Got an attitude from a street vendor over not getting a tip.
I was spending an afternoon in Downtown Los Angeles over the weekend. From those of you that aren’t familiar with LA, it’s very common for many neighborhoods in the city to have street vendors on the sidewalks selling food (hot dogs, tacos, ice cream, etc).
I was feeling thirsty and there was a vendor selling flavored drinks made fresh fruit (traditionally Mexican drinks called Aguas Frescas).
I went ahead a purchased a strawberry drink and the price was $8 (which was already a ripoff) for a lukewarm drink. Unfortunately I had no cash on hand, so the lady pulled out a pocket sized tablet and charged my card the $8.
Then of course, the tip option came up and the options were ($1, $2, 3, Custom, or No Tip) obviously I went for the No Tip option as it is absurd to tip someone for simply filling me a cup of premade water. After the lady realized I left no tip, she snatched the device from me, and gave me my drink with an attitude and brushed me off.
I don’t understand why these businesses and vendors just don’t adjust their prices accordingly?!!! Like instead of asking for a $1 or $2 tip, just sell your product for $9 or $10!
These iPad/Touch screen POS devices are one of the worst things they’ve invented, as they automatically come programmed with the tip option, and have led many vendors and businesses owners to believe that they deserved to be tipped for doing the simplest task.