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According to science, the average human being makes eighty mistakes a day. Eighty. 80. That’s a lot of mistakes. And sure some of those mistakes are as small as stumbling over a word, or as large as backing your car into a wall when you were trying to park in a tight spot. But one thing that many of us forget in life is that it is these mistakes, these everyday things, that actually make us human. We ruminate and get frustrated with ourselves (and sometimes one another) about these mistakes, but in an increasingly tech world, the very things that make us human should be celebrated.

But when the server in this story made a mistake at work, they were forced by their manager to make it right. And unfortunately in this case, making it right meant handing over all of that night’s tips, plus some for their forthcoming shift too. And now, not only are they feeling horrible about their mistake, they’re down on a big chunk of their hard-earned cash too. No wonder they want to quit.

Read on to find out more.

Should I quit?

I am a server in a restaurant, and last night I had a table with seven guests, and everything was going great.

I had to split the check because it was two separate families – one paid with card the other family paid with cash.

The family with the card I charged them just fine, then when I get to the family paying with cash they gave me a $100 bill and a $20 bill.

I put the $20 in my “serving book” because we keep all our cash.

But then, something went wrong with the arrangment.

So the guy was supposed to get like $26 back in change, and I would keep the rest in my “book”.

After my manager broke the $100 bill, I made a huge mistake and accidentally gave him all the money from the broken $100 bill and the $26 he was supposed to get back.

So at tip out she tells me she’s taking my tips because it has to go to cover the table, and I still owe $24 – and I feel like this is sketchy and illegal to be honest.

So I’m sitting outside right now typing this wondering if I should just quit. I don’t want to give them $24 extra and I feel disrespected.

This is a really sad situation to be in.

The server worked really hard to keep this table of seven happy, which is no mean feat.

So when they made this genuine mistake with the change, of course she’s upset that her hard-earned tips are being taken away.

Let’s see what folks on Reddit made of this.

This person thought they should just accept they made a mistake and move on.

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While others thought the blame was all on this server.

But others explained that the server’s tips should absolutely not be being taken.

It must feel gutting for this server, who worked really hard and now has basically nothing to show for it. And it was all because of one mistake. And sure, you could just chalk this up to experience, pay the customers’ bill and move on. But that seems unfair, in the light of the mistake, which could have been prevented with a less convoluted cash system. Instead, it would be helpful if maybe she pay the cost price of the food rather than the full price, to make a contribution without being unnecessarily punished. But in some places, this could even be illegal too. The fairer thing would be for the restaurant to just write off the money and move on.

As for quitting? If this is the final straw at a place the server doesn’t like then sure, quit. But if this is a one-time mistake in a place that is otherwise great to work at, then this feeling of disrespect can certainly be felt, but no hasty decisions need to be made as a result of it. Because honestly, sometimes things are hard at work and this is all a part of being resilient. However, if the server feels like they are being exploited, then absolutely quit – but it might pay to find another job first.

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Author

Kyra Piperides

Kyra Piperides, PhD | Contributing Science Writer

Dr. Kyra Piperides is a contributing writer for TwistedSifter, specializing in Science & Discovery. Holding a PhD in English with a dedicated focus on the intersections of science, politics, and literature, she brings over 12 years of professional writing and editorial expertise to her reporting.

Kyra possesses a highly authoritative background in academic publishing, having served as the editor of an academic journal for three years. She is also the published author of two books and numerous research-driven articles. At TwistedSifter, she leverages her rigorous academic background to translate complex scientific concepts, global tech innovations, and environmental breakthroughs into highly engaging, accessible narratives for a mainstream audience.

Based in the UK, Kyra is an avid backpacker who spends her free time immersing herself in different cultures across distant shores—a passion that brings a rich, global perspective to her writing about Earth and nature.

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