Woman Says Tipping Machine Accused Her Of Putting In A 'Bad Tip' After She Refused To Leave Money For A $10 Smoothie
She pointed out that all she was doing was ordering and picking up her smoothie.
@breathe_strength / TikTok A woman claimed that she was shamed after refusing to leave a tip for a pick-up order.
In a TikTok video, Charlotte Muller ranted about the "tipping culture" and pointed out that it's getting extremely out of hand after she was asked to tip on a smoothie order when all she was doing was ordering at the counter and picking it up.
She says the tipping machine accused her of leaving a 'bad tip' after she refused to leave money for a $10 smoothie.
"Tipping is getting out of hand. I went to a really popular smoothie establishment two days ago to get my fiancé an Açaí Berry Boost," Muller began in her video. She explained that after ordering the smoothie, the cashier rang her up and she was shocked at how the drink was more expensive than she originally thought it would be.
Muller was told that the total of the smoothie would be $10.51. “In my head, I’m like, ‘Oh that’s an expensive smoothie.’ But it’s literally Long Island, like fine. Then she goes, ‘Do you wanna round up?’ I’m like, ‘No, how about you round down?’ I didn’t say that, so then I pay with my card, and I’m prompted to leave a tip, and it’s automatically highlighted at 20%."
Upon seeing that she was being asked to tip on the tablet machine used in many food establishments, Muller was confused, especially since all she was doing was ordering the drink and picking it up from the counter when it was ready.
She acknowledged that when she goes to a sit-down restaurant, she'll leave a tip, but felt it was unnecessary in this situation.
"I’m literally paying top dollar for this smoothie, so I click, ‘No tip.’ Then an alert comes up on the credit card machine all in caps, it says, ‘BAD TIP.’ When I tell you I stood there and waited for my smoothie, embarrassed," Muller recalled. "I literally got shamed from a credit card machine."
Many people in America are experiencing 'tip fatigue' and are less inclined to tip for takeout orders.
While customers are still encouraged to tip 15% to 20% of the pretax bill at restaurants, in a post-pandemic world where the cost of living has increased exponentially, many people are feeling less inclined to leave tips on orders they are picking up, such as Muller.
According to CNBC, when it comes to takeouts, customers are tipping less, coming down to 14.5%, on average, after having climbed earlier in the pandemic.
Per a report from the Wall Street Journal, it was found that the average tip at quick-service restaurants, which includes cafes and coffee shops, fell from 17.2% to 15.2% from March 2021 to the end of February 2022.
Muller's experience and the phenomenon of "tip fatigue" serve as a reflection of the shifting societal landscape where tipping, once looked at as a gesture of appreciation, is now becoming a source of discomfort.
While that may be the case, it's important to realize that tipping is still the main source of income for many food service workers, and despite certain circumstances where leaving a tip might be up for debate, in traditional settings of sitting down at a restaurant and being served by a restaurant employee, tipping should be expected.
Nia Tipton is a Chicago-based entertainment, news, and lifestyle writer whose work delves into modern-day issues and experiences.