Tipping for buying seeds?!

[peebee]

Ok let me rant here. I recently bought seeds online, I've bought from them a few times before, I like them. But lo and behold, when I got ready to check out there was a question asking me if I wanted to "show my appreciation for the team" or some such wording, by adding a tip to the order. Ummm...really? I was staring at it for a while, it didn't sink in. I mean, I would expect it as I'm ready to pay for a takeout or food service, but for an order like that? How about just paying your workers more.
It must be a trend as they never asked before. I've read that some companies do ask for tips now although it was for retail goods I can't remember now. One customer claimed the wording they encountered was, "would you like to treat our workers to a coffee?"
Heck I'd like to treat myself to an overpriced cafe latte too if I could afford it more often.
Has anyone else seen this from on online purchase, for something delivered by the mailman? BTW my total was $6 & I declined to tip. I would have if it was delivered straight from the store locally, but it's an online business.

[JRinPA]

I haven't seen that yet, but it doesn't surprise me.

[ddsack]

Sounds very strange. I agree with your 'how about just paying your workers more' or just charge a little more for the product. How would a mail order customer know whether anyone there is deserving of a tip - if you don't add one, will they fiddle around and delay your order? To me, a tip is for a service that you personally oversaw happening with your own eyes, so have some basis for putting a value on it. All mail order companies have to process, package and mail the orders, how could you tell one was better than another except maybe after you received the order, in which case it would be too late to tip. I would not order from a company that requested a tip, unless it was the only place in the world I could get that item.

[Mark_Thompson]

Don’t do it! I bet if they got zero tips for like three months they’d get the hint and make the tip box go away

[MissS]

Not only would I not tip but I would write them a comment if I could. If they did not have a comment box in the order then I would refuse to do business with them. I have never tipped people at the grocery store and they even bag the items for me.

[peebee]

Not only that, but how do we know the employees are actually getting the tips?
I consider these types of tip solicitations a form of guilt tipping. @ddsack exactly, I wondered if my order would be delayed or if an irate worker would remove a few seeds or even spitefully replace some with another variety.
Thankfully it did arrive in a reasonable amount of time, only time will tell if all the seeds are correct.

[worth1]

Some restaurants are now putting extra charges on the bill above and beyond the normal price and things like employees insurance costs and so on.
Comes in the form of kitchen staff appreciation charges and such.

[ddsack]

Some restaurants are now putting extra charges on the bill above and beyond the normal price and things like employees insurance costs and so on.
Comes in the form of kitchen staff appreciation charges and such.

I actually would not mind this, everyone deserves a decent wage. But why not just enfold it into the price charged for the menu items? I don't need an itemized list of business expenses, just charge more for the product itself. Same difference to my pocket book in the end. And I wish they would quit with the .99 and .98 endings, just round up to next dollar.