We should all treat people who work in the service industry with kindness. After all, they’re working hard to fulfill our wishes. One of the ways to treat them well is by tipping — you give them some extra money to show your gratitude for their work.

But sometimes, the tipping is taken too far. For example, when tips are being asked for somewhere that won’t likely benefit a server. Like in this woman’s case, when she was asked to tip an online store. This prompted her to question what she was tipping for.

More info: TikTok

The esthetician went viral on TikTok by providing her take on how tipping culture is getting out of hand

Image credits: janinecarriee

“I would like to take a moment to share the moment that I realized just how out of hand tipping culture is getting”

“And I say this as someone who works in beauty, right? So, as an esthetician, as an employee, I am not someone who sets my own prices. So, clients will come in expecting to pay the cost of the service, and then, typically, will add a little bit more for [a] tip. And none of that seems unreasonable. It’s never expected, [and it’s] always appreciated. But it’s reasonable that people tip for the services that I perform.”

“Anyway, back to the story. So, a few months ago, I ordered actually these earrings that I have on now. And I ordered them from a fairly major online retailer, and at the end of the checkout process, like just before I put in my card information, they said, ‘Do you want to add a tip?’ I said, ‘Excuse me?'”

Image credits: beautybyjrw

“Like what am I tipping for?” 

“The experience shopping online was as good as it can be. It was easy, quick, whatever. But what am I tipping for? There was no service provided here, right? Like I just ordered online, and so these companies need to start paying their employees properly.”

Image credits: beautybyjrw

Watch the video here

@beautybyjrw #stitch with @minna I just want an explanation #tippingculture ♬ original sound – janine | beauty + wellness

The video was posted by TikTok user @beautybyjrw or Janine. According to her bio and information provided in the video, she’s an esthetician and wellness enthusiast. And so, the videos she creates are related to her interests. With this content, she has a total of over 300 followers and over 34K likes. 

In the video, she calls out the tipping culture for getting nonsensical. This thought was prompted after the woman was asked to leave a tip on an online store. She said she saw this as a pointless thing, as there was no service provided. The woman also argued that employers should start paying their employees better instead of leaving them to rely on the generosity of customers. 

And she has a point in saying that. In the US, it is quite common for employers to deliberately give their employees low wages that do not cover living costs, making them hope that customers will tip them. This results in the customers having to pay 20–25% of the bill, even after buying something as simple as a bottle of water. 

Image credits: Sam Dan Truong (not the actual photo)

The tipping in the United States became a norm in the 1900s after drifting over from Europe. Then, in the 1960s, the US Congress decided on a so-called “tipping credit.” This means that the employer can pay the employee lower than the minimum wage if they earn tips. And that’s where the problem with the current tipping culture began. 

Yet, just as the TikTok creator mentioned in the video, tipping people who provide you with a service can be understandable. You tip for a job well done, one that you have seen or experienced being done. But tipping on online stores doesn’t sit right with many people online, not only with the video creator. This can be seen in the comments left under the video — a lot of people expressed their confusion with this kind of tipping.

Some even shared stories of how certain businesses make it hard not to leave tips in such situations or guilt-trip people into leaving some money. A few people even doubted that the employees saw the tips left at the online store. Basically, just as the TikToker implied, the tipping situation is becoming uncontrollable. 

Internet folks fully supported the woman’s take and even shared some of their own incidents with out-of-hand tipping

Image credits: Anna Shvets (not the actual photo)

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