A woman went viral on TikTok after sharing the ridiculously high proposed tip that a cosmetologist asked for after performing an eyebrow wax.
Gaby LaCorte (@gabylacorte25), a mother of two, started her nearly one-minute video by ripping into tipping culture.
“Tipping culture in the United States has gotten out of control,” she said. As of Monday evening, her video had amassed more than 205,000 views.
What was the suggested amount?
LaCorte said she got her eyebrows waxed at an unnamed salon. That alone cost her $21.
But then she said she went to pay for her service and was stunned by the proposed tip.
“You know how, when you go to use Apple Pay or insert your card… the tipping screen pops up?” she asked viewers. “Typically it suggests 15%, 20%, 25%, or custom.”
That wasn’t the case for the salon LaCorte visited, however.
For a $21 service, the lowest proposed tip amount was 75% (or $15.75). It increased incrementally to 85% ($17.85) and 100% ($21). It also allowed patrons to add in a custom amount, and gave them the option to not leave anything extra.
LaCorte said the request “rubbed her the wrong way.”
“The amount of times people have probably just clicked on it [and] not realized… that really bothered me,” LaCorte said. She ended her video by saying she wouldn’t visit the salon in question ever again.
@gabylacorte25 #greenscreen ♬ original sound – Gaby LaCorte
Why is tipping culture getting so out of control?
Tipping culture is a longstanding hot-button issue on social media. While some customers have long argued that customers should tip no matter how bad the service is, others think that a tip should be based on the quality of service.
More recently, a majority of Americans have told pollsters that they believe tipping is expected more in places today than it was five years ago. This so-called “tipflation” has resulted in a negative outlook toward tipping, especially as the pressure to do so increases.
In the comments of LaCorte’s video, a number of customers shared horror stories of tips they’ve been asked to leave. Most people, however, said they refused to tip unless the service quality was up to par and/or a worker or server had helped them.
“I don’t tip for anything except eating at a sit down restaurant and that’s IT lol,” one person admitted.
“The last few times I bought merch at a concert they have asked for a tip,” another said.
“I knew it was getting bad when a buffet asked for a tip but it was to-go and i got the food myself,” a third person added. “All they did was hand me the container.”
Others, meanwhile, said they couldn’t believe that 75% was the suggested minimum tip amount, especially for a service that was already expensive.
“LMAO that’s nuts,” one woman said.
“$21 just for eyebrows waxing/threading is another robbery too,” another person wrote.
The Daily Dot has reached out to LaCorte via TikTok comment.
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