Working at tourist traps has a lot of negatives: customers are usually demanding, argumentative, and worst of all, they are angry over prices the server can’t control.
TikToker $yd (@poorandhungry) filmed a skit of demonstrating what she went through on a regular basis when customers refused to pay marked-up prices but still wanted to eat at a tourist destination. The video has been viewed over 480,000 times as of publication.
In her skit, where $yd played both the server and the customer, she showed what’s it like to deal with an entitled customer who refuses to pay the listed prices. The scenario revolved around the price of a burger and a beer, which in the customer’s opinion should cost no more than $10.
During her fictional interaction she summed up why prices are more expensive than at home:
“You’re not there anymore. You’re here in Boston. It’s one of the top three most expensive cities in the country,” she said.
Many servers responded in the comments, sharing how accurate a depiction her skit really was.
“No as a server that lives in a tourist city this is so accurate. Like whyyy do they think like this,” a user wrote.
“Had a lady from OR throw a fit that she had to pay tax in CA bc they didn’t have tax in OR. like ok? go back then..” another added.
“So glad the manager didn’t come out at the end to give them an 85% discount,” a third server joked.
Traveling is expensive. Price estimates increased by $400 since 2022 to a whopping $1,984 per person for a trip inside the U.S. The price of air travel to Europe rose by 35%, and increased by 23% for a trip to Asia. Food costs average around $58 a day. The only way to lower these costs is with thorough research, and what a tourist may want to do while vacationing may be further out of reach than previously realized.
Lowering food costs requires serious budgeting. Tips include finding a hotel that offers free breakfasts, avoiding touristy areas, and splurging at lunch instead of dinner. All of these ideas will dampen anyone’s dream vacation.
@poorandhungry This used to happen all the time when i worked at a tourist trap #server #customerservice #serverlife #restaurant ♬ original sound – $yd
Unfortunately, tourists acting foolish is a phenomena that may never disappear. For example, Europeans often complain about Americans being loud and obnoxious. Tourists are also known to lose it over marked-up knick knacks. The lack of decorum is so widespread that one NYC concierge published a book of tourist horror stories. Even though servers face the brunt of rude behavior, their antics spill over onto anyone working near them. It’s good to remember that vacationing doesn’t give anyone the right to act like a fool.
The Daily Dot reached out to $yd via contact form for further information.