Two Workers Walked Into The Back Room Of An Airport Shop And The Self Checkout Kiosk Still Asked For A 20% Tip On Two Sodas

Picture walking into a small store inside an airport when all you want is a couple of sodas. That is exactly what @joetalkshow did. What happened next has people asking a question a lot of us have quietly been asking for a while.

Man in a red polo asks whether you would tip, beside empty airport self-service kiosks

According to @joetalkshow, two women who worked at the store looked at the customer, walked away and went into the back room. Nobody else was in the store. There was no hello, no “can I help you,” nothing. Just an empty shop and a customer standing there with two sodas.

View this post on Instagram

So @joetalkshow headed over to the self-checkout kiosk, scanned the code and put a card in. Up popped a screen with the total and a row of tip choices, including a 20% tip and a 15% tip. @joetalkshow tapped the option for a zero tip and figured that was the end of it. It was not. The kiosk offered the chance to leave a tip a second time.

Think about the whole picture for a second. The customer scanned the code and put in the card at the kiosk. The staff did not even say hello. And the screen still offered tip choices, then offered again after a zero tip was chosen.

@joetalkshow ended the post with a question that tells you the whole mood of the moment: is tip culture out of control, or am I just getting old?

Why This Hits A Nerve

For most of our lives, a tip was a thank-you for service you could see. A waitress brought your food, refilled your coffee and checked on you. A bartender mixed your drink. You left something extra because someone had gone out of their way for you.

Now the tip screen has moved to places where nobody is doing much of anything for you. You tap a tablet at a counter, you swipe at a kiosk, you pick up your own order, and the screen still turns around and asks how generous you feel. Many people feel put on the spot, especially when the person who might get the tip is standing right there watching, or, as in this story, is not even in the room.

That is the heart of what bothered @joetalkshow. The complaint is not really about a couple of dollars on two sodas. It is about being asked to reward service that was never offered.

Is It Fair To Say No?

Yes. A tip is a gift, not a bill. Nobody is owed one just because a screen asks for it, and choosing zero is a perfectly legitimate answer. If a business wants to be paid more for its work, the honest way to do that is through its prices and its wages, not through a guilt trip built into a checkout screen.

That said, tipping norms do vary from place to place, and it is worth keeping a few things in mind before you decide.

Ask yourself what you actually received. If someone made your food, carried it to your table, or went out of their way to help, a tip is a kind way to say thanks. If you did all the work yourself, you can feel good about leaving nothing.
Look at the screen before you tap. Most tip screens have a “no tip,” “custom” or “other” button. The big, bright percentage buttons are the easy ones to hit by accident, so take a second to find the choice you really want.
Remember it is the business that set up the kiosk. The staff member on the other side of the counter usually did not choose how the screen looks. If you do tip, it is still your call, but if you do not, you have not wronged the person behind the counter.
Do the math in your head first. A 20 percent tip on a small bill is not much money, but the habit adds up across a week of coffees, snacks and takeout. Decide on your own rule and stick to it.

What To Do When The Screen Asks Twice

If a second tip prompt shows up after you have already said no, as it did for @joetalkshow, it is worth slowing down. Read each screen all the way through before you tap, because it is easy to tap the wrong thing on a busy screen. Check the total at the end and make sure nothing extra was added before you hand over your card or tap to pay.

If something looks wrong on your receipt, it is fine to speak up. A friendly question to a manager, or a note to the business afterward, is usually the quickest way to get a mistake fixed. And if the experience left a bad taste, remember that you also get to decide where you spend your money next time.

The Bigger Question

Is tip culture out of control? Some would say tip screens now show up at more and more counters. Others point out that many people who work in service jobs count on tips and that the customer is not always the one to blame for how a business sets up its payments.

Both things can be true at once. A tip should mean something. When it is earned by real, warm, attentive service, most of us are happy to give it. When it is requested by a kiosk in an empty store, with no one at the counter and not so much as a hello, it is understandable to feel like the whole thing has gotten a little silly.

So here is the question back to you. When you are standing at a counter and the screen turns around, what is your rule? Do you tip for everything, tip only when someone has actually done something for you, or tap zero and head for the door? @joetalkshow is clearly wondering about it too.