Employee Who Allegedly Stole From Shared Tip Jar Infuriates Internet

A worker has taken to Reddit to allege that their co-worker took most of the shared tips one day, and that management “won’t do anything about it,” which has ignited fury online.

The viral Reddit post recounting events has been upvoted 22,600 times since it was shared on March 21 by u/TMOJBAR to the subreddit “Mildly Infuriating.”

According to NOLO, federal law dictates an employer can require their employees to participate in tip pools. Tip pools occur when employees put some of their tips toward a collective pool, which is then divided among the employees eligible for it.

The original poster (OP) revealed they work at a place where tips are evenly split after a shift between two to three people.

They continued: “We had more than $50 of tips today, and my co-worker had to leave about 10 minutes early. She ended up taking all but [approximately] $2.50, and management won’t do anything about it.”

The post was shared with an image presumably showing the tip money left, which amounted to $2 and some change in a cup with the words “Tips” on it. In the top of the image is a portion of a menu from the supposed restaurant, Duck Donuts.

Over 800 comments came in over the viral post, and people were in an uproar over the situation. One Redditor figured many of the “Mildly Infuriating” subreddit posts are “way more than ‘mild.'” However, they said this post got them “heated to an aggressive level. Literally stealing money from me? Absolutely ridiculous.”

People have a lot of sympathy for the OP in the situation. “Friend, that’s more than mildly infuriating,” a Redditor pointed out. “I’m sorry you have to do deal with such toxic bs at work.” The OP replied back revealing they put in their notice to leave the job that day.

Many were shocked at the co-worker’s behavior. “That’s a literal crime,” a user expressed. “They won’t fire or discipline her for stealing tips? Replace the amount she took and deduct it from her check? Lame.”

One Redditor thought it sounded like the employees need “written rules,” insisting the woman “took all the money without even trying to disguise that fact tells me that she knew this sharing agreement was toothless.”

Some threw it back on the management of the establishment. “They should be on top of shared tips like that,” a Redditor said. “If she literally just stole out of the tip jar, they should address that.”

One viewer called the situation “theft,” and they had advice for the OP on what to do. “Report it to the next highest person,” they suggested. “Report it to HR if you have one. Report it to literally everyone!”

Others had comments like, “Boiled my blood,” and “I wouldn’t give her any of the tips for the next few shifts…What an a**hole.”

Still, others just didn’t understand how a person could do that. “I don’t get people,” a viewer reasoned. “Like does she not realize she’s gonna have to come back into work and face you guys?”

Redditor @TMOJBAR told Newsweek: “I was wearing an eye patch that day at work and that’s why we had a bunch more tips than usual, people seeing me working my a** off with only one eye.” They also revealed they tried to “call out” due to an eye injury, but the establishment couldn’t find anyone to cover their shift. The Redditor also said the situation occurred at the Roanoke, Virginia location.

Newsweek reached out to Duck Donuts for comment.

Updated 03/23/2022, 4:38 p.m. ET: This story has been updated with additional information and background.