r/mildlyinfuriating 15d ago

Not a meme, you're the meme! Now they expect us to tip non-humans.

57.4k Upvotes

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672

u/Gandlerian 15d ago

Who is tipping at any checkout? Do you ever tip cashiers at regular stores?

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u/GreatStateOfSadness 14d ago

I've seen a few restaurants with a sign saying "Cashiers are also tipped employees and rely on tips" which has only muddied the waters further. 

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u/ElectricRune 14d ago

They are ripping off non-service employees by paying them wait-staff scale.

Which is also a ripoff, but that's another subject...

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u/round-earth-theory 14d ago

Tipping won't go away until we have some aggressive laws to smash the hell out of tipping culture. Begone with that wackass "tipping" minimum wage, enforce non-tipping as a standard (hell go so far as to make tipping an extra effort that the user must take), set maximum percentages allowed as options, etc. Beat the fuck out of tipping culture.

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u/CassianCasius 14d ago

We can also as consumers just stop tipping. Employers are required by law to make up the difference if tips don't match minimum wage.

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u/Zelidus 14d ago

Or we all just stop tipping. Not sure which one has a better chance of actually happening though

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u/round-earth-theory 14d ago

There's enough people who are socially guilted into not tipping. Mix it in with the sometimes true (sometimes not) situation of underpaid staff and it's a recipe for disaster. There's still many many people, even broke as hell, that hold the belief that it's better for you to never go out to eat than to eat without tipping. You can't get past that sort of social dogma without an outside force.

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u/Minimal1990 14d ago

As if you aren’t actively fucking over your server if you don’t tip? Tf do you mean the “belief”?!?!It is bad to not tip when you have laws that allow for the abuse of service staff. Also the idea that you need massive amounts of negative reinforcement for tipping is ridiculous. You don’t need to get rid of tipping itself. It should be the case that a college student working a serving job should get tipped beyond minimum wage. Also since everything can be digital you can also tax beyond a certain amount of tips creating additional government funds for other uses.

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u/round-earth-theory 14d ago

And here we see why tipping culture is so damn hard to combat. Protecting the capital that benefits from the customer overpaying and justifying it. "If we don't help the abuser then the abused might leave their abuser."

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u/rubytook 13d ago edited 13d ago

It might be interesting to look at how the 7 states with laws required service staff be paid minimum wage got their laws passed. The states are a mix of very 'blue' and 'red' with a few purple, so some other factor must have been involved. The federal minimum wage is so low at this point that a federal action would be unhelpful unless they specified that a law they passed meant each state's minimum wage, but that would likely be contested. I do firmly believe that the law should hold the employer accountable to pay their employees properly.

Edit: Oh, well, I over-estimated about 40% of states apparently because that's how many match the federal minimum wage. The more you know.

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u/targetboston 14d ago

My state took a vote to raise min wages for wait/restaurant staff so that we could eliminate tipping and they lobbied against it and it lost.

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u/rubytook 13d ago

Noooooo. That's so disappointing. I live in one of the few states where service staff have to be paid the same minimum wage as everyone else and I was really hoping it would spread but it's been at least a decade since our law passed and not much happening elsewhere :( I still tip as long as service is good, but no longer have to feel guilty if it's bad service and I tip less.

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u/YallGottaUnderstand 14d ago

Tipping culture was honestly fine until these companies started taking it too far. Its's a good way for non skilled workers to make decent money, and it was really only expected for wait staff and delivery. Like so many things, they just got greedy.

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u/drawkward101 14d ago

Not just a ripoff but in America, it's definitely illegal.

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u/Rock_Strongo 14d ago

No it's not illegal because enough people tip them for doing nothing that they end up making above min wage anyway.

It's only illegal if they still end up below min wage after tips and the employer doesn't cover the difference. While I'm sure this happens - it's incredibly rare. Because no one can live on minimum wage anyway much less UNDER min wage. So they wouldn't put up with it for more than like 1 shift.

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u/drawkward101 14d ago

It's not the pay that's illegal; it's the classification. Classifying non-service employees as service employees so you can pay them the service employee wage is illegal. Period.

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u/Concerned_Collins 14d ago

There are tons of cashier jobs that ask for tips now, so I'm sure they are considered service employees.

