Even math-savvy shoppers throw up their hands when a $1.50 soda turns into $2.50 with a sneaky tip.
A user on r/EndTipping revealed that her grocery store quietly added a $1 tip to her $1.50 soda, leaving Reddit users scratching their heads and their wallets.
“I chose not to tip… and they still charged me a 67 percent tip,” she fumed (without revealing the specific store or location), posting a screenshot of a receipt showing the sneaky charge.
The poster said she selected $0 on the Square checkout screen, but the store added $1 anyway.
“They didn’t even help me put it in the bag,” she vented. “When I received my email receipt, I noticed that the cashier seemed to have tipped herself a dollar!”
When the OP called to protest, she was told the only way to remove it was to contact the store directly – a hassle for a fee that was less than a latte.
A grocery store that secretly gave shoppers tips they never approved was met with $1 outrage on a $1.50 can of Coke. Stockett – stock.adobe.com
Commenters were equally outraged. “Ask for a refund. It will cost them more than a dollar,” one suggested.
Another fumed: “This is ridiculous. I will never shop in that store again.”
One person snarkyly added, “Since when did grocery store workers start getting tips? Especially if they don’t pick up/delivery…I’d be so petty about taking notes/photos and turning them in.”
Some pointed to potential legal issues: One noted that collecting tips without consent would be a “violation” of Square’s terms of service and suggested using a “credit card chargeback.”
Another vented about the creeping culture of mandatory tipping: “Half the time, these digital tips never reach workers’ pockets; tips are being stolen by Uber CEO and Jeff Bezos.”
The incident highlights growing dissatisfaction with the digital tipping trend, where even a small can of soda can feel like a hidden surcharge.
The viral saga sparked outrage on Reddit over the sneaky digital prompt, with commenters outraged by the addition of illegal dollars to a simple soda can. Reddit/modernhangs
As The Washington Post reported previously this month, customers specifically accused Dave & Buster’s of running a tip “scam” by exaggerating the suggested tip on the digital payment screen.
One Reddit user said she went to an amusement park and restaurant with her family and used Apple Pay when her sister forgot her card.
Digital tip suggestions don’t match printed receipts: A bill of $86.88 suggests paying 18% ($15.64), 20% ($17.38), or 22% ($19.11) digitally, but the paper receipt shows the same percentage of $14.48, $16.09, or $17.70.
The discrepancy raises questions about whether the system is intentionally padding tips.
Some suggested it might be a tax-related calculation — digital tip after tax, paper tip before tax — while more commenters called the practice “shady” or decried modern tipping culture as a “movement.”
Other examples suggest that things may not be that simple.
Potential legal hurdles? One user pointed out that the secret tip violated Square’s policy of adding tips without consent and suggested a credit card refund. Pixel Shooter – stock.adobe.com
In a TikTok video from December 2025, the chain’s $158.92 bill showed a 20% tip of $44.38, but the 20% tip was actually $31.60.
A diner chooses to leave a tip of $20. The tip shown on the screen is only 9%, but it is actually 12.6%.
Reddit users joke about confusing math. One of them shared a bill of $59.83, which claimed a 20% tip of $15.16, when the true 20% tip was $11.97.
Further inspection revealed that the system based its tips on the tax total before discounts, including items that were accidentally added and then removed.
Customers who manually adjust their tips are sometimes “ashamed” of tipping less than the exaggerated recommendation.
Ultimately, it all highlights how technology can turn something as simple as tipping into a mind-bending math problem and a new headache for diners.
