I have started noticing that at places where one might tip, and the digitial bill is presented to you with the ”suggested tip” options shown, they are based on the after-tax total, not the before-tax. So you are left calculating the tip you want to leave with the server hovering. I suppose since tipping has always been a bit vague, it doesn’t matter. But it isn’t the custom.

We didn't get the right discount for solar on our energy bill. It was a slight miscalculation, not a huge amount of money, but my husband contacted the state ombudsman and it was corrected. Within a week, the paper mentioned that all customers with the solar thing were getting some money back!

Yes bpath, don't get me started on the whole tipping thing!

I sometimes read posts on reddit and there is a whole forum against the crazy tipping culture that has developed in the last few years. They basically suggest people not tip at all, except for a small group of services and then only tip based on the actual service you got and ignore all the pre-set amounts on the screens.

My issues is places like my hairstylist and the dog groomer I use for my dogs. They both own the business and I feel like I have to tip them on top of their fee for the service. The dog grooming is for 3 dogs, so that 20% tip ends up being over $50.

The first time you do it because that screen gets put in front of you ... and then you just keep doing it because you feel weird to not tip the next time. Ugh!

I recently had a $1000 invoice for an inspection and a bit of work related to attic/bat prevention (something I feel very strongly about 😅) and there was a tipping option when paying - what the what?!

My local grocery store which is part of a nationwide chain can be hit or miss with regard to correct charging for manager's specials in particular. I've learned to take a photo of the shelf tag just in case the discount isn't applied properly. It saves time at the register and ensures that I'm charged correctly. It's annoying though.

@bpath, if you want to tip 20% on the pre-tax amount, choose 15% on the after tax amount. In most jurisdictions, it works out to nearly the same. Of course, most recently, the tips that I have been presented with are 20%, 22%, and 25%. No 15% choice. You can always choose CUSTOM and enter the amount you want to pay.

I am not sure if many people know this but more than one store has told me that the new credit/debit terminals come preloaded with the tip info and the store can’t opt out of it. This seems true to me as I can’t remember where I last didn’t see a tip option other than at a retail store and those are often different machines. People need to stop being offended by a computer though. Tip or dont it is. Your call and you are pushing the buttons! I personally think most things are not malicious and if I care to complain and seek out a solution it almost always works out so that is my recourse. Yes it is my time but if it matters to me so be it.

Our tipping culture has turned into a shameless version of panhandling and outright entitlement when it's surreptitiously added. It's the same with automatic credit card payments with vendors who give themselves a raise without notice or "free trials" that automatically charge unless a complicated un-subscription process is completed. I recently discovered that a loved one who'd been hospitalized then went into a nursing home had vultures draining his bank account.

That is good that you reported that company, Jennifer. Whether malicious or not, it needs to stop.

"I've learned to take a photo of the shelf tag just in case the discount isn't applied properly. It saves time at the register and ensures that I'm charged correctly. It's annoying though."

Oh no, no, no -- I love me a scanning error at the grocery! I don't know about other states, but in MI we have a price scanning law. If the items scans at a higher price -- even if only a cent -- the customer gets the difference between the scanned price and the correct price PLUS 10x the difference up to $5.00. There are exceptions like items sold by weight or volume, you can only claim the bonus 1x per item, etc. You have to actually pay before you can claim the money under the scanning error law (i.e. if you tell the cashier before you've paid, you're not entitled to it).

But yea -- I check my bill EVERY TIME I'm done checking out, you bet your bippie I hightail it over to the customer service counter to get my money. Never leave money on the table.

"Our tipping culture has turned into a shameless version of panhandling and outright entitlement when it's surreptitiously added."

Yes.

"Our tipping culture has turned into a shameless version of panhandling and outright entitlement when it's surreptitiously added." No one is making you tip.

I’ve never understood tipping a percentage of the amount. Doesn’t my server provide the same service for a steak versus a grilled cheese?

Your server tips out a percentage so you cost them money if you don’t also tips a percentage on the amount.

That isn't the point. The point is that pretty much everybody, or every business, is now asking for tips, not just restaurants. And people do feel "forced" or "shamed" to click one of the pres-sets, even when no tip should have ever been asked at that type of business.

Employers should give workers a living wage and not guilt customers into making up the difference.

I'm going to clarify that I'm a good/generous tipper, when I get good service and want to reward it. Delivery guys that have brought in a piece of furniture into my house and done it neatly have left with a $50 bill for each of them (usually 2 or 3 guys), even if it only took them 30 minutes to do the job. I know those guys can use the money and appreciate it, but they would never ask for it or give me pre-set amounts to choose from.

People need to stop taking this on. If you don’t want to tip, then don’t. Honestly the complaints are ridiculous. Own how you feel about this and behave like an adult. Tip or dont but don’t blame pressure from a machine on it.

"No one is making you tip." Of course, that's understood. It's only a binary yes/no approach if you've been around a while and know your lanes but the point is that many people recognize it's has become a slippery slope. Tips used to be largely reserved for people providing extraordinary hospitality services, then the eligible worker pool expanded and increased to a minimum of 10%, then 15%, and now 20% is considered the minimum. The point is that businesses are actively blurring the lines of the eligibility pool and the percentage amount and while we resist now, they're creating a new normal.

The point is the absurdity of the question at a kiosk in a self serve check out lane, or the owner of a tree trimming business advising me in front of his crew that he'll accept tips on their behalf, or the insufferable tipping guides posted at check out points, such as 25% for good service, 30% for great, 40% for amazing...all the way up to 100%. Like it's normal.

