Annoyed Man Was Asked To Leave A Tip At A Self-Checkout Register — 'It Finally Happened'
He was baffled as to why he should tip for a transaction he completed entirely on his own.
adrraticfoto / Shutterstock If you live in the U.S., you know that tipping culture has grown wildly out of control and that people are prompted to tip in unreasonable situations.
One man shared his irritation after he was asked to leave a tip after purchasing a snack and a drink without the help of any customer service workers.
The man was asked to leave a tip at a self-checkout register at an airport gift shop.
The annoyed customer shared a photo of his dilemma as proof to the subreddit, r/mildlyinfuriating.
After grabbing himself a coconut water and a chicken Caesar wrap at the gift shop from the airport, the man continued to self-checkout to pay for his items. However, before the purchase was final, the man was asked if he would like to leave a 15%, 18%, or 20% tip.
What service was he being asked to tip for, considering he did all of the work himself? We have no idea.
Photo: Colleen Michaels / Shutterstock
“It finally happened. I was prompted to tip at the airport self-checkout station,” the man wrote in his post.
Most commenters were outraged that the man was asked to tip at the self-checkout kiosk.
“American tip culture has gotten out of hand. It's f–--ing embarrassing how they all have their hands out for simply doing their job, or in this case, doing nothing at all,” one user commented. “You're actually tipping yourself,” another user pointed out.
Others revealed that they have also been asked to tip in similar situations. “I saw that in the Newark Airport last month and laughed out loud… I hope Skynet didn’t take offense,” a user shared.
Others noted the outrageous prices of items in airports and found it impossible to provide a tip on top of that. “I still can't believe they have the audacity to ask you for a tip when you're paying four times the price for an item already. Like what the [expletive] is the tip for?” one user commented. “They already made three times the money back on the item from the prices alone. Asking for a tip is just pure [expletive] greed at this point.”
Photo: lunopark / Shutterstock
In the U.S., it is customary to tip your waiter at a restaurant or your stylist at a hair salon. They provide you with hands-on service, and tipping them is a way to convey your appreciation for their work.
However, being asked to tip for picking up water and food off a shelf yourself, and then paying for it yourself without the assistance of a cashier, is just ludicrous.
According to a survey conducted by Bankrate, two-thirds of Americans have a negative perception of tipping, and 30% believe that tipping culture has gotten out of control.
And it is not ending anytime soon. The Wall Street Journal reports that automated prompts for adding 20% as a tip at self-checkout kiosks across the nation are becoming the norm. What's worse, this extra money may not even make it to employees, since the Fair Labor Standards Act doesn’t extend to machines.
Instead of providing endless and unnecessary tips, many Americans (40% to be exact) believe that companies should pay their employees better so that they are less reliant on gratuities.
While tipping is a gesture of courtesy, customers should not be guilted into tipping so service professionals are able to make ends meet. And they certainly should never feel forced to financially provide for a self-checkout machine.
Megan Quinn is a writer at YourTango who covers entertainment and news, self, love, and relationships.