A Reddit post about a $1 tip added to a $1.50 grocery purchase is fueling fresh anger about "tip creep."
u/modernthangs purchased a can of Coke for $1.50 at the grocery store. When she was prompted to add a tip at checkout, she selected "no tip" on the payment screen, only to later realize that she was charged for the $1 tip anyway, bringing her total to $2.50.
She contacted the store and was told the tip is automatically added to all purchases and that the only way to waive the fee is to contact the store.
The Reddit post from March 3, 2026, accumulated 1.6 thousand upvotes and 146 comments. OP wrote: “What kind of tip would I even leave on a $1.50 can of pop? They didn't even put it in a bag for me."
“I contacted the store, and they explained that they add a $1.00 tip to all orders and the only way to have it removed is to contact the store,” u/modernthangs explained.
“So frustrating. Is this illegal? Why would they even give me the option to not tip on the checkout screen if their policy is to just add a dollar anyway? And who on earth tips at a grocery store!?”
Redditors on r/EndTipping advised OP to file a chargeback for the unauthorized payment. The tip was a big deal to commenters who complained they’re increasingly asked to cough up gratuity in non-service contexts.
According to RetailWire, the practice is called “tip creeping” and data shows that customers feel more obligated to tip when prompted at a kiosk than they otherwise would.
And sure enough, people on the thread reported seeing tip screens pop up on payment terminals at retail and grocery stores, and even self-checkout stations, especially where the payment processor Square is used.
u/Null_98115 wrote, “File a chargeback. It’ll cost them a lot more than a dollar.”
"I chose to tip 0, they still charged me a 67% tip." That's a clear case chargeback if I ever saw one. Do it with AmEx, it will hurt them more,” commented u/LightningGoats.
“That’s just ridiculous. I would not be shopping at that store anymore,” wrote u/AustinCourier.
OP wrote in a comment, “Yeah, I will not be back. Although they have really good prepared food! If I ever get over my outrage, I may go back and use cash only!”
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