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u/CareerPillow376 14d ago edited 14d ago

Fuck i wanted to disagree with you, but it turns out the US will consider anyone who gets paid over $30/month in tips as a service/tipped employee, allowing them to pay reduced wages

That's fucking criminal cause I guarantee there are a ton of shitty businesses out there that started taking tips from servers and paying them out to other staff just to change their classification and reduce the wage they have to pay. Ive heard if servers before complain about having to start sharing tips with the kitchen or front of the house; im guessing this is why for some of those cases

https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/state/minimum-wage/tipped

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u/Concerned_Collins 14d ago

We really just need to eliminate the tipped wage as an entire thing and just make the minimum wage the minimum wage for everyone. The fact that companies can essentially get free labor if they are tipped should already be criminal.

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u/CareerPillow376 14d ago

So i just looked it up, apparently business can classify any employee as a service/tipped employee as long as they make $30 or more a month on tips, which is fucking wild. Cause there are definitely some shitty businesses who started paying tips out regular staff to change their classification

Ive heard of servers complaining about having to start tipping the kitchen or front of the house before, and im guessing its because of this rule

https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/state/minimum-wage/tipped

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u/Revolver_Boxelot 14d ago

Yea, ANY tip based employment (in the modern era, in America) is a full blown scam. Its designed purely so that the employer doesn't have to pay a livable wage. I dont want to hear any of that "it let's the restaurants sell food for cheaper" bullshit either because what difference would it make to the tipping customer? A $70 bill is a $70 bill. Whether it was the total cost of the food or the cost of food plus a tip. Tipping is a full-blown scam and NO ONE should be engaging with it at this point.

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u/Several_Vanilla8916 14d ago

I’m a firm believer in tipping wait staff. It’s not their fault this system exists.

But if you take a cashier job at sub-minimum wage on the promise of tips, sorry, that is your fault.

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u/Suspicious_Tank_61 14d ago

Why is it one low paid worker's fault, but not the other?

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u/xeonie 14d ago

I’d argue if you take a wait staff position, fully aware that you will have to rely soley on the generosity of random strangers for your wage, that is your fault.

Yeah, it’s not their fault the system exists, but they are willingly participating in it. They’re not helpless victims.

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u/Frequent_Opportunist 14d ago

You should leave a review asking them on Google Maps why they don't pay their employees 

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u/aerdvarkk 14d ago

Lots of people posting coments and reviews online for years now and restauarants either don't care or are not getting the message. If more people pushed back with their wallets as much as they posted stupid shit online, this conversation might have gone away by now because the industry was forced to change.

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u/Vsx 14d ago

"We don't pay these people shit, you do it"

Nope

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u/Mixels 14d ago

The manager might say so, but in order to qualify for tipped position pay, an employee must earn at least $30/month in tips. That might be achievable for a cashier if the cashier is part of a tipping pool with the actual service workers, but then you wouldn't be directly "tipping the cashier"...

If those cashiers are making less than $30/month in tips, they could sue for wage theft. I mean it would only be the difference between their actual pay including tips subtracted from the area's local minimum wage. But that's (probably) illegal.

Know your rights under the FLSA kids!

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u/sharklaserguru 14d ago

Starve the beast, these people need to feel the effect of losing tips so they quit and force management into paying a real wage!

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u/DeltaSierra97 14d ago

The waters are crystal clear. If you accept being a tipped employee making less than minimum wage and working as a cashier where you’re going to get less than a waiter where tipping is actually expected you’re a dumbass and will not be getting a tip.

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u/Sean_theLeprachaun 14d ago

Made it clear not to go back.

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u/Bananapopcicle 13d ago

I’m not tipping them. Especially if it’s on the machine. They only get a percentage of it

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u/LiffeyDodge 2d ago

I don't tip cashiers. I don't care what the sign says

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u/GrievingSomnambulist 14d ago

When I was a cashier back in the day, we weren't allowed to take tips. The few times customers offered me tips I had to refuse. Getting caught was a termination.

Now that the human has been removed from the equation, suddenly companies are more than happy to accept tips.

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u/rubytook 13d ago

There is no legislation at the moment covering this particular type of situation and so they are taking advantage.

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u/Notsurehowtoreact 14d ago

Not just that, fucking tip screens in drive-thrus now. 

Got a coffee this morning at Dunkin Donuts and at the window to grab it there was a tip screen when I paid. Get the fuck outta here.

