The coffee shop in Portland had a 'please don't tip' sign that made me uncomfortable

I went to this hole-in-the-wall place on SE Hawthorne where the barista literally crossed out the tip line on the receipt and wrote 'just pay for your drink.' It threw me off because I'm so used to the guilt of that 20% screen, but honestly the coffee was $4.50 and I felt relieved for about 30 seconds before I started wondering what their deal is. Has anyone else run into a business that refuses tips and felt oddly suspicious about it?

3 comments

3 Comments

ryanm6027d agoProlific Poster

That brain short-circuit thing happens everywhere now... like we forgot how to just exist without a transaction.

the_thomas27d ago

That jarring feeling makes total sense, it's like your brain short-circuits when a business breaks the unspoken rule.

the_fiona27d ago

@ryanm60 exactly, we've been trained to expect a hidden cost or a pitch behind everything now. The other day a shop gave me a free coffee just because I looked tired and I nearly ran out thinking it was a scam. It's sad that a simple nice gesture feels so suspicious these days.