Customer Shopping Online Is Asked To Leave A Tip — 'Who Is It Going To? The Mailman?'
This might just prove that tipping culture has gotten totally out of control.
voronaman | Shutterstock Many people feel that workers who provide exceptional service deserve a good tip. After all, they brought us everything we needed while we ate dinner, were friendly as they drove us to where we needed to be, or made our drink just the way we like it. However, does a company deserve a tip if it didn't actually provide a service?
One man was left confused after he was asked to pay a gratuity before completing his purchase while shopping online. He took to social media to call the company out and find out how others felt about the strange situation.
The online shopper was asked to provide a tip before checking out.
In a TikTok video posted by Noah Miller (@whiteboyonthebeat), he showed his computer screen while online shopping from an unnamed company. However, Miller was surprised to find that the company asked him to fill out a tipping prompt before completing his purchase. “Online shopping and this company asked for a tip??” he wrote in the text overlay of the video.
PeopleImages | Shutterstock
The screen showed a prompt asking Miller if he would like to provide a 5%, 10%, or 15% tip, or a custom tip amount that would apparently go towards the company he was purchasing from. The question left him scratching his head, wondering who that tip money could possibly be intended for.
It is considered standard for customers to tip service workers, such as restaurant servers, taxi drivers, hair stylists, and bartenders. If they provide exceptional service, the acceptable tip amount is typically around 15 to 20% of the total bill. However, it's a bit strange to ask for a tip on a purchase where a service is not being provided.
Commenters were shocked to hear about Miller's experience.
Miller was not the only one who believed that the tipping prompt was strange. Other TikTok users didn't hesitate to express their shared disagreement. Many were left wondering what the point of asking for a tip was, and if it might've been a money grab for the company. One user wrote, "they asked for money after you done all the shopping??"
Other users shared their own stories of when they were unreasonably requested to tip. "A paint your own pottery studio asked me for a tip after I picked my own pot, got my own paints, painted it, and cleaned up after myself," another user revealed.
“I got frozen yogurt and they asked for a tip like I didn’t just make it myself,” a third user added. Most agreed that, if the service is being performed by the customer, such as preparing your own food or shopping for yourself, a tip is not necessary.
While tipping is a standard practice in the U.S., many people believe that it has gone overboard in recent years.
Tipping is meant to display extended gratitude and appreciation for workers who provide a service to customers. However, many people, over one-third of Americans to be exact (41%), believe that tipping culture has gotten out of control, according to a survey conducted by Bankrate.
lunopark | Shutterstock
Forty-one percent of U.S. adults also argue that companies should pay their employees better so they do not have to rely so heavily on customer tips. Tipped workers often receive an hourly wage that is much lower than minimum wage, as tips usually make up the rest of their paycheck.
Nowadays, it seems as if every company is urging its customers to provide a tip, whether it be in coffee shops or even online shops, as in Miller’s case. While tips are a tangible way to demonstrate your appreciation for customer service workers and your understanding of all their hard work, they are not always necessary. For example, customers are not generally expected to tip companies while online shopping. So, unless Miller was receiving personalized services from the business, there is no reason for him to provide a tip.
Megan Quinn is a writer with a bachelor's degree in English and a minor in Creative Writing. She covers news and lifestyle topics that focus on justice in the workplace, personal relationships, parenting debates, and the human experience.
