Skip the Tips: A game to select "No Tip" but dark patterns try to stop you

Reactions to the Game

• Many found the game clever, funny, and uncomfortably accurate; several said it’s good “training” to overcome social pressure and recognize dark patterns.
• Some felt it becomes repetitive and would work better as a puzzle game without a timer, with patterns getting more subtle over time.
• A few wanted a no‑timer or “family” mode to use it as an educational tool.
• Several appreciated the meta “buy me a coffee” button at the end, while others refused to click it because it now “felt like losing.”

Tipping Norms and Personal Rules

• Common stance from many: generous tipping at sit‑down restaurants, little or none at counter service, fast food, or where no real service is perceived.
• Some have rigid rules (fixed percentages, fixed dollar amounts, or “I only tip in situations I tipped 10 years ago”).
• Others strongly object to being asked for tips on small transactions (e.g., coffee) and describe simply avoiding places that prompt for tips.

Cultural and Regional Perspectives

• Multiple Europeans and Canadians expressed confusion or hostility toward US-style tipping culture and resent its spread via card terminals in their countries.
• In many European anecdotes, staff are paid a full wage and tipping is rare, small, or just rounding up.
• Some US‑based commenters argue tipping leads to better service and allows higher total earnings than flat wages; others see it as a “cancerous” system exporting employer costs onto customers.

Dark Patterns in Payments and Tips

• People described real-world dark patterns: hidden or oversized default tips, obscured “no tip” buttons, pre‑checked gratuities, and terminals that silently add a tip unless you notice and override.
• Starbucks‑style stored-value apps, transit cards, gift cards, and city parking apps were cited as “float businesses” that profit from unused balances and confusing UX.
• Dynamic currency conversion and opaque conversion markups were heavily criticized as another dark pattern at ATMs, terminals, PayPal, Amazon, and travel platforms.

Ethics, Wages, and Legal Questions

• Ongoing debate over “living wage”: some argue tips are a broken workaround for inadequate labor laws; others emphasize local norms and personal generosity.
• Disagreement over whether comped items plus larger tips are classy reciprocity or effectively rewarding employees for giving away their employer’s product.
• Several commenters ask whether some of these patterns should be illegal; others note enforcement is weak, so chargebacks and customer pushback are the only real constraints.