‘What’s this for?’: Patient walks in doctor’s office. Then she spots a tip jar on the counter
You expect to tip for a service like getting your hair done or getting waited on at a restaurant, but more and more providers are asking for tips for services that have no precedent of being tipped work.
In a viral Reddit post to the r/EndTipping sub, user u/Misha2468 says they spotted a tip jar at their doctor’s office. Should they consider tipping under these circumstances?
“I looked up at the receptionist and I said what’s this for?” they write. “She said with a smile, to thank us for being helpful and efficient.” The receptionist also said they use the money from the tip pool to buy themselves lunch once a week.
Misha thought this was inappropriate. “I said oh that’s nice. Why don’t you call a pharmaceutical company and have them buy you lunch instead or better yet, the doctor can buy you lunch? I’m not at Taco Bell. I’m not tipping you and I left,” they write. They add that they have since left the office a Google review and changed doctors.
‘Do they not have any self respect?’
In the comments section, users agreed that the tip jar was going too far. Some said they experienced seeing a tip jar at a doctor’s office firsthand.
“I got charged $400 for a phone call from a dr. I will be [expletive] if I tip them,” user u/richiesworld408 wrote. “One thing is, How can a grown adult beg someone for money? Do they not have any self respect?”
A second commenter said, “I wish your post was a joke but I encountered the same thing at a specialist office last year.”
“As someone who works in healthcare, this is a disgrace and certainly casts the profession in a bad light,” another commenter said.
Should I tip my doctor?
In an article addressing tipping medical providers, Medium writes, “You should never feel compelled to tip, even if the doctor has installed a screen next to the weigh-in scale.”
Assuming you do choose to tip, the article recommends between $20-$1,000, depending on the type of service and provider. However, if you’re being treated at a clinic “for the poor,” you can tip half the recommended amount for each service.
The Mary Sue contacted Misha via Reddit direct message.
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