Woman questions tipping culture and asks why she is being asked to tip at Starbucks

The tipping culture has become quite controversial, with several rules that have come into play. The idea of tipping, which was reserved only for waiters and select positions, has started expanding to many other job roles. Debbie Nohemy–who goes on TikTok by @debbienohemy–questioned the typing culture after her recent experience at a cafe. While she did acknowledge the value of a tip for waiters, runners and so on, her curiosity about leaving tips for other professions has sparked an interesting debate. Many commenters were left doubtful of the idea of giving tips and are taking a step back to uncover who deserves it. 

Nohemy said in her video, "This tipping culture is getting out of control. Why am I being asked to tip a barista at Starbucks?" She then explained that though the idea of tips is considered voluntary, many are looked down upon simply because they refused a tip. The woman then shared that he supports the concept of tips but couldn't understand why every job role is allowed to be tipped. "I see these companies all asking for a tip. I went to a boba spot and the woman with the iPad was like, 'Oh, would you like to leave a tip.'" She further mentioned that the scenario has gotten so monotonous that she presses the hard 'No' button for cases like these.

The woman further shared that her recent trip to a cupcake place was as confusing. She was asked to pay 30% for employee help along with her bill. "I'm confused. Why should a customer pay for what the employer is supposed to be paying?" she asked. Nohemy then added that she was a bank teller and had been doing tedious jobs like counting bills, taking checks, deposits, getting home loan applications and so on. "And never once have I been tipped or received a commission," she added. "Am I supposed to be getting tipped? Shouldn't we be tipping the tellers, the people at McDonald's? Believe me, I've already heard of people asking for tips at those jobs."

Nohemy couldn't understand why establishments asked customers to pay an extra amount under the tag of tips. "In reality, the employers should be paying for those jobs," she remarked. Nohemy concluded the video by sharing that she was forced to leave Starbucks after getting her coffee because she didn't want to leave a tip. She said, "The app on my phone said 'View Receipt' and then said, 'Hey, there's still time to leave a tip.' No, if I didn't tip at the counter, I'm not doing it here. You need to pay them a sustainable wage." With over 27k likes and nearly 3k comments, several users pitched in on the debate.

Some people opposed Nohemy's idea. @veronicarreola18 said, "These drinks aren't as simple to make when you're behind the counter. It doesn't hurt to give the barista a dollar their job is not as simple as it looks." @saharadessert_ said, "As a Starbucks barista, we get paid $15+ an hour. We don't need the tip, the drinks are already $8+."

Many agreed that waiters and others deserve to be tipped as they initially were and that the recent dilemma of every employee asking for tips is just absurd. @kittychan.77 said, "Starbucks is ridiculous. They raised their prices, it's outrageous. It's not my job to pay their employees." @wiebkewithbee said, "I'm fine with tipping for personal service but not for basic handling of orders."