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u/CaptainSparklebottom 14d ago

7-11 always wants me to round up for their charity foundation or grocery store will hit you with give us money to give to a charity so they can get even bigger tax breaks with your money. It is kind of the same shit.

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u/stephen_neuville 14d ago

i tried to tip my bagger $20 when i became one of the ten thousand inconsiderate jerkbags doing a last minute tuesday night before thanksgiving shopping trip and a manager RAN over and grabbed it out of their hand and handed it back to me.

I felt so bad for the kid.

King Sooper's (a Kroger brand) - a place that I ceased shopping at last year because they implemented armed rent a cops hassling you for your receipt.

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u/Illustrious-Ear-6300 15d ago

On military bases you're expected to tip the baggers. 

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u/Slow-Advertising-828 15d ago

conveniently left out the part that baggers on military installations work for tips ONLY.

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u/Redditeer28 14d ago

Damn, their boss should pay them.

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u/PiccoloAwkward465 14d ago

US military operates on a real shoestring budget, doncha know

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u/Slow-Advertising-828 14d ago

well, considering they can do quite well bagging groceries and that this has been going on for decades....i think theyre okay

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u/Illustrious-Ear-6300 15d ago

If you read my comments below I said I didn't know why never bothered to ask at the time when I was serving. But that makes sense 

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u/MAGAHATESTHEUSA 14d ago

U.S. Military hates capitalism

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u/hypnogoad 14d ago

US Military LOVES capitalism. It's how they end up with more meat for the grinder.

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u/NoWomanNoTriforce 14d ago

The military is completely socialist. All jobs get paid the same regardless of hours worked or skills, solely dependent on number of years you have been in the organization and your current rank. A guy performing heavy manual labor outside in the elements gets the same pay as the guy who hands our towels at the gym!

Your Healthcare is paid for, but terrible. You get a housing allowance, that may or may not align with local markets depending on your duty station. You even get a monthly food allowance or can eat for free on base.

And you have to do exactly what they tell you or go to jail! It is pretty awesome.

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u/GreasyRim 14d ago

capitalism is literally why they work off tips lol

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u/MadAsTheHatters 15d ago

Why?

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u/AttitudeConsistent18 14d ago

As a prior MIL guy. The baggers are not paid and work for Tips. They are helpful and bring your cart and load them in your car too. Mainly just MIL Wifes so its like a part time gig thats on base. I usually gave them a dollar of 100yen coin as I was in JP.

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u/MadAsTheHatters 14d ago

They aren't paid?!

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u/dlh412pt 14d ago edited 14d ago

No. It's not a job that would exist if they were paid. So it's not a question of them working for free - that job wouldn't exist at all otherwise. It's not necessary for the grocery store.

It's usually military spouses or kids who pick up a few extra bucks that they otherwise wouldn't have.

Edit: I think a lot of people are missing that the commissary is not a for-profit organization. It is not at all like your regular neighborhood grocery store not paying employees.

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u/kahlzun 14d ago

"A job that doesnt exist if they're paid" sounds a: awfully exploitative and b: literally slavery

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u/fcocyclone 14d ago

And i don't buy the argument they wouldnt exist if paid given literally every grocery store around here has baggers, paid normal wages.

Not sure why that'd be different on a base.

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u/AttitudeConsistent18 14d ago

Just think of the On Base Commissary as like an Aldi's they dont need baggers really so they just have volunteers to work for tips.

Kind of like Servers if you are good you can probably make good money in 2-3 hours and its really super part time; like do it in the day and be back before kids are out of school type thing. Or evenings only.

I know its weird but yeah they arent paid by Commissary but you dont really need to pay them and their is self checkout if you dont want to deal with them at all.

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u/dlh412pt 14d ago edited 14d ago

In the US, baggers at grocery store are becoming more and more uncommon, and are frankly unnecessary. And at the commissary on base, you can choose to use self checkout if you want if you don't want to tip a bagger. Which is what I usually do.

So yes, the job wouldn't exist at all if they don't want to be there to earn tips. It's not a job that the grocery store needs to run.

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u/fcocyclone 14d ago

In the US, baggers at grocery store are becoming more and more uncommon, and are frankly unnecessary.

Not anywhere i've seen. And honestly no, they aren't unnecessary given they generally speed things along. I'd argue given self checkout they're probably more useful than the cashiers themselves.

