Tipping screens now pop up at coffee counters, self checkout kiosks and online stores, and one woman has decided she is done playing along. TikTok creator @yourcorporatebestie laid out her personal tipping rules in a video that has been viewed about 2.1 million times, and she made it clear from the first line that she does not need anyone’s approval.
Her Rules, Line by Line
“Y’all don’t have to agree with me,” she begins. Her main rule is simple. If something did not ask for a tip a few years ago, she is not tipping on it now. “I’m sorry, it’s not happening,” she says.
Drive throughs are an easy no. “Drive-through. No,” she says. She also draws the line at a single scoop of ice cream at a national chain, saying those purchases simply are not tip situations to her.
That does not mean she is against tipping. She makes a clear distinction for people who provide a real service. Tattoo artists, cosmetologists, estheticians, hairdressers and makeup artists all get tipped, along with servers and delivery drivers. She even says she would consider tipping on some takeout, like a pickup order that a restaurant’s expo staff carefully packed, because she has done that work herself. “I’ve served, I’ve expoed, I’ve hosted. I get it.”
@yourcorporatebestie
The Comments Were Full of Tip Screen Horror Stories
With nearly 190,000 likes, the video drew plenty of agreement and some stories that took the debate even further. One commenter described an online boutique asking for a tip at checkout for the staff who pack orders. Another wrote, “The Pizza Hut asks me to tip even when I’m picking it up.”
Some viewers drew their lines in different places. “I’d tip a driver but not if I have to go get it myself,” one said. A former server of 14 years backed the creator up, writing, “I’m not giving 20% on take out.” And at least one person went further than she did, saying they no longer tip for nails or hair at all because prices are already high, adding, “if you want more money then charge more.”
Why Tipping Feels Out of Control
The frustration in this video has a clear cause. Digital payment screens made it easy for any business to add a tip prompt, and many now do, from bakeries to stadium concessions. The result is that people are asked to tip far more often than they used to be, often before any service has happened at all. A 2023 Pew Research Center survey found most Americans say tipping is expected in more places than it was five years earlier, and many are unsure how much to give in different situations.
A Simple Way to Decide When to Tip
- Sit down service. Servers rely heavily on tips as part of their pay, so this is still the clearest case for tipping well.
- Personal services. Hair, nails, tattoos and similar appointments are traditionally tipped because the work is skilled, hands on and time intensive.
- Delivery. Someone bringing food to your door is doing real labor and using their own vehicle and time.
- Counter service and pickup. This is where opinions split. A small tip for a complicated or large order is a kind gesture, but it is not a firm obligation.
- Self service and retail. Choosing no tip on a screen for a purchase with no service involved is a common and reasonable choice.
- When in doubt, ask yourself one question. Did a person do something extra for me beyond handing me a product? If so, a tip says thanks.
The best part of her video is that she owns her choices without trying to shame anyone else for theirs. Tipping is personal, and setting your own clear rules ahead of time is the easiest way to stop feeling pressured every time a screen turns around.
Credit for the original video goes to @yourcorporatebestie on TikTok.
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