Recently, a woman’s visit to a Subway in Washington led to a heated online debate about tipping.
After being automatically charged a 20% tip on her sandwich order, she took to Reddit to express her frustration. Under the username u/CardiologistSilly926, she shared how this unexpected tip left her unsettled.
An Unpleasant Surprise at Checkout
During a typical family meal at Subway, everything seemed normal until it was time to settle the bill.
The woman recounted on Reddit, “When we checked out they added an automatic 20 percent tip which equaled $8.51.” This unexpected addition prompted her to refuse paying the tip.
A Family Meal at Subway
Our voice for disgruntled tippers, u/CardiologistSilly926, explained that she and her family grabbed a pretzel each for her and her husband, and a footlong each for her two nieces.
She noted that she was the only one who got a drink. Upon ordering the drink, “they promptly handed me an empty cup and a straw to fill myself.” This is pretty normal Subway service.
The Burden of Self-Service
The woman voiced her concerns about tipping in cases where the service is minimal. In her post, she firmly stated, “I do not tip where I have to stand to order my food, get my own drink and clean up after myself.”
This sparked a broader conversation on Reddit about the expectations of tipping in self-service environments.
An Expert Weighs In on Tipping
Diane Gottsman, a renowned etiquette expert from The Protocol School of Texas, spoke to Newsweek about the incident, noting that “tipping fatigue is real and the opportunity to tip is more prevalent and frustrating than ever.”
Her commentary shed light on the increasing pressures surrounding tipping etiquette.
The Right to Not Tip
When it is appropriate or not to tip is not always clearcut. Luckily, Gottsman stepped in to set the record straight.
Gottsman said that leaving a tip for minimal service, like at coffee shops, is “completely discretionary,” much like using a tip jar. “The customer was not obligated to leave a tip for a routine service and asking to adjust the bill was within her rights.”
When to Tip and When Not To
Gottsman further explained that tipping for counter service such as coffee, bagels or sandwiches should be seen as optional, much like leaving change in a tip jar.
This clarification from an etiquette professional helps delineate the boundaries of expected tipping practices.
Wages and Tipping Expectations
The issue is compounded by Washington’s relatively high minimum wage of $16.28 an hour.
The woman argued that the high wage should negate the necessity for an automatic tip, especially given the level of service was minimal.
Online Outcry Over Tipping Practices
The story quickly resonated with the Reddit community, sparking extensive discussions.
One commenter said, “Tipping is way out of hand nowadays,” echoing a sentiment felt by many that tipping expectations have become overly aggressive.
Legal Questions Arise
The legality of imposing an automatic tip without customer consent became a focal point of the debate.
A Reddit user emphasized, “The fact that they added the tip on without your permission is out of line and should be illegal,” highlighting serious concerns about consumer rights.
Rethinking Tipping Traditions
On Reddit, users debated the fundamental nature of tipping.
“Tips should not be automatic, they should be earned,” one argued, suggesting that gratuities should be a reward for exceptional service — not a compulsory addition.
Defining Voluntary Gratuity
Criticism also targeted the idea of mandatory tips.
One Reddit user pointed out, “If it’s automatic, it’s a surcharge,” challenging the notion that tips can be both obligatory and discretionary at the same time.
The Cost of Being Polite
A survey by Talker Research highlighted the financial impact of social tipping pressure, with Americans spending an average of $37.80 a month, or $453.60 annually, on reluctant gratuities.
This statistic illustrates the economic weight of tipping on the average consumer.
Over a Quarter of Americans Are Turning on Tips
The survey of 2,000 U.S. adults found that many only paid the average $453.60 per year out of guilt-induced gratuity. The change in attitude toward tipping is not only felt by u/CardiologistSilly926, but maybe a quarter of Americans.
In the survey, it was found that 26% of respondents said they felt they are always or often forced to tip more than they would like.
A Broader Debate on Tipping Culture
The Subway tipping incident has sparked a significant discussion that may influence future business practices and consumer reactions to tipping.
As debates continue, this incident serves as a potential catalyst for reevaluating how gratuities are handled across the service industry.
Which States Will Take a Stand?
It is not only frustrated Reddit users and etiquette experts noticing the increasingly belligerent tipping tricks used in the hospitality industry.
Last October, California Governor, Gavin Newsom, amended the California Consumers Legal Remedies Act, which will ban ‘junk fees.’ The law came into effect this month, meaning Californians will see how much they are being charged by restaurants, hotels and delivery apps straightaway.
Cracking Down on Hidden Fees
Talking about the new legislation, Rob Bonta, Attorney General of California, said that this will keep Californians in the know as soon as they are given their bill.
“These deceptive fees prevent us from knowing how much we will be charged at the outset. They are bad for consumers and bad for competition. They cost Americans tens of billions of dollars each year.”
A Crackdown on Lack of Price Transparency
In response to various tactics to obscure transparency in prices, Congress, federal agencies and state legislatures are introducing policies to ban misleading and deceptive fees.
California’s new law will also eliminate drip pricing, which is the practice of advertising a good or a service as being cheaper than what the actual price is. This bans companies from adding fees onto the initial price of a product or service at checkout.
New York Paved the Way
California is the most recent case of a state cracking down on deceptive fees like what u/CardiologistSilly926 posted about from Washington. However, New York paved the way to ban these fees.
In 2022, New York passed the Arts and Cultural Affairs Law Section 25.07(4), which enforced that all entertainment venues must disclose all fees and peripheral costs in order to sell a ticket to an event. Connecticut has also introduced a fee disclosure bill.
Junk Fees Have Caught the Attention of Congress
Congress is also paying attention to junk fees and introduced the Junk Fee Prevention Act last April.
The law has not been brought into action, but it would require covered entities to “clearly and conspicuously display the total price of an advertised good or service.” This would include mandatory fees, which would need to be first displayed to consumers. It would allow the Federal Trade Commission to enforce this law too.
Can We Trust Our Tips Are Going to the Workers?
Being guilt-tripped into giving extortionate tips is something we might be able to make peace with if we know that hospitality staff are in fact receiving that money.
Earlier this year, Subway had to pay $218,000 for allegedly pocketing the tips given to their employees. Ten branches of the franchise in Washington have made up for hundreds of thousands of dollars in back pay, damages and fines.
Your Tips Could End Up in a Pool
In the very state where u/CardiologistSilly926 refused to tip at Subway, the locations had to pay workers back after the U.S. Department of Labor alleged owners and managers illegally participated in employee tip pools.
Not only is there a chance of your tips not reaching the people who served you, there is a graver chance that the staff may not even see your tips at all.
More Subway Tipping Trouble
Another Reddit user, u/bologna510 posted a sign on the front of a Subway store that said: “A 10% service fee is added to your check which is used to help pay for our team members’ hourly wages, insurance and benefits.”
The sign said this automatic charge would “help us keep up with the rising cost of business while keeping the cost of products affordable for all our guests.”
The Sign Ended Up on Reddit
The new 10% charge was not a popular move, and the Reddit user posted it to the popular Mildly Infuriating thread. They included the title: “Went to Subway for the last time.”
A commentor said: “Forcing a 10% tip at SUBWAY is absurd.” Another commented: “If you are keeping the costs of products affordable but then tacking on that cost in the form of a service charge, who the heck are you kidding?”
