‘I’m not donating, OK?’: Taco Bell customer says drive-thru worker still rounded up after she said ‘no’ to donating

A TikTok user has gone viral after sharing an infuriating experience at a Taco Bell drive-thru, where her total was allegedly rounded up for charity donation despite her explicit refusal.

In the now-viral video posted on May 13, Jennifer (@saintjenni) spoke about her regular Taco Bell routine and a recent visit that left her annoyed.

"I eat Taco Bell every single day," she says. "Specifically, I eat the Taco Bell vegetarian Crunchwrap and the vegetarian Mexican Pizza. And I just eat this every single day, doesn't matter what time of day it is."

However, she says her routine trip took a turn when the drive-thru employee asked if she wanted to round up her total for charity. Jennifer says she declined, jokingly adding, "I was like, you know, I don't give a f*ck about the kids right now. I'm just kidding. I like the kids. I like the kids. But today, I said f*ck the children; I'm not donating."

@saintjenni #storytime #neurodivergent ♬ original sound - jennifer ????

Despite her refusal, she says she noticed the total still rounded up by seven cents. "And I'm like, wait a minute, wait a minute, hold up," she says. "Seven cents. Seven f*cking cents, my dude. Take the seven cents off now because I said … I'm not donating."

What reportedly followed was a back-and-forth with the employee, who seemed surprised by her insistence on reclaiming the mere seven cents. Jennifer recounts, "He's like, 'Take it off? You want me to take off seven cents?' Honestly, he's thinking I'm crazy because it's for seven cents, but I'm like, I don't give a f*ck. Give me my seven cents, my dude."

Jennifer claims the employee attempted to justify the round-up by explaining how Taco Bell raises significant funds for charity. However, Jennifer wasn't having it. "Hey, this is a scam," she claims. "Like, you guys are just wanting your money back from donations, or you guys want a tax write-off, so I'm not gonna give that to you."

Are customer donations really used as a tax write-off?

In the comments section of the video, several viewers echoed similar claims, with one saying, "Yeah I stopped donating at checkouts because they just do it for write offs. If I want to donate to a cause I do it directly to the cause."

Another wrote, "i say no everytime taco bell donates that money regardless they just ask you if you want pay the donation for them instead."

A third said, "whenever a company does the 'round up' it's so that they can claim the money that YOU donated and get tax write offs."

However, this doesn't appear to be the case. According to an Associated Press article fact-checking this exact claim, companies cannot write off money from customer donations made at checkouts.

The article states, "Stores can't write off a customer's point-of-sale donations, because they don't count as company income, according to tax policy experts. Customers can write off their own donations if they choose." The article further notes, "Stores are allowed to write off their own donations, such as when a store donates a certain portion of all its proceeds to charity."

The Daily Dot has reached out to Jennifer via Instagram direct message and to Taco Bell via email.

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The post ‘I’m not donating, OK?’: Taco Bell customer says drive-thru worker still rounded up after she said ‘no’ to donating appeared first on The Daily Dot.