"Boss Pocketed 23,000 Won Tip Given by Customer... Is This Right?"

A post about a boss who stole tips given by customers to part-time workers has become a hot topic.

Recently, a post titled "Is it right for the store to keep the tip given by a customer to a part-timer?" was uploaded on an online community.

Entertainment district alleyway. Stock photo unrelated to the article content.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

원본보기 아이콘

The poster, A, said they work part-time at a pub and explained, "Seven middle-aged men came as customers," adding, "The boss and other part-timers said those customers were noisy and troublesome, so I went to take their order and serve them." They continued, "They just had strong accents and loud voices but were not bad people," and "I treated them kindly because they reminded me of my parents."

The customers, after the bill came to 127,000 won, placed three 50,000 won bills on the counter and said, "Don't give us change, consider it a tip for the student. It's been a while since we've met a part-timer we like. Because of the student, we should come often. We'll come often," the post said.

A explained that if they had the change in hand, they would have put it in their pocket, but since the customers left before taking out the money, it was ambiguous, so they did not separate the change. Later, during closing settlement, A said to the boss, "This 23,000 won tip is what I received from the customer earlier," and held out their hand, but the boss put it in their own pocket and told A to go home.

A said, "(The boss's behavior) was so natural, like water flowing, that I couldn't argue and just left," and asked, "Is it normally right for the store to take the tips that part-timers receive?" They also expressed dissatisfaction, saying, "I work night shifts but get minimum wage, and I don't even get paid for the last 30 minutes of closing work, so I feel really down."

Netizens responded with comments like, "Usually, bosses give tips to part-timers. Look for another part-time job," "It's the part-timer's share. Next time, put it in your pocket. The boss has no conscience," and "Next time, give the change back to the customer and then receive the tip again."

Meanwhile, Alba Heaven, a job portal specializing in part-time jobs, conducted a survey in September last year targeting 1,116 part-timers and 1,152 general adults about 'tip culture.'

According to the survey, 49.3% of part-timers have experienced receiving tips while working, and the most common reason for receiving tips was "providing especially kind service" at 48.5%.

Older people tended to have a more positive attitude toward tip culture, and those who responded positively about tips cited "being able to express gratitude" (66.1%) as the biggest reason.

© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.