Customer couldn't complete Papa John's pickup order without leaving a tip — and it makes no sense

Tipping culture has been a topic that has gained widespread attention in the last few years. While companies and employees support the tipping culture, customers are not thrilled about being forced to pay for something that was considered optional. Lamenting about a similar situation, Reddit user u/evilemmyy shared an instance when they were forced to tip while placing a pickup order for a $39 delivery at Papa John's on January 20.

u/evilemmyy took to the popular subreddit r/EndTipping to share a screenshot of their order from Papa John's. The customer shared that the pizza restaurant did not let them carry out their order unless they tipped. In the first screenshot, when the customer tried inserting $0, their order was taken forward, as the app required them to enter a "valid tip amount." Expressing their frustration, the author wrote, "It's one thing to tip a delivery driver, but the people making the pizza? When I only had one brief interaction with them? Do these companies expect us to pay all of their employees?"

A 2021 study authored by Adrian Furnham examined the attitudes and behavior of customers towards tipping culture. The study surveyed 260 participants and found that unsolicited tipping amounts to discomfort and lower satisfaction among customers and that the context and amount of the order also play a crucial role. "However, the highest rated statement related to embarrassment about not tipping, for whatever reason. It is clear that they feel it is an expectation which should be honoured," the researchers noted. Following the issue, the customer was forced to pay $0.01 to complete the order, which led to the customer expressing their dissatisfaction towards the food giant's service, even though the order was placed online.

Reddit users rallied to show support for the customer. u/dfwagent84 wrote, "This is insane. Im also tired of these placing pushing their app. Sounds like your locally owned pizzeria will get a new customer." u/Sugar_Acanthaceae commented, "Time to delete the app. If Costco is close to you, their pizza is just as good and far cheaper, with no tipping." u/Wild_Height_901 shared, "Its true that you can't enter $0.00. It's also true that you don't have to select any tip amount. It lets you pay without selecting a tip. I know because I just tried it. I hate tipping as much as anyone. But this is a skill issue."

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