Everyone is familiar with the traditional tipping model: diners pay a voluntary amount, yet it’s socially expected to tip at least 15% for good service. But contrary to popular belief, tips are not free money.

Not only are they taxed, but also, depending on the system a particular establishment uses, not all of it goes to the person who received a tip. If any goes at all, in some cases.

Now, you may have heard of tip sharing, a common practice restaurants and bars implement that’s based on the idea that a gratuity is given for the whole dining experience. It means that a server gets to share a portion of their tips and give it to other staff members.

But server and TikTok creator Abigail (@flabigailfartin) argues that not only is tip-sharing flawed beyond return, it’s milking the ones who’re the most vulnerable and that’s the servers themselves.

In a series of TikTok videos, Abigail demonstrates why tipping poorly or not at all is so problematic, as well as other other shady aspects of the tip sharing policy at her work that most people have no clue about.

Server and TikTok creator @Flabigailfartin demonstrated why tip sharing is so problematic and what happens when you tip poorly

Image credits: flabigailfartin

Image credits: flabigailfartin

Image credits: flabigailfartin

Image credits: flabigailfartin

Image credits: flabigailfartin

The author later posted another video with a more detailed explanation:  let’s say she made $3,000 in sales, that means the 3% tip share is $90

Image credits: flabigailfartin

According to the TikToker, servers usually hope to get a 20% tip, so if your bill is $40, 20% of that would be $8

Image credits: flabigailfartin

So, for every $100 a customer spends, $3 go to tip share. If the tip is 20%, meaning $20, the server actually gets only $17, because that 3% is going to tip share

Image credits: flabigailfartin

That’s why servers hate “stiffing”, which means that a customer tipped $0

Image credits: flabigailfartin

Because whether you tip or not, @Flabigailfartin argues, they still owe the restaurant that 3% tip share which has to be paid out of their own pocket

Image credits: flabigailfartin

Here are the full videos that demonstrate why tip sharing is flawed that @Flabigailfartin shared on her TikTok channel

@flabigailfartin#greenscreen#tipshare#tipyourserver#howitworks#servertok#waitressproblems♬ original sound – a silly goose :)

@flabigailfartin Replying to @julissagomez57 *disclaimer this may not be true for every restaurant. some stores have different percentages, systems, or don’t participate in tip share at all* #tipshare#howitworks#servertok#waitressproblems#fyp♬ original sound – a silly goose :)

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