$1,000 in cash: YouTuber gives GrabFood delivery man massive tip, here's how he reacted

Considering how tipping culture is pretty much non-existent in Singapore, receiving a tip at the end of an arduous trip never fails to warm the hearts of food delivery men here.

Wanting to show his appreciation and gratitude to these "messengers of nourishment" for bringing his meals to him, local YouTuber Sneaky Sushii decided to tip three different GrabFood delivery riders various amounts of money — $50, $200, and a thicc wad of notes that amounted to $1,000.

In a YouTube video posted on Monday (April 12), he stuck a GoPro on his gate to record the reactions of the delivery men.

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"Can I give you a tip?," Sneaky Sushii, whose real name is Jay, asked as the men delivered food to his door.

The first two, who received $50 and $200 respectively, couldn't believe their eyes when they saw the money. Their hands hovered over the notes, eyes looking between the money and the customer, unsure if they could actually take the tips.

After some reassurance from Jay, both men accepted the money with much joy — visible on their faces despite wearing masks — and thanked him repeatedly.

When it was time to give the last food delivery rider $1,000, Jay admitted he was nervous.

Considering how the first two delivery men had happily accepted their tips, he probably didn't expect the third man's reaction.

When presented with the wad of cash, he stuttered: "Why? Cannot. This is too much."

The bottle of coke he had helped Jay to purchase on top of his order was only $1, he added.

"I don't want it. I don't dare to receive too much. One thousand neh!" the man said as he repeatedly tried to hand the money back to Jay.

"I've received $20 [in tips] from a customer before, but $1,000 is too scary!"

After learning that he earns about $100 each day from his full-time job as a food delivery man, Jay told him to take a few days off. With a little more persuasion, the man finally accepted the generous tip and bowed before he left.

Jay's actions moved not only the three food delivery riders but plenty of viewers as well. Many netizens called the video wholesome and thanked the YouTuber for taking the time to show his appreciation to the men.

One also pointed out how the last rider appeared to have partial mobility in an arm and said: "Your $1,000 probably goes a lot longer than you expect."

A netizen said they hoped the video would encourage more people to tip their food delivery men too. According to Grab, only one in every 40 bookings through their platform received tips during Phase 2 last year.

As dining out was not allowed during the circuit breaker period, it led to an increase in both orders and tips as everyone relied on food delivery apps to get their meals.

While it's not possible to tip a delivery man $1,000 through Grab's app (the maximum tip value accepted is $50), there's nothing stopping anyone from taking a leaf out of Jay's book and handing over tips in cash.

Otherwise, there are still ways to show one's appreciation, such as leaving snacks and drinks out for them or just saying thank you.

READ ALSO: Taxi driver touched after cleaner tips him $10, says she knows times are hard

rainercheung@asiaone.com