You’re asked to tip at self-checkouts because of your own actions.

Why Tipping at Self-Checkouts is Nonsense

My Experience as a Waitress

As a former waitress, I know the feeling of relief and satisfaction that comes with counting a fat wad of cash at the end of a double shift. It’s the sweet, green reward for a blistery 20,000 steps, a rumbling in the belly, and enough social engagement to make even the chattiest of extroverts want to crawl in a hole. But the reality is, servers do all this with the guarantee of only a few bucks, and the expectation of many more. That’s all part of the appeal – and risk – of waitressing. You bust your hump for tables and tips because you know if you’re speedy, accurate, and charming, all the hustle will be worthwhile.

The Nonsense of Tipping at Self-Checkouts

So what’s this nonsense about customers being asked to tip at self-checkouts? You read that right. Biden’s economy is so bad that businesses from airports to cookie shops to mega coffee chains to stadiums are asking customers to tip at self-checkouts, presumably to help bolster employee wages even if patrons aren’t interacting with those employees at all. Unlike an actual server, faceless machines never go the extra mile, but they do sometimes malfunction and slow customers down or charge them too much for a sale item.

It gets worse when you consider that businesses install self-checkout machines in part to save themselves the money they would otherwise have to pay an actual person to operate a register. Yet these greedy gutses have the gall to ask you for an extra few Washingtons – or even a full 15, 18, 20 percent, or more – for you to ring up your own purchase. Excuse me, airport snack shack, but you should be paying me for self-checking a $6 bottle of water.

Stop the Madness

For all the reasons mentioned in the meme and more, do not stop tipping your waiters. Don’t stop tipping your barbers or beauticians, either. These are people with real skills who spend time interacting with and performing services for you that you can’t or don’t want to do for yourself. Their livelihoods depend on tips. But for the love of all that is holy, stop tipping 20 percent for an iced latte or robot sushi or a fast-food burrito. In case you need the reminder, you’re already paying these people for the low-skill goods they provide. That isn’t an insult; it’s just a fact: The cost of employing that tortilla roller is already baked into the price.

Our economy runs on fast food just as much as sit-down-restaurant food, but not all service is created equal. In some of these digital transactions – especially self-checkouts – real service doesn’t exist at all. In any case, do not allow yourself to be blackmailed. If the iPad at your favorite takeout spot makes you feel like a terrible person, it might be time to find a new favorite takeout spot, and it’s definitely time to recalibrate your “human decency” barometer. Since when do entitled businesses doing the bare minimum get to decide what’s “nice”?

Tipping harassment is an awful lot like Covid mask-wearing or pronoun advertising in an email signature – not because it’s a political issue, but because the overwhelming societal pressure to perform a certain way magically dissipates every time you refuse to participate. So just say no. The only way to stop the psychological warfare of ubiquitous tipping prompts is by clicking the “No Tip” button with confidence.

• Author: Kylee Griswold
• Follow her on Twitter: @kyleezempel