'I was asked for a tip at a SELF CHECKOUT': People Share the Most Ridiculous Times They Were Asked to Tip

Author image for Elna McHilderson
Elna McHilderson • Managing Editor
Jun 15, 2024 12:00 PM EDT

"I was asked for a tip at the SELF CHECKOUT at a self service frozen yogurt place. Who gets the tip? Me???"

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  • Have you ever worked in the service industry? It's quite the wild ride. You form close trauma bonds with many of your coworker and you grow a strong distain for most of humanity. At least that's how it tends to be in the good ‘ole USA. Half of the service industry, like servers and bartenders depend mostly on tips. Where as service industry employees at places like fast-food restaurants or cafes usually get paid minimum wage. However, they all ask for tips. So when is it a good time to tip? Well, as someone who worked multiple positions in the service industry for many years, I definitely agree that you should not have to tip a vending machine or at the self-serve checkout. And yet, the tip is still requested. Times are hard and minimum wage is barely livable if at all, so, perhaps tipping in every situation is appropriate. But then again, it should not be up to the customer, it should be the company’s responsibility to pay their employees better wages. 

    Below are times people felt like they were taking crazy pills when they were asked to tip for 0 customer service. Where do you draw the line with tipping?

  • 01
    "Worker complaining I didn't tip...It was completely self-serve though!"
    via davedugdale via Flickr
  • 02
    Worker complaining I didn't tip A while back, I went into a Subway to buy a water. The cooler was near the door so I grabbed a bottle, brought it up to the register, paid $3 for a Dasani, and hit 0 on the tip page. The cashier scoffed at me and as I was walking away the worker behind her asked if I had tipped and the cashier said no. The other worker scoffed and rolled her eyes, clearly annoyed I didn't tip. I was a bartender and server for years. I get people rely on tips and I love tipping in
    via One_Proposal_3317
  • 03
    Alethi 19h ago . I was asked for a tip at the SELF CHECKOUT at a self service frozen yogurt place. Who gets the tip? Me??? ✩ 6.4K ☐ Reply
    via Alethi
  • 04
    PancShank94 21h ago • I was asked to tip the cashier at Dollar General a few days ago. hits wild. 6.8K Reply
    via PancShank94
  • 05
    BodiesDurag • . 19h ago Edited 16h ago You wanna hear my story about Subway? I went and asked for I think, steak, and mozzarella on a foot long, along with the typical toppings. The lady proceeds to ring up the sandwich, and charges me 3x steak and 3x mozzarella because she put 3 of those little tubs on it. The sandwich came out to $28. TWENTY-EIGHT DOLLARS. For a foot long.
    via BodiesDurag
  • 06
    I told her "I'm not paying $28 for a Subway sandwich" And she said something like "that's the price" or something. I legit walked out. That was 2 years ago, almost to the day, and I swear to god I'm never setting foot in another subway from how bad a taste that left in my mouth 1.7K Reply
    via BodiesDurag
  • 07
    tila1993 20h ago • Had a kid at a mom and pop hotdog place tip himself 22% on my drive thru order. Caught it while signing and changed it to no tip. Handed the machine back to him and watched him reselect his 22% tip. Called back and spoke to the owner and was like that kid needs to learn that that's illegal and he could have faced charges for steeling. And drilled into her head that if someone had posted about it on facebook her business would be severely affected. 647 Reply
    via tila1993
  • 08
    Mercuryshottoo • 20h ago Honestly I had a similar experience at a local bar. Ordered 2 draft beers, tipped $2. I went in later for the next round and she and her friend sitting at the bar were passive aggressively talking sh*t about bad tippers. I'm sorry $2 isn't enough for 4 minutes of work? And I'm already paying like $8 for the beer. I feel like such a boomer but JFC. Brb gotta go yell at some kids near my lawn 2.6K Reply
    via Mercuryshottoo
  • 09
    Riklanim • 20h ago Two worst instances of tip requests I have experienced. 1. At a concert a couple of years ago, the POS device prompted for a tip when I bought a concert shirt. I clicked 0% and of course the girl at the counter made a point to bring up the no tip option I chose, with all the attitude to be expected. 2. Second one somehow makes the first one seem reasonable by comparison. Was buying bicycle parts from an online vendor and was prompted for a tip at the checkout page... "? 125 ☐
    via Riklanim
  • 10
