Almost everyone will agree that tipping is becoming an issue in America. Until recently, it was still limited to cafes, restaurants, and eateries. Then, it spread to food delivery services. However, recently, even bridal shops are apparently asking for them! Ina Josipović, a TikToker, posted a video documenting her experience when she purchased something from a bridal shop and her surprise when she was asked for a tip. She begins the video by discussing the weirdest places where you can be asked for a tip.
Ina was shopping for her wedding dress. She had chosen one and had gone to the counter to pay for it. That’s when she got the shock of her life: “And I’m not joking, when I went to go pay, they flipped their little iPad around and asked for a tip. When I tell you I full on froze, I just… I stood there and I think they saw the blood leave my body. I did not expect to have to tip buying a wedding dress. And mind you, the store was empty. It was me, my best friend, and then the three people that work there. I think one was the owner and then just two stylists or something. So it was just empty. It was just them three at the front and then me just paying, and I think my best friend was to the side looking at more dresses.”
The Bridal Shop’s Tip Wasn’t Too Little Either
After being shocked out of her life, she took stock of the situation and consulted with her friend about it. Since they spoke a different language, her friend informed her that she had not paid any tips while buying her wedding dress a year earlier from a different shop. So, Ina failed to see why she needs to pay now. She then gave a rough estimation of what the tip entails too: “So I’m just standing there trying to do the math in my head because the dress is already expensive, right. And then a 10% tip on a $1500, $2,000 dress is like another $200. And if the dress is even more, you’re paying a couple $100. Which I guess if you can afford a $10,000 dress, maybe a tip isn’t that big of a problem. But most people really can’t, right?”
Read: Restaurant To Sue Customer After He Leaves $3,000 Tip On $13 Meal
Ina’s mother paid for her dress, but Ina paid through her Amex to get some points. Ultimately, she decided to pay $50, which still sounds embarrassing because it comes down to about 1.5%. However, there were questions she just could not answer: “But if you guys think your stylist deserves a tip, why don’t you just give her commission instead of asking me to tip? Or maybe I’m wrong. Have any other brides ever tipped when they bought their wedding dress? I don’t know, maybe I’m being weird but I just don’t feel like that was a service that… I guess she brought dresses out to me but I did that when I worked at stores. I just got commission off selling clothes to people, it wasn’t… Nobody was tipping me at a retail store. I don’t know. Tipping is kind of weird lately.”
The Debate Over Tipping
The debate usually talks about what is the purpose behind tipping and how much should be fine for a tip. In the United States and quite a few other places, tipping is normal. However, most places regard it as a reward for especially good service, and it remains optional. It is mostly in the US that tipping is being pushed as compulsory. Even then, it might be fine to tip our local barber. However, being forced to do so for an employee of a chain franchise sounds quite a bit forced. In the midst of all this, the real reason still remains. The need for tips undoubtedly arises from the enormous gap between the low wages and the profits that the companies pull. The question thus remains as to why the customer has to pick up the slack for the company.
Comments on TikTok revealed that a bridal shop is not a very surprising place where you are asked for tips, after all. They listed businesses like their car mechanic while getting a pregnancy ultrasound, YogurtLand, an online business, and a self-service car wash. At the same time, there does not seem to be much anger when people admit to refusing to indulge in this forced custom. What do you think of the situation?
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