Via iStockphoto / @savrumer18 TikTok
Sav Rumer (@savrumer18) showcases her beat-up vehicle and wonders why the Starbucks employee expected a tip from her.
Tipping culture is fatiguing Americans, as they believe it’s simply gotten out of hand. Every order now ends with the option to leave a tip for the service, and people are sick of it. One Texas woman declined to tip in the Starbucks drive thru, which caused an outburst from the barista.
In a TikTok photo series with over 2.7 million views, Sav Rumer (@savrumer18) showcases her beat-up vehicle and wonders why the Starbucks employee expected a tip from her.
Rumer shares that the Starbucks barista threw a tantrum when she selected no tip on her $8 drink.
“Just selected no tip at Starbucks (on my $8 coffee) and the barista out loud goes ‘oh my f- god’ and shook his head,” the on-screen text reads.
Bothered by the reaction from the drive-thru worker, Sav wanted to display what her current vehicle is looking like. Simply put, it is a straight-up clunker.
“Mind you, this is me in the drive thru,” the on-screen text reads.
Rumer’s sedan is missing the front bumper entirely from a hit-and-run incident. “Does it look like I can afford a tip,” she captions the post.
UPDATE: Rumer told BroBible she doesn’t tip at Starbucks for a variety of reasons.
“I do not tip at Starbucks, the coffee is expensive and the workers get paid over minimum wage and do not rely on tips. I tip when service is exceptional or a worker goes above and beyond. I believe all service workers should be paid more but I cannot single handily make up their wage when I myself make probably less than them. I tip bartenders and servers who make $3 an hour and absolutely rely on tip,” she shared.
‘Tip Culture Has Gotten Insanely Out Of Hand’
Viewers in the comment section said they believe tipping culture in America has gone too far.
“Expecting a tip when you get paid an hourly wage is crazy,” one TikTok commenter wrote.
“Tip culture has gotten insanely out of hand,” another added.
“I don’t understand tipping for coffee. I drove to you, placed my order, you made it, I paid for it, and you get paid hourly. For some reason, you want me to tip you for doing your job,” a third chimed in.
“Hit him with the ‘You should unionize, babe’ and drive over the curb to assert dominance,” one joked.
One commenter went after Rumer for not tipping, but she believes it’s not necessary if the worker makes above the minimum wage.
“I crashed my car because I’m an idiot so I can’t afford to pay your wages,” one commented.
“Someone actually hit ME and drove off so I can’t afford to tip at an establishment that already pays the workers over minimum wage,” Rumer replied back.
One viewer chimed in by mentioning that food service workers should focus on demanding higher wages from owners instead of relying on customers tips.
“Expecting a tip for making a coffee is insane. Why is American tipping culture literally the most pointless thing ever,” one wrote.
“Cause their wages are hilarious, but capitalism in the USA works so well that food industry workers are mad at customers for not tipping instead of being mad at their bosses for not paying them a decent wage,” one replied back.
Do Starbucks Baristas Expect A Tip?
Many Americans believe that tipping culture has been simply out of control, as some places have even eliminated the no-tip option entirely. However, tips have been integrated into more and more establishments as a way for workers to make more money. Instead of paying workers a higher wage, they have passed the burden down to customers.
Barista Magazine reports that most baristas depend on tips to make a livable wage. The national annual salary for a barista is $32,343 with a $15 an hour rate, ZipRecruiter shares.
UPDATE: Starbucks’ compensation exceeds the average national wages, according to a spokesperson for the company. “Competitive wages are the cornerstone of Starbucks benefits. In the U.S., our hourly retail partners (employees) earn an average of over $19 per hour. More details of the way we support our partners can be found here,” Starbucks representative Reggie Borges told BroBible.
However, not all coffee shops will pay barista $15 an hour. The current federal minimum wage is $7.25 an hour, the Labor Law Center reports. While some states are at $15 an hour, not all states have the luxury of a higher hourly minimum wage.
What Tips Mean For Baristas
So tips can make a big difference in barista paychecks, especially for baristas working at $7.25 an hour. Tips can be a nice boost as inflation continues to soar prices across the board.
Food & Wine shares that in an ideal world customers wouldn’t need to tip a barista for coffee since they will make a good income from the business itself.
Unfortunately, that’s not the way the current system is set up. Businesses can get away with paying lower hourly wages and rely on customers tipping well to provide the barista with livable wages.
While tips aren’t required, they are always appreciated by baristas. Maybe one day America will adopt similar hospitality practices and payment structures as European countries, but, until then, a dollar or two can go a long way for a barista.