Tipping is widely expected among U.S. consumers and is often considered standard across many services.
However, many say it’s not always merited. According to a recent USA Today report, 63% of Americans believe too many places are asking for tips. And 48% are tired of being asked.
For example, a woman recently claimed that a golf club employee charged her card for a tip without her knowledge. Another complained that a self-serve frozen yogurt spot “wouldn’t let her pay” without leaving a tip first.
As a result, consumers are increasingly questioning whether tipping should always be expected, regardless of the quality of service.
Recently, a woman went viral on TikTok for defiantly not tipping her nail tech after being unsatisfied with the service she was provided.
Was this the right move?
In the clip, which has over 1.3 million views at the time of writing, TikToker Julia Rae (@simply_juliarae) recounts what happened while sitting in her car.
She begins by stating she’s proud of herself for not tipping this time. She tends to “always tip,” even if she receives “the worst service.”
“This is just an encouragement that you don’t have to tip,” Rae says. “Especially if you get bad service.”
Rae says she went to a nail salon she goes to frequently, where she requested a pedicure with regular nail polish, as she already had gel polish on.
A surprising upsell
She told her nail tech which color she wanted, which happened to be a milky white, when she noticed her nail tech pulling out a gel lamp. Rae reportedly clarified she did not want gel, just regular polish, which is when, according to the TikToker, the trouble began.
The nail tech reportedly went to get the color Rae requested, but it was nowhere near what she asked for.
“She comes back with a sparkly green color, like a Christmas tree color,” Rae reports. “Which would be cute for Christmas, but that’s not what I wanted.”
The nail tech then reportedly informs Rae they do not have the color she requested, so Rae picks another similar one. 555 by Kiara Sky. But the nail tech gets it wrong again.
“She comes back with like a bright peachy pink color,” the TikToker recounts. “I was like, ‘That’s not the color. I wanted a white color,’ and [the nail tech] said, ‘We don’t have a white color in regular polish, we only have it in gel.’”
Rae says she didn’t believe this claim. This was a big salon she had been going to for years, implying their purpose was to upsell her.
After reiterating she didn’t want gel, and some more back-and-forth about the color, the nail tech reportedly came back with the white color the TikToker had originally asked for.
Things get even worse
However, Rae alleges things got worse as the nail tech did her pedicure hastily and was doing a “bad job on purpose.”
“I didn’t get lotion on my legs or my feet,” the TikToker states. “I didn’t get the toe separators… There was polish on my cuticles, on my skin, on my big toe, all over my toes.”
Dissatisfied with the service, Rae says she decided not to speak up in the moment but didn’t want to tip the nail tech either.
“This is a service that I am paying for, and I expect service, not to be lied to,” Rae says. “So I did not tip.”
“This is encouragement for you girls,” the TikToker concluded.
@simply_juliarae Needless to say i will not be going to this nail salon again
♬ original sound – julia rae
Commenters are outraged
In the comments, users share their frustration about the situation and share their own similar stories.
“They’re so entitled now, it’s ridiculous,” one user wrote. “like I’m still paying you for a service why are you upset because I don’t want gel.”
“I asked if they had change for a $20 for a tip they all said no,” shared a second. “So I felt I had no other choice than to tip $20. After I gave the $20, the nail tech started counting a wad of cash $1’s, $5’s, $10’s.”
“WHAT SALON DOESNT HAVE REGULAR WHITE POLISH. CMON,” remarked a third.
The Daily Dot has reached out to Julia Rae (@simply_juliarae) via email and Instagram direct message for further comment.
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