Customers accusing stores of 'emotional blackmail' after being asked to tip at self check-outs

Tipping has entered the post-cash era and customers aren’t very happy about it.

People are complaining about being asked to give extra money at self check-out kiosks at airports, cafés and sports stadiums as more people are opting to pay for products digitally rather than with coins and notes.

In a new report by the Wall Street Journal, which examines how customers are responding to these prompts, many said that they were left feeling frustrated after they'd had no interaction with staff but were still asked to leave a tip.

Customers are usually expected to leave a tip when they have received amazing services, particularly in restaurants.

Kathy deWitt / Ties van Veelen / Alamy

The publication spoke to half dozen customers around the US, and while some people were happy to spare a few digital dollars, most said the tip prompts were confusing.

Many also said they were unsure about where the money was going.

One customer who was interviewed by the Journal said they were prompted to give a tip, even though they were not sure who they were tipping. The person had taken a beer from a self-service beer fridge at San Diego’s Petco Park and they paid a 20 percent tip for their drink.

“I was confused, because it wasn’t entirely clear who I was tipping,” he said.

However, a spokesperson for the stadium told the publication that all tips go to staff.

"Guests are not required to leave a tip and may select ‘No tip’ at checkout if they so choose.” they said.

Kathy deWitt / Ties van Veelen / Alamy

Meanwhile, a traveler said they were asked to include a tip between 10 to 20 percent on a $6 bottle of water at an OTG gift shop in Newark Liberty International Airport.

The customer did not tip and called the prompt a ‘bit of emotional blackmail’.

A spokesperson for OTG said that all the tip money is pooled and paid to the staff members working that particular 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 said.

According to a report by CNN business reporter Nathaniel Meyersohn, Americans have reported feeling a ‘tipping fatigue’ as a result of business asking customers to part ways with more of their hard earned cash due to inflation.

Those in support of tipping say it’s imperative to help the hard working and chronically underpaid workers.

Since the 1938 Fair Labor Standards Act and further legislation in 1970, employers are only required to pay tipped workers a wage that would total the federal minimum wage when tips were added.

The minimum wage for tipped employees (e.g. servers) is $2.13.