Tipping at restaurants and coffee shops can be tricky business. Technically, it isn’t mandatory, but it’s increasingly looked down upon if you skip it altogether. That’s exactly the pickle customers are finding themselves in with the new tipping system at Starbucks.
The world-famous coffee chain announced the initiative in May as a way for customers to “recognize their favorite baristas.” They began rolling it out in some stores in September, where customers paying with debit or credit cards can give the barista a $1, $2 or custom tip—prompting some strong feelings in the process.
A Reddit thread about the tipping system has racked up more than 100 comments.
“It works so well for in-store purchases but yeah having it in drive thru is so awkward I never know what to say,” one user wrote
One Twitter user wrote: “I went through the Starbucks Drive through and got one drink and they now start asking if you want to tip as soon as you pull your card out to pay while looking at you It’s so awkward…… just pay these people a better wage.”
Starting August 1, Starbucks increased the average pay for employees to nearly $17/hour in the U.S. Those hired before May 2 would receive either a 3% wage increase or $15/hour, whichever is higher, a spokesperson at Starbucks said.
Another Twitter user wrote: “I’m really not trying to be rude bc I know customer service jobs are hard work but now they want tips at the drive-thru at my Starbucks when you pay with a card… you’re literally just handing it to me.”
One Facebook user wrote: “People WILL call me cheap, but I rarely tip on to-go orders or grabbing a coffee…I do tip very well when I go to dinner, or use various services.
I don’t really want to leave a 25% tip on a drive thru coffee order What are your thoughts?”