"Your server tips out a percentage so you cost them money if you don't also tip a percentage on the amount." This isn't how it works. Some places allow servers to keep 100% of what they receive but if the employment agreement is to tip out, it's only based on the amount they receive. They don't have to reach into their own pocket. US Federal law allows employers to pay "tipped employees" (a narrow, specific worker classification) less than federal minimum wage provided that their base wage + tips equals at least the minimum wage, if not, the employer has to make up the difference.

@JCTabcz your comments about tip outs are not universally true so in fact are not correct. Many restaurants require a tip put percentage on sales.

Wow, that is really sloppy on their behalf-----If I remember, Jennifer, are you in Pa? We moved here 7 years ago, and DH and I have both remarked that Pa seems to not have the consumer culture that we both came to rely on.

In NY and even in NJ, the "mistakes" were way fewer . In Pa, we semi-joke that it's so much more of a laissez faire attitude or mentality. We do call out for correction and it is always addressed at the store level but have never gotten anything significant back regarding the state govt. I'm curious what you'll hear.

Now that Tips are exempt in part from federal taxes, I sense that more system recordkeeping was needed by the establishments to separate payroll vs tips. So, of course, they prefer upper end tips be given. Probably helps them to determine lowering the worker base wages when they can see what tip income looks like! What a mess.

Here in quebec,Canada here are the rules.

In Quebec, if a store charges more than the advertised price, the

Price Accuracy Policy applies (as of May 2025): if the item is $15 or less, it is free; if over $15, you get $15 off the lower price. This applies to shelf/label errors, not online purchases.

Office de la protection du consommateur +4

I am in PA. Grew up here, moved to CA for 30 years and then moved back. I am from central PA - heart of PA Dutch country. The move from PA to CA was culture shock. The move back to PA has been a bit weird - I guess I remember what it was like when I lived here before, and everything, everywhere has become less about the customer and more about the almighty dollar, including many of the businesses. The small locally run businesses seem to still be pretty honest, but the bigger chains have taken over and they don't care about anyone.

News flash - getting the best price for something in no way implies someone is poor. No idea where you got that concept but it is quite insulting.

Also, another news flash - what someone else chooses to drink is none of your business.

@Jennifer Hogan - My DH's aunt has a similiar story to you. Both the aunt and my MIL are from So Central PA, a smaller community outside of Lancaster PA. I believe his aunt lived in CA for about 50 years. Although she has two sisters that never left the PA area and she gone back to has visit often, it has been a big change for her moving back. I am going to send her a copy of your post, not sure if she shops Giant Direct but I want to make her aware of their practices. She is not a sofa drinker but it is likely the issue is not limited to soda.

Years ago one of our markets in So Cal would give you the item for free you were charged the wrong price. My boyfriend at caught on that they were pricing a deli meat incorrectly, for over 6 months every time he went into the store he would get his package for free because they had not fixed the pricing in the system.

First world problems in a nutshell?

And soda isn't exactly a need, is it?

I think I am a very thrifty person, and do look for the best price/value when buying almost everything. I've often returned something that didn't cost very much just on principle. It's funny tho, I really don't use coupons any more - for many years now. I do use online discounts, and will shop sales. I also shop often in discount stores.

As for the tipping, agreeing with Hopeful - rather than complaining about being guilted into doing something, stop allowing a business to pressure us into doing something we don't want to do and own our choices. I do tip for certain things because it's just good etiquette.

And I do wonder if the tipping requests by some services is because it's a corporate-owned business and the total amount is not what the employee gets? That does seem to be the case for so many these days.

Some seem to be missing the point of Jennifer's post. It's not about whether we need soda. It's not about whether soda is good for us or not. It's not about one's economic status. It's about a store not doing what they say and hoping you don't notice.

@Patricia Colwell Consulting - BTW if you are so poor that you are buying online to save money on pepsi maybe stop drinking so much pepsi.

Buying items on sale is not an indicator of poverty, it is an indicator of being frugal or financially savvy. Regardless of how much money you have it is rather stupid to pay full price for non-perishable items rather than purchase those items when they are on sale.

Oh I got it about the shady practices. There's a so much stuff businesses do these days that's shady. I just read about a study finding many companies are putting harmful or untested additives in foods that are not FDA approved, because it's not technically against regulations.

I haven't experienced anything like the OP with sale prices - yet.

"It's about a store not doing what they say and hoping you don't notice."

Exactly. And they will keep on doing so until someone like @Jennifer Hogan takes the time to advocate and report it. It doesn't matter whether it is Pepsi, milk, or Rx drugs. Dubious charging practices rip off consumers. It is unethical.

Oh I agree we should get the posted sale price of products. I probably wouldn’t keep going back to a store that couldn’t get it right though and would give my business to elsewhere. I would absolutely complain abojt it but if they didn’t resolve it I would move on,

It also doesn't help that Giant bought out several of our local markets, so around my home I have 3 Giants, 2 Weis Markets.

We have some small independent grocery stores and just got a Discount Grocery Warehouse that has short data and overstock deals, the farmers market, a butcher shop, but not much choice in "Super markets". No Warehouse/Club stores, no Trader Joe's, Whole Foods, Wegmans type specialty stores. I hit those stores when I travel to one of the nearby cities, but it is a planned trip as it is a 45 minute drive each direction vs 5 minutes each direction.

FWIW, I'm a staunch comparison shopper and make notes of the prices of items in the various stores on my phone.

I'm also lucky to live close to many stores.

Update - I just looked at my bank statement and Giant Direct refunded the full discount amount, not just the remainder that they owed me.

My 18 6 pks of soda (Original Price $134.82) less the 2 discounts ($44.94 original discount + $67.41 second applied discount) left me paying a final amount of $22.47 (Buy 3 get 15 free).

"...left me paying a final amount of $22.47 (Buy 3 get 15 free)."

^^ Now THAT'S a score!!!