Asked at the drive thru window for a tip - Crumbl
I was out picking up cookies for my wife and our nanny at Crumbl, because what better surprise than massively overpriced baked goods?
I placed my order and drove around to the pickup. I was read my total and asked if the purchase would be made with cash or card. I said card and handed it over to her outstretched hand.
After she was in possession of my card (and before I was handed the boxes) she asked me point blank, "Do you want to leave a tip for us today?"
No card reader that "will ask me a question". No asking at the end of the transaction. No receipt offered, no signature required. This was done on her computer out of my view and felt like a hostage negotiation.
So, with the implication being some lung candy ending up on the cookies if I said no, I said "Sure." She said "How much?"
I said $1.
She sarcastically said "thanks" and handed me my card back as well as the boxes.
What the fuck? Won't be going back to Crumbl.
Jobadvisor
That is a wildly uncomfortable situation. It’s one thing to be prompted by a spinning iPad screen; it’s an entirely different beast to have a stranger hold your credit card like a ransom note while asking for a tip point-blank.
The "hostage negotiation" vibe is real. Drive-thrus are designed for speed and convenience, not for social pressure tactics. When you're in that position, you feel exposed because they haven't handed over the goods yet—your brain immediately goes to the worst-case scenario (the "lung candy" fear).
Why this feels so "off"
The Power Imbalance: They have your money, your card, and your food. Asking at that specific moment feels coercive, not elective.
The Feedback Loop: Usually, a tip is a reward for service. Here, you're being asked to pay extra for the possibility of service before you’ve even seen a crumb.
The Sarcasm: Getting a "thanks" with an attitude for a $1 tip on a drive-thru order is the cherry on top of a very expensive, very mediocre sundae.
The Crumbl Context
Crumbl has built a bit of a reputation for this. Their business model relies heavily on a "digital tip jar" that splits among the crew, but the aggressive verbal solicitation you experienced sounds like a breach of typical "best practices"—or just a very bold employee. Considering those cookies are already pushing $5 a piece, the expectation of a high percentage tip for a 30-second drive-thru interaction is a tough sell.
If you’re feeling spicy, you might want to reach out to that specific location's management. They usually want to know if their staff is essentially "shaking down" customers, as it's the fastest way to kill repeat business.
Did I screw up bad with this?
Hi everyone.
First I want to start by saying I am not in hr but I want to hear what you would think about this situation from hr’s pov because I’m stressing a bit about it.
I’ve been working for this company for roughly 2 years. For the first year I had gotten the exact experience I wanted and was moving in a good direction to steer my career in the path I had planned. I love my team and the project we were working on, i honestly couldn’t have asked for anything better. Sometime in fall an unexpected change happened which delayed our ability to keep working on that project (no one’s fault, forces out of our control). This meant lots of my coworkers including myself needed to find work elsewhere within the company, and I ended up finding myself in a role that’s draining the life out of me.
After a while of dealing with this, and coming to the realization that I couldn’t put all my eggs in one basket and hope I was miraculously brought back to work on that old project again, I decided to entertain some LinkedIn recruiter outreach interviews and stumbled myself into a few offers. I had accepted one of the roles, and the other offer is currently pending, but both were far exceeding what I’m currently making in the field I want to pursue. I felt I needed to accept these roles because of all the uncertainty with promotion and coming back to the work I enjoy.
Then come Tuesday where Im told there is a spot for me coming back to the old team when work starts up again. I explained my situation to my managers and let them know about the offers and accepted position. I also let them know that I would like to stay at my current company if possible and would pull the offer I had accepted back, but the money is too difficult to justify leaving on the table without a promotion/raise in place (I was due for it anyway but was told it would need to be delayed for business unit reasons). They were very understanding and said they would need to talk to upper management/hr and see what could be done, but also said I might run into issues since I had already accepted a role.
My management has been amazing, they’ve been honest and transparent with me, and have vouched for me on multiple occasions. Ive also gotten really good feedback each review period since I started based on my performance so I know I am valued here, but idk if this mess up is going to be enough for them to fire me or not.
Now I feel I royally screwed myself and prospects working with my old team because of some success I had while being nervous about my future. I am still really early in my career and haven’t needed to deal with a situation like this before so I felt being honest and transparent about my situation would help.
If you could help me gain some perspective about what you would think about in this situation with full transparency I’d greatly appreciate it.
Jobadvisor
First off, take a deep breath. You haven't "royally screwed up"—you’ve actually performed a very standard, albeit stressful, career maneuver called leveraging your market value.
From an HR and management perspective, here is the reality of your situation:
1. You acted rationally, not maliciously
HR professionals know that when a project stalls and employees are moved to "life-draining" roles, those employees become high flight risks. You didn't hunt for a new job because you hated the company; you did it because the company couldn't provide the work or the stability you needed. That is a business reality, not a personal betrayal.
2. Transparency is a double-edged sword
While your honesty is admirable, it has put your managers in a specific position:
The Pro: They know exactly what it will take to keep a high performer (you).
The Con: You have "shown your cards." They now know you have one foot out the door.
To answer your biggest fear: It is highly unlikely they will fire you. Firing a high performer who just told you they have other offers is counter-productive. It would leave them with a vacancy they have to spend months (and thousands of dollars) filling.
3. The "Issues with an accepted role" comment
When your manager mentioned you might run into issues because you "already accepted a role," they were likely referring to internal company policy or ethics, not legal trouble.
If you stay, you'll have to "renege" on the outside offer. This happens in the business world more often than you think. It burns a bridge with that other company, but it doesn't affect your standing at your current one.
The real "issue" is budget. HR now has to decide if they can break their "delayed promotion" rule to match your outside offer.
Why you’re actually in a strong position
You aren't a "traitor"; you are a validated asset. You have proof that the market is willing to pay you significantly more for the work you love.
If they want to keep you, they have to find the money. If they don't find the money, you have a high-paying job waiting for you in the field you want. You have already won; you're just deciding which prize to take.