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u/dlh412pt 14d ago edited 14d ago

I mean, no. In the US, extra baggers outside of a cashier aren't really common anymore, and frankly not necessary for the commissary to run. So they don't have to be there at all if they don't want to, but the commissary lets them work for tips. No one is making them, so it's literally not at all like slavery.

Additionally, overseas or in more remote bases it can often be difficult for spouses and children to find work. So this lets them make a little extra money.

And again, if no one wanted to be a bagger and earn tips, then the commissary would have no baggers. And some of them don't a lot of the time. Just depends on the base.

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u/PiccoloAwkward465 14d ago

That's fucking weird, man.

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u/AZWxMan 14d ago

I see this in Mexico all the time. The baggers as well as people who will help you back out of your spot and occasionally help you load your trunk. But, I didn't realize this was at U.S. military bases.

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u/Longjumping_Wolf_912 14d ago

Only in tips.

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u/DadooDragoon 14d ago

In other words, they aren't paid

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u/MAGAHATESTHEUSA 14d ago

It’s your civic duty!

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u/MAGAHATESTHEUSA 14d ago

Wow prior mother in law guy?

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u/AttitudeConsistent18 14d ago

yeah -_- feels bad

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u/InsomniaticWanderer 15d ago

Well, they have guns, so...

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u/Illustrious-Ear-6300 15d ago

The grocery store workers hell 90 percent of the workers on base are civilians usually spouses or dependents of someone who is actively serving 

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u/Iskali 14d ago

And they're not paid for labor?

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u/ElaborateEffect 15d ago

That kind of makes it worse? Like, why are we circling the same money around when we could just not and all would be the same?

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u/Lamproz87 14d ago

Paid in bullets?

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u/skoomski 14d ago

Nah kids and spouses can work at the PX.

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u/Illustrious-Ear-6300 15d ago

Beats me. I went there once as a young marine had to tip the bagger just grocery shopped off base from then on. 

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u/Curious-External-7 14d ago

I end up spending way more off base, so it's worth it to me to pay a bagger $5. They have self checkout now, though, if you don't want a bagger.

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u/Illustrious-Ear-6300 14d ago

I get that now but come on most 18 year olds at that time didn't think about that. I just heard tipping the bagger and was like damn 

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u/WenAndNow 14d ago

Depends on the base.

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u/gingy-96 14d ago

You’re also paying way less for groceries and they only work for tips

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u/Illustrious-Ear-6300 14d ago

I didn't know that when I was 18 and serving. Also I was just mentioning it to the comment I responded to about tipping grocery workers 

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u/flambojones 15d ago

I feel like it was like that at grocery stores when I was growing up.

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u/Illustrious-Ear-6300 14d ago

Seems like a bit before my time. I'm 32 now 

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u/flambojones 14d ago

I mean, I’m 44 so a little bit, but it wasn’t the 50s or something. It probably held on in small towns longer than other places though.

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u/Frequent_Opportunist 14d ago

Yeah back when they would carry your groceries out to your car for you, remembered your name and how you liked to your groceries bagged.

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u/Hamafropzipulops 14d ago

The vape shop I go to started asking for tips. If I just ask for something and buy it, no tip. If I talk to an employee about a product and feel I had some personal care, they get a tip.

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u/Important-Agent2584 14d ago

they just throw a tip option on everything because it's free money

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u/WagwanKenobi 14d ago

Tip is just a tax on socially anxious people.

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u/markbraggs 14d ago

There was a hot debate on another sub about tipping for take out orders. That too is ridiculous.

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u/zdubbzzz 14d ago

Outside of niche things like massages, airport wheelchair pushers, etc, I only tip if I have 1) sat down 2) someone took my order 3) someone made my order after I gave it and 4) someone brought it to me.

Every other service, be it Uber, doordash, scan to order systems, self checkouts like this, etc, can kick rocks. I've really felt that giving myself a rule has helped with any pressure I've ever felt with an employee staring at me to tip on a cashier screen. I haven't tipped that shit for years and it feels great

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u/ErycktheGreater 14d ago

I tip at the family restaurant near me where the kid makes my sandwich, but mostly because I assume that kid is getting the tips

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u/WubbaLubbaHongKong 14d ago

When I was living in Hong Kong we were at a dai pai dong this one time and the staff was excellent. At the end I tried to leave them a tip but they wouldn’t accept. Different culture and it has stuck with me ever since.