Tipping at Self-Checkout Kiosks: Where Does the Money Really Go?
When do you think tipping is appropriate? Do you reserve gratuities for delivery drivers, servers, and bartenders? Or do you extend that courtesy to folks who earn hourly wages at chain restaurants and cafes? What about giving a little “thank you” to staff members when you’re processing your order yourself because there are people hard at work in the back preparing your food and beverages?
Tipping at Self-Checkout Kiosks: A Modern Dilemma
Let’s say you’re on board with all of these — would you be on board, also, with tipping a self-service kiosk at what appears to be an automated convenience store located at an airport, when there isn’t a soul in sight?
That’s the situation that numerous folks, like TikToker Alanaa Edson (@alanaaedson) have found themselves in while utilizing self-checkout machines.
The Controversy Surrounding Self-Service Tipping
She writes in a text overlay of her video: “This is what people mean when they say tipping culture is insane.” Alanaa pans her camera up to show off the self-checkout sign in the clip as she comments on the ridiculousness of being asked to leave a gratuity at the scan-it-yourself-kiosk.
The Fate of Tipped Money at Self-Checkout Kiosks
“I’m literally at the airport at the self-checkout machine buying a water…self-checkout…who is this even going to?” she asks, zooming into the screen which shows the various gratuity percentage options.
The Legal and Ethical Debate
“Like…I’m…again…self-checkout…” she says as she pans around the airport to reveal that there aren’t any employees at the store who would be receiving the tips the computerized system is asking for. Alanaa isn’t the only person who’s criticized the self-service tipping phenomenon, however.
Consumer Confusion Regarding Self-Checkout Tipping
The Deseret News has reported on this same phenomenon, writing: “Tip requests from self-serve kiosks have left consumers confused as to where these tips are going. The recent increase in tip requests may leave consumers wondering — when is it appropriate to tip?”
Ensuring Fair Treatment for Service Staff
The outlet also looked into where this money goes exactly. For that, they deferred to a piece from The Wall Street Journal which asked numerous business owners what happens to these tips should customers elect to actually pay them out? The Journal stated that the cash is directly put into the paychecks of employees and service staff members who help to keep companies running.
The Impact of Automated Tipping Screens
“Several business owners told the Journal that tips left at self-checkout kiosks will go directly to the paychecks of employees, an ‘optional thanks for a job well done.'”
Navigating the Tipping Controversy
Deseret News went on to write: “A spokesperson for an airport OTG station says that at the end of each shift, any tips left are pooled and split among staff. At Crumbl Cookies, where the self-help kiosks offer a tip suggestion at the end of each transaction, a spokesperson for the company says that the tips are given to bakers and other employees, the Journal continued.”
The Legal Grey Area
“Despite claims from business owners, some restaurants and other businesses have faced lawsuits over tipping dilemmas. Some research, the Journal reported, found that tips given to a machine might not even reach human hands, given that ‘protections to tipped workers in the federal Fair Labor Standards don’t extend to machines.”
Tipping Trends in America
CBS News reported that the prevalence of tipping options on machines has seen a spike in gratuities from American consumers across various industries — meaning that US shoppers are tipping larger amounts than ever before. The outlet also attributed this to “tipflation” or the act of setting the base tip option at hire rates, like 18%.
Concluding Thoughts on Self-Service Tipping
There are some who would argue that if the gratuities are indeed getting into the hands/bank accounts of service workers this is ultimately a good thing, while there are others who’ve mentioned that it’s unfair to put the burden of supplementing employee income on the shoulders of shoppers who are already shelling out their money for a business’s goods and/or services.
Regardless of where you stand in the great tipping debate, there does seem to be a lot of folks who feel very, very upset at self-service kiosks prompting shoppers to fork over gratuities, like this one Redditor who talked about how surprised they were to be given “an option to tip at the self-checkout lane”