Many Americans believe that the tipping culture has already gotten out of hand. Every order now includes the option to leave a tip, and many people are fed up. One Texas woman shared that she declined to tip at the Starbucks drive-thru, which allegedly prompted an outburst from the barista.
Sav Rumer (@savrumer18) posted a video on TikTok showing her beat-up vehicle and asking why the Starbucks employee expected a tip. She says the Starbucks barista threw a tantrum after she selected no tip on her $8 drink.“Just selected no tip at Starbucks (on my $8 coffee) and the barista out loud goes ‘oh my f- god’ and shook his head,” the on-screen text reads.
After that reaction, Sav displayed her current vehicle, which is missing a front bumper entirely. “Mind you, this is me in the drive-thru,” the on-screen text reads. Rumer’s sedan is missing the front bumper entirely, probably from a hit-and-run incident. “Does it look like I can afford a tip? Sav wrote in her caption.
The never-ending tipping culture debate
Many commenters expressed their exhaustion with America’s tipping culture. Dog daddy of two (@dogdaddy11) said: “I don’t understand tipping for coffee. I drove to you, placed my order, you made it, I paid for it, and you get paid hourly. For some reason, you want me to tip you for doing your job?” Brooke (@brookeee00000) also added: “Expecting a tip when you get paid an hourly wage is crazy.”
One user named Justice (@pvrsdefromla) gave an example of when she’ll tip. “[I] tip SERVICE. [Nails], hair, restaurant, uber, luggage service etc. [If] you have to personally take time for me, you deserve a tip.” Some users said that food service workers should focus on demanding higher wages from owners instead of relying on customers’ tips. Esmer said (@weeniehutjunior22): [We] need to stop the tipping culture and pay fair wages. I [don’t] mind tipping waitresses, but even then, how about we all just [get] paid a fair salary?
However, one commenter who goes by @xmb1067 went after Sav for not tipping, but the creator believes it’s unnecessary if the worker makes above minimum wage. “I crashed my car because I’m an idiot so I can’t afford to pay your wages,” one commented. “Someone actually hit ME and drove off so I can’t afford to tip at an establishment that already pays the workers over minimum wage,” Sav replied.
Consumers have reported feeling pressure to tip workers more than ever, including at restaurants, coffee shops, auto repair shops, retail stores, and, in this case, drive-thrus. A recent Pew Research Center survey of nearly 12,000 adults found that 72% of Americans feel they are being asked to tip in more places than they were five years ago.
Published: Oct 16, 2026 02:45 pm