Tipping is officially out of control with even self-checkout machines prompting customers for tips, according to a new report.
The Wall Street Journal interviewed a number of customers who recount being asked for tips when using self-checkout machines and not a service person in sight. One such store resorting to such behavior is the OTG gift shop in New Jersey’s Newark Liberty International Airport.
“Just the prompt in general is a bit of emotional blackmail,” Garrett Bemiller told the outlet.
“I thought maybe I was going crazy,” says Warren Williamson.
A spokesman for the gift shop says the tips are split among store personnel working that shift.
“It is always our goal to create valuable experiences for our guests while taking care of our crew members, and the option to leave a tip if you have received assistance allows us to do both,” he told WSJ.
In addition to the feeling of being nickel-and-dimed, some critics worry that some tips may not make it to employees since tip protection laws may not cover machines.
As WSJ points out, businesses no doubt see tips as an easy way to increase revenue with little to no risk. Meanwhile, many of the companies involved in the payment process may benefit since they receive a percentage of transactions.
Unfortunately, rampant tipping is increasingly permeating more walks of life, with even some Apple Store employees trying to negotiate tipping into their contracts. As we pointed out in our coverage of that situation, tipping is an important and necessary part of the process in jobs where employees are not paid a standalone fair wage. When they are, however, tipping becomes an unnecessary and unwanted burden on the consumer.
