins, but this, their mandatory processing fee, and no allowance of cash is making it hard to justify buying drinks there regularly.
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It’s rather the fault of inflation, the high cost of living, and societal pressure, according to Aclado. “For most servers, income doesn't go up with inflation, so they are forced to depend on the tips they receive in order to make up the difference from their income. Another reason for this is social influence; people feel tipping is a necessity, and they feel guilty for not doing it.
#7 Amazon Sellers Asking For Tips
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#8 Airbnb Is Asking For Tips After Charging A Cleaning Fee
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#9 I’m Sorry. What? This Is In Maui
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Meanwhile, financial expert and founder of Richiest Michael Ashley says, “I believe the tipping culture in the U.S. has gotten out of control largely because it’s a way for businesses to dodge paying fair wages. Employers can legally pay workers as little as $2.13 an hour, expecting tips to cover the rest.”
#10 I Got An Option To Tip At The Self-Checkout Lane
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#11 So Entitled
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#12 Tipping Culture Has Gone Too Far
A friend in Pennsylvania took this photo today. It might be a joke, but it’s very literally in the window of the bank without any indication of it being a joke.
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This means that customers are burdened to make sure workers earn a liveable wage, which “isn’t fair to either party,” says Ashley. “Over time, tipping has become more expected across various industries, even in situations where it wasn’t traditionally common, like grocery delivery or coffee shops. It’s also tied to systemic issues like racism and sexism, which makes the problem even more complex. Ultimately, it's a way for companies to maximize profits while passing the responsibility of fair pay onto consumers,” he explains.
#13 Just In Case You Were Thinking Of Tipping Less... Think Again
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#14 Deceptive Tipping Amount
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#15 Is This Passive-Aggressive, Or Am I Just Taking It Too Seriously?
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If tipping culture continues to progress, Aclado believes that it will increase financial burden and reduce satisfaction for both customers and employees. “The fact is, we live in an economy where money is tight, and the truth is that it is only a matter of time before today's excessive tipping pressure becomes unbearable for customers, causing them to withdraw their patronage, and this would affect businesses profit, and their ability to increase employee wages.”
#16 Tipping - No Words. Bought An Iced Latte Close To Port Credit Go Station, And Saw The Suggested Tipping
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#17 The Diner I Went To Has A Separate Line To Tip The Cook
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#18 This Bag Of Coffee Beans I Bought (In The US) Has A QR Code That Lets Me Tip The Farmer (In Africa)
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Ashley believes that if tipping culture escalates, it’s going to result in greater unfairness to employees. “Workers will be increasingly dependent on the whims of customers to make a decent living, which is incredibly unstable and unfair. This could exacerbate stress and burnout among workers, especially in service industries.”
#19 This Can’t Be Real
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#20 I Just Booked A Flight Using The Hopper App. Who Am I Tipping?
I enjoy tipping service industry workers. This is downright absurd.
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#21 How To Sneakily Charge Tips Twice?
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“Customers might also start feeling more resentful as they’re expected to tip for more and more services, potentially leading to a backlash against tipping altogether,” he further explains. “If we don’t address the root issues like the sub-minimum wage, where both employees and customers will suffer, we'll continue to see growing economic disparity.”
#22 Dashers Going To Start Eating My Food To Survive At This Point
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#23 Suggested Tipping Is Getting Way Out Of Hand
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#24 Can't Order A Takeout Unless I Tip "Restaurant Employees"
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To prevent this from happening, Aclado recommends setting a limit on how much tip they are willing to leave. Meanwhile, Ashley believes that people need to push for the abolition of the sub-minimum wage so all workers are guaranteed a fair wage without having to rely on tips.
#25 Finally, I Can Leave A Tip For My Local Gas Station Bathroom
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#26 No. I Would Not Like To Tip On Amazon
I just wanted to buy a pet memorial for a friend whose dog passed away. Has anyone else been asked to give a tip on an Amazon purchase? Unbelievable.
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#27 I Can't Check Out Without Submitting A Tip
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“Some businesses have already started experimenting with tip-free models, where they pay their employees higher wages and incorporate that into their pricing,” he notes. “This approach can work if it’s done thoughtfully, with transparency about pricing so customers understand where their money is going. Also, raising awareness about the origins and implications of tipping can help shift public opinion and encourage more people to support these kinds of changes.”
#28 Please Consider Getting A New Job
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#29 How Much Should I Tip For A Walk-In Haircut?
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#30 “That’s Totally Up To You”
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#31 The Park Near My House Has A Card Reader To Tip $5 For The Beauty
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#32 The Tipping Culture Is Getting Out Of Hand. This Was At A Beer Garden In Boston Inside A Portable Trailer Toilet. No Attended
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#33 DoorDash Made Me Think I’d Forgotten To Tip. They Actually Just Wanted Me To Leave A Second Tip
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#34 Good God Now Even Websites Want You To Tip Them
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#35 The “Suggested Tips” Section On The Receipt From The Hipster Bar We Were Just At
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#36 You Can Only Order From The Kiosk
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#37 What Is Going On In The UK?
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#38 Our (Not Cheap) Airbnb Has A Tip Jar
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#39 Went To A Medical Office, And They Were Weirdly Asking For Tips For Their... Nurses? I Also Have No Idea Why Their Desk Looks So Hairy
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#40 Has Tipping Culture Gone Too Far?
So I went out last night to a bar in Nulu, but after ordering two drinks which took less than 2 minutes to serve I came across this. Is this a common thing now? Why it doesn’t give you an option for 8%, 10% or 15% tip seems baffling to me. But hey, maybe I’m exaggerating, I’d like to know yours opinions.
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#41 Tipping Websites Now?
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#42 I Took A Taxi In Vegas. Not Only Did They Charge A $3 Fee But Also This
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#43 A Water Park In Hungary Is Asking For A 0–20% Tip For A Self-Serve Kiosk That Sells Popsicles And Drinks
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#44 Raising Canes Has The Audacity To Charge A $5.99 Delivery Fee, A $2.13 Required Tip, And Still Automatically Picks Up A 15% Tip In The Optional Tip Box
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#45 Local Dunkin’s Way Of Begging For Tips
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#46 There Was An Attempt To Get A 20% Tip
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#47 The Local UPS Store Now Has A Tip Jar
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#48 A Local Thai Restaurant Has A Tip Jar Specifically For To-Go Orders
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#49 I Was Supposed To Get $36 In Tips, But I Only Got $27
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#50 Wait, If I Pumped The Gas Myself, Am I Tipping Myself?
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