When did it become rude to not tip 20% for someone just handing you a bag of food?
By @judey · Was I Wrong
I was picking up a takeout order with my daughter and the tablet they spun around at the counter suggested a 20% tip as the minimum. She got so embarrassed when I hit 'no tip' and now I feel like I'm from another planet.
The full story
It just feels like a different world sometimes. My daughter and I decided to get takeout from a little sandwich shop we've gone to for years. The total was about $40 for two sandwiches and two drinks, which already feels a bit steep, but that's a whole other story. When it was time to pay, the young person at the counter spun an iPad screen around to face me. The options were 20%, 25%, 30%, or a custom tip. I just tapped 'no tip,' paid the bill, and we stood to the side to wait for our food. My daughter looked at me like I'd just committed a federal crime. She was actually blushing. She leaned over and whispered, 'Mom! You can't do that!' I asked her what she was talking about. they said you *have* to tip, that everyone does, and that the workers are expecting it. I just don't understand. I remember when tipping was for the waiter who took your order, brought your food, refilled your drinks, and checked on you for an hour. It was a gratuity, a 'thank you' for good *service*. This person just took my order and handed me a bag. I wasn't waited on. There was no service to speak of. I tried to explain to her that I worked in a diner all through college and we earned our tips through hustle. We didn't just get them for showing up. they said I was being old-fashioned and that things are different now. I feel like I'm being guilted into paying extra by a screen. I'll happily tip for a real sit-down meal, but am I really the bad guy for refusing to do it on a simple takeout order where I did half the work myself by driving there to pick it up?
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