Woman Shares A List Of People She Will Not Be Tipping In 2024 And People Are Divided
Her ideas don't necessarily line up with commonly accepted etiquette.
New Africa / Shutterstock One thing that is constantly up for debate is tipping. Who should you tip? How much should you tip them? As more and more service providers expect to receive tips, answers to these questions become harder to come by.
One woman on TikTok is taking matters into her own hands by deciding there are certain people she will not be tipping in the new year. She’s sparked quite the discussion by doing so.
A woman on TikTok told viewers that she will no longer be tipping in 2024.
Certified Personal Trainer, Justice, made a list of three categories of service providers that will not be receiving tips from her in the new year.
She explained why she felt compelled to make this decision, “Tipping culture is out of control,” she said. “This is a list of people I’m not tipping in 2024, and I’m not gonna feel guilty about it.”
1. Drive-thru and to-go services
The first group on Justice’s list was “any drive-thru, self-serve, walk-up, to-go food orders.” Justice insisted that she would not be tipping anyone who had a minimal hand in her food orders.
“I’m not tipping at the drive-thru, I’m not tipping for fro-yo, I’m not tipping for Auntie Anne’s (yes, they ask for tips there now), and I’m not tipping on to-go orders,” she stated.
Some could easily argue that Justice doesn’t understand the work that goes into these kinds of jobs, but she does. “Yes, I have been a hostess and a server in a past life,” she said. As someone with experience on both sides of this situation, Justice felt she was qualified to make the call.
2. Salon services
The next group on Justice’s list was “beauty service professionals who set their own prices.” Her reasoning for this category seemed solid. “Anyone who sets their own prices, I will absolutely not be tipping you,” she shared.
Justice elaborated further and said, “The whole point of tipping a service professional is that you’re paying the business like double or triple what the employee is actually making during that service. So, if you’re both the business and the servicing employee, why would I pay more on top of that if you’re gonna obtain the full 100% of what I pay?”
3. Medical cosmetic services
The third and final group Justice said she is done tipping is “medical cosmetic procedures.”
She said this category brought up ethical questions when it came to tipping. “If you need a medical qualification or license in order to administer the service to me, I’m not giving you a tip. It goes against the code of ethics to accept tips for these types of procedures,” she stated.
Justice’s new tipping philosophy has opened up a debate.
Many commenters on TikTok agreed with Justice’s opinions on tipping. “Agreed! I detest the tipping culture here in the US,” said one person. “As a hairstylist, tips are appreciated but never expected,” another person chimed in, speaking from personal experience. A third person said, “Tipping for fro-yo I made myself is crazy.”
However, not everyone agreed with Justice. “Maybe I’m old-fashioned, but I actually like tipping people when they’ve done a good job,” one person said. Another TikToker felt differently when it came to to-go orders. “I disagree on to-go orders because I’ve seen them personally put your food together to ensure everything is in your bag,” they said.
A third person seemed to get to the heart of the problem when they said, “I always feel so pressured because they’re just watching you.”
The real answer to whether you should tip or not is not so black and white.
Actual tip etiquette is more nuanced than Justice’s list of where she felt she no longer needed to tip. For example, Southern Living spoke with three etiquette and restaurant experts about the topic of tipping on to-go orders. All three agreed that it was the right thing to do.
Restaurant owner David Gaus said, “A tip shows you have been noticed for the hard work you are doing when many times it can be a thankless job.”
Justice also didn't think it was necessary to tip beauticians who set their own prices. Southern Living took issue with this as well, looking at what to do when the hairstylist you use owns the salon. The answer is that yes, you should still tip them.
“Gratuity, or tips, are generally offered to an individual instead of the establishment and can sometimes be a significant portion of that individual’s income,” they wrote.
When it comes to cosmetic procedures, Justice was on to something. The rules here are very gray, as in some situations it can be illegal for a medical professional to accept a tip. However, according to the American Med Spa Association, there are certain circumstances in which tipping is appropriate, or there are providers with which it would be okay. Laws depend on your location.
Tipping is always a nice idea. However, it has become confusing in many situations because of societal expectations.
No one should ever feel pressured to give a tip, and making a New Year's resolution to only tip when you feel it is warranted isn’t a bad idea.
Mary-Faith Martinez is a writer for YourTango who covers entertainment, news, and human interest topics.