A TikTok user named Taylor Stewart has gone viral after telling the story of how she was asked to tip for her massage before the service had started.
For the past few months, tipping culture has been a heated discussion on social media. From servers telling customers to “serve themselves” after not getting a tip, to customers blasting stores for not being able to opt out of tips, there’s clearly a lot to be said about the topic.
TikToker user Taylor Stewart, who goes by heyitstaystew on the app, told viewers her thoughts on the modern-day tipping culture and how it’d gone “out of control” in a video that has gotten close to six million views in just a few days.
In the video, she told the story of how she’d gone to get a massage for $80 only to be shocked when she was asked to tip before the massage had even started.
“I really don’t consider myself to be a cheap person,” Taylor said in the video. “I’m more than happy to tip, but I feel like tipping nowadays is just getting out of control.”
She said the woman didn’t even remember that she had an appointment and when she was asked to pay before her massage, she gladly did. The woman then handed her a piece of paper to write her tip, and Stewart felt uncomfortable.
“Now I’m standing there kind of wondering what’s a fine, acceptable tip, because obviously when I go out to eat, it’s a $15 or $20 bill,” Stewart explained. “So I write down $5. I passed back the slip, and she goes ‘that’s it?’”
Taylor says that when she asked the worker how much she expected as a tip, the woman said, “Definitely $20 to $30.”
After Taylor declined, the woman allegedly told her “Well, the girls here work really hard”.
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“I’m not questioning that at all. I’m sure they do, but that’s why I am already paying $80,” Taylor said in shock. After some back and forth with the woman who insisted on a higher tip, Taylor says she started to feel uncomfortable and offered to go elsewhere, but the woman convinced her to stay.
Customer convinced workers discussed her tip behind her back
However, while Taylor was changing, she said she could hear the woman and a colleague speaking in their native tongue. She said: “You know when you just feel like someone’s talking about you? That’s what it felt like.”
Taylor says she tried to leave again and made it as far as her car, but the woman once again persuaded her to stay. The TikToker says she ended up getting the massage, which was actually “really good”.
“But the whole time I’m laying on the bed like … overthinking the whole situation. Thinking like am I a bad person,” she said.
Despite Taylor’s worries, the comment section soon filled up with people who agreed with her that tipping before a service isn’t standard.
“Nope. Full refund and an honest review on Yelp is what you should have done. Toxic tipping culture is ruining consumers’ experience,” one person said.
“Tipping BEFORE service?!! That’s insane!!,” another added.
“Nowadays, you buy ONE SMALL THING and there is already a Tip screen,” a third wrote.
