A woman’s refusal to tip on a tip pad for employees who did “absolutely nothing” is inspiring others to do the same.
A U.S. Virgin Islands-based creator named Addisha Williams posted a TikTok on March 17 showing her proudly tapping the “skip” button on an iPad tip screen with a fingernail painted in a cow print pattern before holding up a cow print payment card to complete the transaction. She puts up content under the Cow_ribbean Print-cess (@cow_ribbeanprint_cess) name—as she gravitates toward cow print patterns in her accessories.
The on-screen caption adds to the message, cheekily asserting, “Me every time they did absolutely nothing and spin that pad around.”
The video has generated more than 775,000 views since going up, as well as some comments indicating that Cow_ribbean Print-cess has some solidarity among fellow TikTokers.
One commenter revealed, “One time this girl was like ‘don’t feel pressured to’ and I pressed skip as she was talking.”
“I hit the skip each time making eye contact and smiling,” another boasted.
Someone responded to that comment with, “This! It’s the people on here talking about they feel pressured or can’t look at them for me. That’s my money ain’t nobody punking me.”
Another said simply, “And I have no shame about it either.”
The iPad has added a whole new dimension to tipping and tipping culture, and judging from recent Daily Dot stories, consumers continue to feel put upon by tip requests for workers that many don’t feel merit tips.
Take, for instance, a Crumbl Cookies customer who wondered which worker he was actually tipping, given that “several workers [were] seen standing nearby, but not manning the iPad or taking orders.”
In another case, an employee at a self-serve yogurt shop actually felt embarrassed about the iPad tip screen at her business, noting, “I wouldn’t tip me either guys it’s okay.”
@cow_ribbeanprint_cess ♬ son original – memes sond box
The issue’s compounded by experts disagreeing on what to do, as captured by an August 2023 CNBC story. On one hand, etiquette specialist Elaine Swann told the publication, “When you have something delivered to you over the counter, as opposed to your door or your table, in those instances, you’re not required to tip.”
However, since counter workers might not be particularly well-paid, one 35-year service industry veteran quoted in the article, Bella Biagio of Seattle, noted we might need to rethink the notion that those employees aren’t worthy of tips.
“The problem is that we don’t have jobs in this industry, in general, to make a living wage,” Biagio observed. “If you decide it’s OK for you not to tip, it affects many people — not just the humans standing in front of you.”
That quandary led one customer in that article to say, of the iPad tip screen, “I just feel like the tablet is staring into my soul.”
Responding to the Daily Dot’s email request for comment, Williams noted, “It was good reading everyone’s opinion,” adding, “Most of the comments were against tipping, and the anxiety and pressures behind a lot of people encountering the situation. It almost seems mandatory ash how it is being shoved in people’s faces at almost every purchasing encounter.”
She noted the tip screen was at a coffee shop, but she was buying two drinks that were “premade and refrigerated.”
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