A Florida man is slamming the 'out of control' tipping culture in the US after returning from a trip to Italy where he was NEVER asked to leave a tip
A man has rejected the culture of tipping in the United States after being charged a service charge for a cup of coffee. He claimed that his home country should be more like Italy, where customers are not “forced” to leave tips.
Christian Bonnier, 23, is a Florida entrepreneur who regularly posts about his daily life and has previously made headlines for emphasizing that “beautiful” women shouldn't have to work.
Now he has once again turned to TiKTok to criticize the US for its 'out of control' culture in which people pay tips wherever they go – while customers across the country have taken to social media to complain about 'tipflation '.
In a viral video that has been viewed more than 1.8 million times to date, Christian put his foot down after having to tip for a cup of coffee in Miami as he remembered traveling to Italy and was not 'obligated' to 'reward good service'. .'
Christian Bonnier, 23, is a Florida entrepreneur who regularly posts his daily life online and has now gone viral for his criticism of tipping culture
He criticized the US for its “out of control” culture where people pay a tip wherever they go.
He captioned the clip: “I've never seen a mandatory 'service charge' until today lol.”
“Tipping in the United States is out of control,” he said at the start of the video before sharing his harrowing experience in Miami.
“I'm in Miami right now and I got this pumpkin spice latte from a place in Brickell and there was a mandatory service charge on my bill.”
Christian added that he was not “asked” or given the “option” to tip, but was “forced into it.”
'The woman turned the screen to me and instead of clicking what percentage you wanted. It just said service charge,” he explained.
'Don't get me wrong: I like to tip for a delicious three-course meal with good service, but I usually don't tip for a cup of coffee.'
The 23-year-old entrepreneur noted that he was shocked that he didn't have to tip during his time in Italy, despite receiving great service.
'When I was in Italy this summer, I had a three-course meal – the best pizza, the best pasta, the best wine I've ever had – and when I went to pay the bill, the waiter went to pay the bill and I just got it signed and there was no line to tip,” he noted.
In a viral video that has been viewed more than 1.8 million times to date, Christian put his foot down after being forced to tip over a cup of coffee in Miami.
The 23-year-old entrepreneur noted that he was shocked that he didn't have to tip during his stay in Italy, despite receiving great service
Christian noted that he was “confused” because he was more than happy to tip because he received “great service.”
So he asked the waiter how he could leave a tip.
“Oh, we don't tip here, we're in Italy,” the server replied.
Christian added: “So you go from Italy, where you can get the best service of your life and there is no tipping, to Miami, where they pour you a cup of coffee and you are forced to tip otherwise you not getting your money. coffee.
“We're getting to a point now in America where people are going to ask for tips to get you water, to get you a napkin, to hold the door open for you.”
'Aren't tips meant to be a reward for good service? Not only a requirement for ordering coffee at a coffee shop? As?'
People online flooded the comments section and echoed the 23-year-old's views, adding that tipping was “crazy.”
One person said: 'We need to get rid of the tipping culture.'
He added, “We're getting to a point now in America where people are going to ask for tips to get you water, to get you a napkin, to hold the door open for you.”
Someone else wrote: 'I've stopped tipping altogether unless it's at a restaurant.'
“I agree that the tipping issue here is crazy, why would I tip $3 for a $5 cup of coffee? It's ridiculous,” another person added.
A fourth person commented: 'Tips: when the employer doesn't feel like paying.'
“No one should be forced to tip,” one commenter typed.
Americans have long lamented the increase in tipping.
However, “tip inflation” appears to have reached its breaking point, as new data shows that Americans are cutting back on tips out of frustration with the tip bombardment.
Data from payroll provider Gusto shows that tips for service workers in non-restaurant leisure and hospitality jobs fell seven percent from last year, as reported by The Wall Street Journal.
As of November, these workers earned an average of $1.28 per hour in tips, down from the $1.38 per hour they earned the year before.
People online flooded the comments section and echoed the 23-year-old's views, adding that tipping is 'crazy'
Nearly three-quarters of Americans say tips are now expected in more places compared to five years ago, according to a poll by Pew Research Center.
Touch screens in taxis and coffee shops now suggest tips of 20 percent, 25 percent and even more.
At a Connecticut bridal shop called A Little Something, white brides-to-be are encouraged to leave tips, and must enter a custom amount and enter zero on the screen to decline, according to The Wall Street Journal.
In an extreme example, a merchant was outraged when a restaurant in Alaska offered him the option of leaving a 100 percent tip.
People have turned to social media to satirize their frustration as tip screens pop up seemingly everywhere.