Tipping culture has gone crazy lately as people are expected to tip even for the absolute most menial of work. While service providers charge a hefty amount for their service, they also expect customers to tip simply out of gratitude. But gratitude should be voluntary, as argued by many online who are against this tipping culture. Justice (@antidietpilot), an anti-diet culture enthusiast from Chicago, was also someone who recently started acting against the tipping expectation. Her TikTok video about how unnecessary tipping is received the approval of thousands online.

For her last braiding session, she simply paid the full price of the service without tipping. She revealed that she usually left tips when getting her hair done, and that not tipping made her very nervous. “I just didn’t feel like tipping was necessary for the service,” Justice said, explaining the reason by breaking down the cost. The total cost of braiding her hair into small, knotless French curl braids came to $350. Considering the time it took to complete the braids, Justice said it took the hairdresser 7.5 hours to do the work, meaning each hour cost about $46. Not including the cost of the hair extensions used, the hairdresser had charged $40 per hour for her service.

“She didn’t have to commute. She doesn’t pay any additional overhead because she works from home,” Justice stressed. She felt that $40 an hour was a “really good rate” compared to many employees who make less hourly pay. Additionally, since the salon only accepted cash payments, the content creator had to go to the ATM, calling it the “most inconvenient method of payment.” Additionally, Justice had to be the one who commuted back to the salon for the follow-up appointment to wash, condition, and blow-dry her hair. She didn’t want to complain about the braiding experience because she received the best service from the salon and would gladly go back. But she couldn’t understand why she should tip a few dollars more.

To those who insist that tipping is a form of gratitude, Justice said, “For me, saying ‘thank you’ means respecting people’s rules, showing up on time for appointments, respecting the space you’re in, letting them take pictures of their work afterward and maybe telling your friends or following them on social media.” She ended her video by saying, “We don’t have to raise the hourly wage from $40 to $45 to say ‘thank you.'” So far, the video has been viewed over 5 million times and received more than 10,000 comments.

“I’m so sick of tipping. I ordered a pizza to take out and the receipt at the register asked for a tip. For what? I’m picking it up,” commented @bridgetgoudelock. “I intentionally set my prices for what I need to live and tell everyone that tipping isn’t necessary. The best tip is to just come back and tell your friends,” wrote @lucidlexie_the1. “Yes, I’m with you. I don’t tip for hair or nails anymore. Their price just keeps going up and half the time they’re late,” commented @iamjessie.b.

You can follow Justice (@antidietpilot) for more lifestyle content.

Editor’s note: This article was originally published on March 1, 2024. It has since been updated.