A woman has sparked a debate about tipping culture in the US after claiming that she was asked to pay an airport employee who checked her luggage.
In a video posted to TikTok, Addysen Drake shared her stance on tipping culture and why she felt like it has “gotten out of hand.”
“Tell me why when I get to the airport, after paying $400 for a flight, and I’m going to pay for my $35 checked bag, the guy says to me: ‘OK, you have to pay in credit card, but you can tip in cash,’” she explained.
After noting how shocked she was about the situation, she said that when she took out her credit card, the worker handed her an iPad screen. He then asked her: “What would you like to leave for a tip?”
Addysen said she was stunned when he asked her to tip and said “What?” to the camera multiple times. She went on to explain why she was confused, claiming that the worker wasn’t very friendly.
“And keep in mind, he was a total f***ing douchebag to me,” she said. “He was so rude to me. What am I tipping that man for? What do we pay all this money for?”
In the comments of her video, which has more than 118,900 views, one TikTok user, who said she was an airline employee, explained when travellers should tip airport workers. .
“If this was an agent at the [ticket[ counter, big no no. Curbside are contracted (diff IDbadge) are allowed but shouldn’t be asking,” she wrote.
In response, Addysen said that she didn’t know this tipping rule: “I didn’t know that before I made the video and it blew up lol…but I’ve read them all so I get it now.”
As noted in an article by USA Today, outdoor baggage handlers are usually tipped since they usually meet passengers at an airport, take their luggage, and make sure that it gets checked. The publication notes that these workers are typically tipped “between $1.00 and $2.00 per bag”.
TikTok users also went to the comments of Addysen’s video to note how common it is to tip outside baggage handlers.
“My mom has always tipped the outside baggage check people,” one wrote, while another said: “Outside baggage check does take tips. A lot of people don’t know that. I learned from watching old people.”
Other viewers went to the comments to expressed their frustrations over being asked to tip in similar situations.
“Nah cuz I’m done,” one wrote. “Unless it’s a sit down restaurant where someone actually served me throughout my meal, or I’m getting food delivered, I am not tipping for anything else anymore. Gotta put our foot down.”
“A couple months ago I was asked if I wanted to tip the staff when I made an ONLINE ORDER for some nose rings. I’m SORRY??? Tipping on a website? Bye,” another claimed.
The Independent has contacted Addysen for comment.
The ongoing debate about tipping culture in the United States was also reginited last month after Starbucks coffee shops introduced tipping screens.
On TikTok, one woman who identified herself as a Starbucks barista described the screens “top 10 worst disasters to ever happen to human kind”. She said that she’s been left “embarrassed” by the new option, as she noted that some customers don’t realise “there’s an extra step now”.
