Self Checkout Machines Asking for Tips is Getting Worse and Worse
I'm not opposed to the concept of tipping at all. You got to a restaurant, someone waits on you, refills your drinks, makes sure you have a pleasurable experience, I'm all for it. They get a big tip.
I go to a Japanese restaurant where the sushi chef prepares my sushi in front of me, I'll tip them directly.
I get shuttle service from the hotel to the airport, I'll tip the driver as a bonus 'thanks for helping me' kind of idea.
But I, and the rest of the United States, are starting to see more and more self checkout services that ask for a tip when they did none of the work.
Now I'm not talking about where you buy something at, say, a food service where you use the touchscreen to place your order and a human being prepares it for you. I don't even mind tipping on that every once in a while, especially when the food art in question is an artform (cookies, cakes, something of that nature).
But I'm talking about a store where you walk up to a self checkout lane, scan your own items, forget that you didn't bring any bags so now you have to pay additionally for a bag, then, at the end, the store asks if you want to add a tip.
To who? Me? Yeah, I'd love a tip for doing all my own work but, no, the tip goes... somewhere. They never specify.
If it was something like Goodwill that asks if you want to round-up for job training, I mean, maybe? Sometimes, but not all the time. But it generically asks for a tip when you did all the work. In fact, at times, there are some self checkouts where there's not even an employee anywhere to be seen near the self checkout area as they may be out stocking shelves or helping someone else.
Just another thing to watch for and place your own judgement on if you tip or not.