Publix Employees Are Sounding Off About No-Tipping Badges

As a brand, Publix is a respectable name in the supermarket business and has been around since 1930. Per its official website, Publix considers itself to be the "largest employee-owned grocery chain" in the country. Also, a statement from Publix reads that it aims to be a "great place to work and shop."

However, it seems to be straying away from its goals, especially in terms of keeping its team members happy. According to Publix employees on Reddit, the company isn't doing a good job of looking out for its staff and is making life tougher for many of them. They're particularly upset about the signs at Publix outlets that dissuade customers from offering tips while shopping. Also, a Redditor pointed out that the pay is really low and that the company wasn't able to do much during the pandemic, either. "Considering Publix's legacy, that's not a good look," the person wrote.

The Reddit post pointed out that all Publix employees are required to sport badges that clearly ask customers to not tip. The post read, "it's disgusting that a company that pays its front service clerks $11/hour forces them to wear this badge."

According to some Publix employees, certain customers are making sure to tip anyway. A Redditor explained that they have a regular shopper who insists on tipping every time they're at the store. If a front store clerk says no, they go ahead and contact the manager and say, "I am tipping this employee, and you can't stop me" before handing over a $10 bill to the employee. However, another Publix staff member wrote that they were told that they may lose their job if they didn't hand over tips to the customer service desk. 

Additionally, someone else who worked at the company for seven years said that most people would get discouraged by the sign and only around 10 of them tried to insist on tipping.