Customer Shopping Online Is Asked To Leave A Tip — 'Who Is It Going To? The Mailman?'

An online shopper was left confused after he was asked to pay a gratuity before completing his purchase. Other people were also perplexed, and believe that this is just one more example of tipping culture in the U.S. getting out of control. 

The online shopper was asked to provide a tip before checking out. 

In a TikTok video posted by Noah Miller (@whiteboyonthebeat), he records the computer screen that depicts him online shopping from an unidentified company. However, Miller was surprised after the company asked him to fill out a prompt before completing his purchase. “Online shopping and this company asked for a tip??” he wrote in the text overlay of the video. 

The screen demonstrates a prompt that asks Miller if he would like to provide a 5%, 10%, 15%, or a custom tip amount that will go toward the company. The question left him scratching his head, wondering if the tip is going toward the mailman. 

RELATED: Customer Claims He Doesn't Tip Based On The Cost Of The Meal — 'I Don't Care How Much The Bill Is, You're Getting Tipped Off Of Your Service'  

Miller was not the only one who believed that the tipping prompt was unnecessary. Other TikTok users expressed their disagreement. 

“That’s wild,” one user commented. “Who is receiving the tip?” another user pointed out. ​

Other users shared their own stories of when they were unreasonably requested to tip. 

“I bought a shirt at a concert and they asked me for a tip,” one user revealed. 

“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 wrote. 

“I got frozen yogurt and they asked for a tip like I didn’t just make it myself,” another added. 

RELATED: DoorDash Driver Criticized After Confronting Customer About Tipping Him $5 On A $20 Order — '$5 Is Enough'

While tipping is a standard practice in the U.S., many people believe that it has gone overboard. 

In the U.S., it is standard for customers to tip service workers including restaurant servers, taxi drivers, hair stylists, and bartenders. If they provide exceptional service, the acceptable tip amount is usually around 15 to 20% of the total bill. 

Tipping is meant to display extended gratitude and appreciation for customer service workers. However, many people, one-third of Americans to be exact, believe that tipping culture has gotten out of control, according to a survey conducted by Bankrate. 

Two in five U.S. adults argue that companies should pay their employees better so they do not have to rely so heavily on customer tips. Tipped workers receive a federal minimum wage of $2.13, per the U.S. Department of Labor. 

Nowadays, it seems as if every company is urging their 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 toward 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. 

RELATED: Uber Eats Driver Scolds Customer On Their Receipt For Not Tipping Ahead Of Delivery — 'If You Can't Tip Get Your Own Food'

Megan Quinn is a writer at YourTango who covers entertainment and news, self, love, and relationships.