Customer Experience

Tip request at self checkout irks airline employee

Image: iStock

December 15, 2023

An airline employee who purchased a soda and a pack of gum from a self-checkout machine in a store took exception to a tipping request, marking the second such report in two months following a similar complaint reported in November.

The employee, Josh Nichols of Ann Arbor, Michigan, posted a video of the self-checkout tip request on TikTok. He said the bill for the two items — the beverage and the gum — came to $9, and he didn't understand the basis for a tip.

"I've had enough, and I'm just going to have to go ahead and say it," he says in the video. "I walked in here, got my little snacks and checked myself out — $9 for two things is crazy, but whatever — then they have the nerve to ask for a tip. For what? A tip for who? Is it for me? Am I getting a discount on my bill?"