A customer wanted to share on social media his experience with self-checkout checkouts that request tips after customers scan their own items.
In a publication of reddit, the user documented how, after scanning a single item at a self-checkout checkout, he was surprised with a payment screen asking if he wanted to leave a tip. “Who am I tipping? To myself?” he questioned himself.
Hector Farres
The publication generated an avalanche of sarcastic comments and criticism of this new tipping system. “Tips for what? To install the machine?” one user commented, while another added: “Tip yourself for the good work you’ve done. “It should be deducted from the total price, that is the only sensible explanation.”
The use of these boxes is becoming more and more common in stores and supermarkets.
Third parties
A third user humorously speculated: “Next will be a ‘convenience fee’ for using self-checkout.” These types of requests are not exclusive to a particular store; Large retailers such as CVS, Target, Walmart and Costco have also come under fire for similar practices in their self-checkout procedures.
The controversy over tipping at self-checkout machines is part of a growing backlash against “tip inflation,” a trend that has seen tipping culture spread from bars and restaurants to cafes and takeaway shops.
The concept of tipping
Ishita Jamar, a senior at American University in Washington, DC, expressed her bewilderment to the Wall Street Journal: “They are reducing labor costs by using self-checkout. So what’s the point of asking for a tip? And where is she going?
Historically, tipping was expected in establishments where customers received direct service from waiters, but the recent expansion of this practice has led many to question the purpose and destination of these tips in a self-service context.
