Poppy Bilderbeck
People are flooding to social media in debate after a woman revealed she was hit with 'a suggested $84 tip' for a Target home delivery order.
We've all been there - needing a new top and then getting carried away and finding a new dress which is nice too, before oh, look at those shoes and well. Postage is free if I just spend five dollars, so why not purchase some sunglasses too? Alas, one woman found out when ordering from Target that even if you bypass or just bow down to the delivery fee, the suggested tip can be the surprise additional cost to slap you in the face.
You may've thought the heated discussion around tipping had died down, alas, it's far from over yet, ready yourself:
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A TikToker who goes by BBsmalls - @bbsmallsmb - took to the platform earlier this month on 10 April to reveal her horror when trying to make an order online at Target.
In the video, she explains: "I went onto my Target app and saw they were having a sale on their home delivery service for $49 for a whole year.
"My first thought was 'Awesome, Target is trying to compete with Amazon Prime, I'm all about it, it's going to save me time throughout the year' I purchased the $49 subscription."
However, when BB tried to put the subscription to good use, that's when she realised there was slightly more to it.
The TikToker explains she went onto the app to get a new Apple Watch and 'two giant things of toilet paper', alongside some 'vitamin water' her husband likes and 'a couple pairs of shorts'.
The toilet paper and Apple Watch were delivered successfully, however, the vitamin water and shorts were missing.
"So I go into the app to see if something was cancelled or if she forgot something," the TikToker continues. "And before I can go into my app I have a suggested tip of $84."
She notes in hindsight, given the tipping culture in the US, maybe she should've expected it was going to be a 'tipping service,' however, she 'really thought it was competing with Amazon Prime'.
While BB notes she understands the 'value of a good tip' having 'put herself through college serving tables' and felt 'terrible' about it, there's 'no way' she was going to tip $84 to someone 'for getting the Apple Watch walking across the aisle, getting the toilet paper and then driving three minutes to my house'.
So, she decided to custom tip instead and called customer service to cancel the subscription, complaining Target should pay their workers more so they don't rely on the expected tip amounts.
And it's not taken long for people to flood to the post to weigh in on the issue.
One user said: "Sooo the tip is for the Shipt driver that gets paid per order. Way less than minimum. Many are lucky to make $6 per trip!"
"I get that now but the way Target advertises it is very misleading. I did tip her. But canceled the service because it’s not worth it for me and I am not going to use the service and not tip properly," BB replied.
"Tips for delivery should be based on distance and time spent. Not the cost of the items," another added.
And a third resolved: "The issue is that greedy companies underpay their workers and then push the difference off to the consumers."
UNILAD has contacted Target for comment.