A woman has reignited the debate over digital tipping etiquette in a TikTok video that has now gone viral.
In the clip, TikTok user Aubrey Grace acts out a scenario many of us have experienced: the immense (and uncomfortable) pressure that comes from being asked to tip using an iPad.
Grace acted out the family scene with a friend, pretending to be a barista and asking a customer to pay for his drink.
“Iced chai will cost $6.49. Put in your card and it will ask you for some directions here,” he says in the video, turning the iPad to reveal a screen with options to tip 15%, 20%, 25% or a custom amount, or not. tip at all.
The overlay on the screen reads: “the pressure to tip” as the woman pretends to be the “customer” and then scrolls through the options as the “barista” closely watches her hesitant finger.
Many users agreed that digital tips were inconvenient and pressured them to do so.@aubreygracep
“The awkward moment when they can see what you’re tipping,” Grace writes in the video’s caption.
The video has garnered more than 1.7 million views, and thousands of people agree that it’s an awkward position they’ve found themselves in before.
“I used to feel really awkward but now I just hit ‘no tip’ and walk away,” one person commented on the video.
“I’ve been to both ends of this situation, it’s awkward either way,” added another.
“Unfortunately, about 60% of my paycheck comes from those tips, so it really hits us hard,” one user noted.
Research shows that digital tipping options typically result in customers leaving a tip ranging from 18% to 30%, and sometimes even more, but some say they refuse to tip for self-service experiences, which have labeled as “guilt tips”.
It’s not the first time the digital tip indicator has come under fire on TikTok, with users regularly making fun of being asked to tip at self-service restaurants or sometimes even clothing stores.
“Advice for waiting in line ordering myself paying and picking up the order myself? Yes, I think not,” stated one user, adding that the tips are for “waiters and drivers.”
Others say that people should shame businesses, not people who are uncomfortable about tipping.
“Imagine shaming people for not tipping but not shaming businesses for underpaid labor,” one user wrote, while others agreed.
“The bad thing is that companies should pay their employees more,” added another. “Instead, baristas have to rely on tips to earn a living wage. So yes, please tip.”
Source: nypost.com