A woman has shared her outrage after finding she was being asked to pay a tip while using a self-service machine to buy a bottle of water.
Tipping culture in the US has always been divisive, with many establishments expecting patrons to tip to counteract the low hourly wages paid to wait staff.
However, some people question whether tipping should be mandatory or reserved only for truly exceptional service, and believe that workplaces should actually pay their staff more so that tipping isn't so crucial to them making ends meet.
Alexa Merico took to TikTok to show just how far tipping culture has gone after she used a self-service machine to pay for a $1.99 bottle of water and was asked how much she'd like to tip, despite not having been served by any staff.
She shared a video of the experience on TikTok, telling her followers in the overlay text: "Only in America will you be prompted to leave a tip at a self service snack kiosk."
In the video, Alexa can be seen picking up a bottle of water and taking it over to the self-service checkout, before scanning it and clicking through to pay.
Once she reaches the next screen, a pop-up appears asking her how much she'd like to tip on her transaction, with options including 15%, 18%, and 20%, as well as the option to leave no tip, with 18% being preselected.
She joked in her caption: "I need a 20% discount for my service," as she had done all the work of checking out her own purchase.
The clip has since been viewed over 12.6 million times with many people leaving their opinions on the bizarre tip request in the comments.
They wrote: "for what? and for who?", and: "The tipping culture has gotten way out of control. The only places I tip are at restaurants."
Others added: "It’s not tipping culture anymore it’s begging culture," and: "is the tip the discount you get for scanning your own purchase??"
One pointed out: "Tipping is a GREAT thing for restaurants & jobs like Pizza Drivers but almost nothing else is justifable. These super rich companies are abusing it!", while another added: "I thought the issue was the price of the water, but it got worse"
People also called out tipping culture in general, writing: "My issue is.....you walk into a cafe a do the exact same this....a girl hands you your drink....and expects a tip!", and another commented: "Haha this is the first I seen this. Jesus. I ain’t tipping anything anymore."
While most people thought the idea of adding a tip when you've scanned your own purchases was ludicrous, one person was all for it, adding: "How about a tip for the person/persons keeping the kiosk stocked? I mean, that water didn't climb on the shelf all by itself."
Is tipping a self-service machine going too far or would you leave a gratuity even if nobody actually served you? Let us know in the comments.