    Mediocre Superiority 21h ago . I've been a service worker at a number of jobs. A lot of workers do not seem to know or understand that a tip is a gratuity-- something freely given. I would never say a word to a customer who did not tip or tipped poorly. However, I would make jokes with co- workers about it but not within the customer's ear-shot! Those Subway workers were out-of-line and rude.
    via Mediocre_Superiority
  • 11
    Also: for a bottle, can or packaged food that simply needs ringing up by the cashier? I don't feel there's ever a need to tip for that. I mean: do we tip the checker at the supermarket, even if we have a massive cart with 50 items in it for doing what that Subway employee did for a single item? No, we do not. 522 Reply
    via Mediocre_Superiority
  • 12
    helixontheleft • 20h ago Edited 18h ago I went to a Poke bowl place twice for a Celsius energy drink: The first time, I went up to the cooler, grabbed it, and checked out. I added a tip. The guy was super nice to me. Then, later on, I asked myself why I even tipped; I did everything. The second time, it was the same worker, and I did the same thing except I didn't tip. His attitude completely switched up. It's crazy at this point, and I'm a server. Edit: spelling 154 Reply ...
    via helioxontheleft
  • 13
    oxiraneobx 20h ago • People making $15/hour at fast food is not the same as wait staff/bartenders earning $1.75/hour and depending upon tips to make a living. I'm not tipping fast food. 73 Reply
    via oxiraneobx
  • 14
    Thundercock780 • 19h ago Went to a liquor store the past weekend... grabbed 2 bottles of wine for a family dinner. I walked around alone, found the bottles alone, grabbed them & walked them up to the front alone. The girl rang them through. Said my total was like $57 or something. I gave $60 cash. The girl goes to put my change in the "tip box". When I held my handout to take the change, the girl rolled her eyes and kinda gave a dirty look.
    via Thundercock780
  • 15
    Truly couldn't believe a liquor store even had a tipping option!! There is little to no customer service happening. Like I'm giving you $2 to stand at the front the store and take payment. This tipping getting out of hand!!! is truly 11 Reply
    via Thundercock780
  • 16
    emogirl450 16h ago I don't understand how people don't realize that companies are the ones pushing tipping culture on more and more positions/ industries because if it gets accepted then they can legally start paying workers less and less per hour, just like servers now. ↑ 9 3 Reply
    via emogirl450
  • 17
    Daladain 18h ago • I went to visit my friend in Michigan years ago. We Stopped by his girlfriend's coffee shop "the parrot" to visit and check the place out since he was showing me around town. I didn't buy any coffee, sit at a table or anything that required service. I bought a tshirt with the coffee shops logo on it. She tried to add a 25% tip to the purchase. I said "the shirt already cost me $30, why would I tip for it?". She was not happy with me for the rest of my visit. ↑ 8 д Reply
    via Daladain
  • 18
    ZzChalk 17h ago . Went to a pasta shop in the North End of Boston and at checkout the option was 18, 20, or 25%. For them to ring up pasta in a box, off. ↑ 7 B Reply
    via ZzChalk
  • 19
    SolusLoqui · 18h ago . The employee with an iPad taking coffee orders at a drive-thru coffee stand complained I hit "no tip". Dude, you don't even run a cash register. On top of that, it was cold brew coffee. I watched the "barista" pour it out of a 12 oz can into a cup of ice. ↑ од Reply ...
    via SolusLoqui
  • 20
    Nonenotonemaybe2 18h ago I went into a new chicken place a while back. The prompt asked for 25%,30%,40%. 1 asked if they were taking my tray to my table. And the guy said "no, you come back for your food when I call your number". I was literally the same set up as a burger King or mcdonald's. I work for tips, I did not tip. The food was trash too. Never going back. I've been working for tips for many years and even I think tipping culture has gotten out of hand. I'm sorry but standing at a regis
    via Nonenotonemaybe2
  • 21
    • Drkmagi 8h ago I ordered pizza at work which I did fairly often, I work security. I would always give a 5 dollar tip which usually comes to between 20 to 25% of the bill. We had a new driver one night he pulls in and gives me my food. I paid with a credit card but had the money to tip with cash. I handed him the 5 and he said "Really how am I supposed to get gas and stuff when people give tips we don't get regular wages". I told him he shouldn't have gotten what I gave him considering it's abo
    via Drkmagi

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service industry story tip culture dinning server waiter customers funny server tip debate tipping fine dinning server life minimum wage entitled dining experiences r-entitled waitress Reddit restaurant work restaurant server entitled people service industry funny dinning
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