Tipping At Self-Checkout!  Wait, what?

Could tipping be coming to self-checkout at grocery stores?

If there is a perk to self-checkout, it’s that you don’t have to tip out to someone.

But depending on where you go, you may start to see this option…

Already we’re prompted to leave a tip at some fast food joints and coffee shops, airports, and stadiums and now this…

Business owners say the automated cues can significantly increase gratuities and boost staff pay. But the unmanned prompts are leading more customers to question what, exactly, the tips are for.   

Labour costs are being cut and self-checkouts replacing real people…

Tipping researchers and labour advocates say so-called tip creep is a way for employers to put the onus for employee pay onto consumers, rather than raising wages themselves. Companies say tips are optional thanks for a job well done. 

But why are we tipping a machine?