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A boba shop guest was stunned to see that the no tipping option was removed from the store's POS system. Is that now becoming standard?
The great gratuity debate has just logged another point of contention: Customers are now apparently being forced to tip. At least that’s what this boba customer said happened to them when buying a drink for their husband.
Upon picking up the beverage, Reddit user @oatmilkcappucino_ says they were presented with a POS screen.
“‘And it’ll just ask you a question,'” the Redditor recalled the boba shop employee saying, turning the screen around to let OP do their thing. However, the Redditor says they only saw four options on the screen—and none allowed them the option to forego a tip completely.
“There was no ‘No Tip’ or ‘Skip’ button. Only 18%, 25%, 30%(?!?), and ‘Custom Tip’,” they wrote.
Not wanting to leave gratuity on the drink transaction, the shopper opted for the “Custom Tip” selection.
They claimed they had to key in “$0.00” to forego a tip entirely.
Toward the end of their post, they vented their frustrations with gratuities becoming the norm.
“I am so tired of the entitlement with tipping culture where now they try to take away your options,” the Reddit user wrote. “They purposefully make it awkward, but that won’t stop me.”
Are Cafe Workers Right To Expect Tips?
There’s been no shortage of controversy shared online by folks regarding tipping practices.
Previously, a Starbucks customer said an employee called him out for not leaving a tip.
Many argue against tipping at places like coffee shops, as workers are paid hourly to the tune of $15-$17 on average, according to Glassdoor and ZipRecruiter. Whereas, at a place like a restaurant, guests sit down for ongoing service, and many of those workers rely on customer tips to make a livable wage.
Because of this, many consumers follow a general rule of “If I place my order while standing, I’m not tipping.”
No Tip Option
This isn’t the first time someone’s rallied against businesses seemingly forcing their guests to tip. Another Reddit user in a different post took a photo of a POS terminal that had a sticker placed over its “no tip” option. On the little black strip of tape was the word “Tip” with another sticker placed beneath it that reads, “Thank You.”
And then a Shake Shack customer claimed the cost of their food increased after they declined to tip. Prior to hitting, “no tip” they were going to be charged $18.46. After declining, they were notified of a “pricing update” on their items, which then brought their grand total to $19.96.
Shake Shack, however, told the U.S. Sun that a kiosk technology issue was to blame. “It is not Shake Shack policy, nor that of our licensees, to increase the price of menu items when no tip is added,” a representative told the outlet at the time.
BroBible has reached out to @oatmilkcappucino via Reddit direct message for further comment.