Woman questions salon worker after noticing a 15% tip was added to her bill without permission

A TikTok user named @emrykaiser recently sparked a massive conversation about tipping culture after recording a salon worker who added a 15% tip to her bill without asking for permission first. The video has already pulled in 6.7 million views, and the situation started when the customer visited the salon for a facial waxing service. 

As reported by Daily Dot, everything seemed fine until she made her way to the counter to handle the payment. The total for the service came out to $25.91, a price she seemed perfectly comfortable with paying. The mood changed instantly when she realized the employee had reportedly already processed the transaction with a 15% tip included. She was surprised and clearly caught off guard by the addition.

In the video, she asks the worker if she could just handle the tip in cash instead. This is a reasonable request for anyone who prefers to control their own finances, but the employee had already swiped the card. The worker apologized for the move, but the damage was already done. 

She wasn’t given any option

Once the card had been run through, the customer asked, “Why? Don’t you usually give the customer a choice?” The worker replied by saying, “Well, that’s just the most popular option.” We do not know exactly how the confrontation ended because the video cuts off pretty abruptly. The customer has not posted a follow-up video to explain what happened after the camera stopped rolling, and she has not chimed in on the comment section to provide more context. 

Some internet users have been quick to claim that what the employee did was an illegal act. However, the IRS official website notes that tips are considered “discretionary payments” made voluntarily by the customer. Because the video does not show the full resolution, it is difficult to say for sure if the worker was legally right or wrong, but the ethics of the situation definitely have people fired up.

The comments section on the video is flooded with people sharing their own frustrations. Many users are saying they would have demanded a full refund if they found themselves in that exact same position. One person even commented, “Refund immediately. No tip, and (I) wouldn’t re-book (an appointment) either.” 

Another user took issue with the worker claiming the 15 percent tip was just a popular option. They wrote, “No, you do not automatically add a tip because it’s ‘popular.’ I’ll add what I want.”