A former Virginia Beach server once received a $20 tip with a catch—it was only half of a bill. What is she supposed to do with it?
TikTok user Liliya (@_lil_y7) posted a video with her story last week. She starts the video by saying, “I got this $20 tip when I worked as a server about eight years ago. And it’s been in my wallet ever since. And I want to tell you a little story about it.”
A woman with two kids sat in her section. “I don’t know if those were her kids or her grandkids or what,” she says. “But if you’ve worked as a server, you know that there are those tables that you can tell: I’m not getting tipped. You just know this table is not giving me a tip. And it was one of those tables.”
Virginia Beach Server Receives Half Of A $20 Tip
Liliya still gave the table great service, but she wasn’t expecting much in return. “Which is fine,” she says. “Some tables will tip you; others won’t. And that’s just part of being a server.”
That feeling was vindicated when Liliya checked the woman out and got her credit card receipt back with a zero on the tipline.
“Then I was walking past, and she said, ‘Hey, here’s your tip,’” Liliya says. “Just like this, folded up. And I was pleasantly surprised. In my head, I was like, ‘I really shouldn’t judge people.’”
At the end of the shift, Liliya found the $20 bill in her apron and unfolded it. That’s when she realized that it was half of a $20 bill that had been ripped in half. “I love people,” she says as the video cuts out.
Viewers React To The Half $20 Tip
In the caption, Liliya wrote, “Story time [from] when I worked as a server. This tip was almost more insulting than if she would have just stiffed me.”
Viewers in the comments reacted with a predictable mix of practical advice and humor.
“$10 is still a pretty good tip,” joked one person.
“I’ve gotten what looks like money, but when you open it up it’s actually a Bible verse,” said another service industry worker.
“I do Instacart,” someone else wrote. “I took an order that was no tip, because the fare was high and it was over $400 in groceries. Obviously, I don’t even put the best work until that order and then I get to the delivery instructions and it says ‘tip in mailbox’ and I was instantly like ‘Oh my gosh,’ I feel so bad. I shouldn’t judge, because some people do cash.’ I get there and there’s no tip in the mailbox and they will not answer the door.”
And several viewers said they think Liliya might be able to actually cash that $20 in after all these years for a new note. “You have more than 50 percent of the bill intact,” wrote one helpful user. “A bank will give you a new one.”
@_lil_y7 Story time when I worked as a server. This tip was almost more insulting than if she would have just stiffed me. 😂 serverlife server serverstories
What Should You Do With Torn Money?
According to the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, it receives more than 22,000 requests from people and financial institutions every year asking it to determine whether the damaged money they have can be replaced. Here’s how you can tell whether the mutilated currency in your possession is a candidate for replacement.
Mutilated currency with more than 50% of the note identifiable with remnants of any relevant security feature qualifies for redemption at full value. If the bill is more than 50% damaged, it can still be replaced as long as it’s evident that the rest of the bill was completely destroyed.
BroBible reached out to Liliya via TikTok comment and direct message for comment.