"I’m Not Cheap, I Swear!" One Diner’s Tipping Dilemma Has The Internet Divided

A 28-year-old? No, it’s Reddit, so the age doesn’t matter as much as the vibe. This diner is convinced they’re not “cheap,” they just keep hitting “0%” on certain tip prompts and immediately spiraling like they just committed a social felony.

They’re the kind of person who tips like their mom taught them, 20% minimum, especially for waitstaff, delivery drivers, stylists, even the apartment maintenance crew. But lately, those tablet-style checkout screens keep popping up with suggested tips for everything, and today they got stuck on a pickup order where the restaurant recommended 15% even though they walked in, picked it up, and watched food get assembled.

Now they’re asking, basically, if tipping has turned into a sneaky extra tax, and the comments are about to split the room right down the middle.

The OP finds themselves manually tapping “0%” for certain transactions and immediately wondering if they’ve committed a social crime.

BBC

Original Post

Right off the bat I think people will get the wrong impression about my tipping habits. My mother works as a waitress and I have worked in food service so certain professions I tip generously and typically consider 20% to be the minimum even for poor service. I always tip waitstaff, the maintenance staff at my apartment, delivery drivers, hair stylists, etc.

More and more however I have noticed that as the new kind of electronic cash registers become more prevalent (the kind that look like a tablet on a swivel.), I keep finding myself manually setting the percentage to 0 for things that I really don't think I should tip for. Today for example, I ordered food for pick up, walked to the place and found that they had a suggested tip of 15%. I genuinely don't know if I'm in the wrong here but I feel like since I walked to the store, and they just assembled it, a tip is not warranted and that it's suddenly being treated almost like a tax that combined with sales tax adds 30% (10% sales tax + 20% tip). You don't tip the guy who bags your groceries, why tip the people who assemble the food? So, AITA for occasionally refusing to tip? And if AITA, how do I determine when to tip? EDIT 0: How do you guys feel about Subway sandwich style places? The type where you stand on the other side of a glass partition and someone assembles your food while you tell them what you want? I typically only tip of they recommend something or give me something extra(not that I ask for free extras or anything)

Let's see how the Reddit community reacted.

Deleted user

NTA.

kanap

It's totally acceptable not to tip if the service wasn't amazing.

ErrantJune

To hell with that!

Quannoi

That shouldn't be a thing.

stunning-stasis

You only need to tip for sit down service.

commissionerdre

This is also like the relatives arguing with her when she felt overwhelmed and considered breaking Christmas tradition.

They don’t rely on tips for their paycheck.

nanettehimmelfarb

Okay, but what kind of restaurant was it?

nafafonafafofo

No need to tip for pickup.

GreatWhiteNorthExtra

I do the same thing.

Saywhatwant

No service, no tip.

your_gender_my_taint

YTA.

actualdisasterbi

Someone still had to put the food in a box.

evnthlosrsgtlcky

The OP’s whole “I tip 20% like it’s a rule” backstory crashes headfirst into that pickup screen showing a 15% suggested tip.

Then they bring up the “Subway-style” setup, where you stand behind glass and someone assembles your sandwich while you watch, which is exactly where the tipping arguments get weird.

The post even includes that edit about only tipping when the screen suggests something extra or when they actually get something added, not just because a prompt exists.

Right after that, the comments start declaring “no need to tip for pickup” while others demand the OP stick to sit-down rules, like it’s a secret restaurant constitution.

As digital prompts become the norm and suggested percentages creep higher, more people are quietly wondering where generosity ends and obligation begins.

For the OP, it’s not about being stingy — it’s about clarity. And judging by the heated responses online, they’re far from the only one trying to figure out the new rules of gratitude in a world where even grabbing your own takeout can come with a side of guilt.

If the app keeps asking for 15% on pickup, the internet is going to keep choosing sides, and OP is not backing down.

Still unsure about family boundaries, read how she handled excluding her thalassophobic brother from a yacht wedding.