A woman is urging viewers to check their bank statements after she says she caught a Starbucks barista helping herself to a 100% tip. She says she found out her $5.25 transaction turned into a $10 one when she got a notification from her bank, Wells Fargo.
TikToker @unsoliciteddrugfacts, a pharmacist, recalls what went down from her car. “So, I’m in the Starbucks drive-thru line. I get my drink. It’s $5.25,” she says.
The TikToker says the worker didn’t show her the screen that asks if she would like to leave a tip.
Starbucks’ tipping screen
In 2022, Starbucks introduced the option for customers to leave tips. It’s been pretty controversial. Even some Starbucks workers feel uncomfortable asking for a tip and will hit “no tip” on behalf of the customer. But how does a customer know a barista is selecting “no” vs. selecting another option.
TikToker @unsoliciteddrugfacts says a Wells Fargo notification clued her in. She said the notification alerted her that she was charged $10.25 for the order.
“I was like, ‘Excuse me, why was I charged $10.25 for my $5.25 coffee?’” she recalls asking. “She got all nervous and flustered. She was like, ‘Oh. You didn’t tip me $5?’”
“‘You didn’t even give me the little screen to choose a tip. So, no, I didn’t tip you $5,’” the customer says she responded.
She then directly addresses viewers, urging them to “be careful.”
“Some of these employees—when they’re not showing you the screen to select a tip—they’re choosing what tip that they want to tip themselves, thinking that you’re not gonna notice,” she says. “Man, people nowadays—so grimy, so scammy. Just be careful. Check your bank statements.”
The Daily Dot reached out to @unsoliciteddrugfacts via TikTok comment and direct message. We also reached out to Starbucks via press email.
Similar experiences
The Starbucks customer’s video was viewed over 113,000 times. And viewers shared their shock over what happened to her and their own similar experiences.
“100% tip is WILD,” one viewer wrote.
“This happened to my husband, too!! He made them refund and they were mad at him for holding up the line!” another shared.
“The other day my total was $8 and I paid with a $10. They just put the $2 into the tip jar without asking! I was floored,” a third said.
“Had this happen to me but didn’t notice until later. they said they didn’t see it on their end but when I said I’d take further action they magically were able to refund it,” another revealed.
Is this grounds for termination?
Back in 2022, a Starbucks worker on TikTok warned baristas against selecting an option on behalf of customers—even if it is the “no tip” option. He called it a fireable offense.
“The amount of baristas on here saying that they just hit the ‘no tip’ button before handing out the card reader, now that’s scary. First of all, my loves, that’s fireable. You can’t touch the screen at all. It was in the training,” the worker said at the time.
Not the first time
However, this isn’t the first reported incident. In 2023, a frequent Starbucks customer named Zo shared how she allegedly caught a Starbucks worker adding tips to her transactions every day for a month.
To prevent this from happening to you, make sure to either request a receipt or check your bank statements as soon as you can. Setting up banking notifications, like @unsoliciteddrugfacts, is also a good way to be alerted to any suspicious activity.
@unsoliciteddrugfacts Do better @Starbucks ♬ original sound – Unsoliciteddrugfacts
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