Cashless tip prompts are blowing my budget without me noticing

I've seen more stores in my area use touch screens that ask for tips on every card swipe. I used to add a tip without really thinking about it, just to be nice. But when I checked my bank account last Friday, I saw a bunch of small charges that didn't fit my plan. All those one-dollar tips added up to around $25 in just a few weeks. That money was supposed to go toward my gas or grocery bills. Now I only tip for actual table service or if someone goes out of their way to help. I put the cash I save into a jar for fun stuff like movies. How do you deal with these new tip screens when you're trying to stick to a budget?

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2 Comments

rayl378mo ago

Ngl i see it the complete opposite way. Those screens remind me that a real person made my coffee or handed me my food, jobs that often pay very little. That dollar might mess with my budget but it means more to their rent than my gas tank. I just factor a few bucks into my cost for going out now. Skipping it feels like punishing the worker for a system they didnt choose. So i hit the button every time, its just part of the price to me.

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betty_wood58mo ago

You said skipping the tip feels like punishing the worker. But in a lot of places, those digital tips don't even go straight to the person who helped you. I worked at a cafe where the tips from the screen got pooled and split, but the owner took a cut for processing fees. So sometimes that extra dollar isn't all reaching the barista. It's good to want to help, but the system is often set up to benefit the business more than the staff. I still tip, but I make sure to ask how tips are handled before I assume it's all going to the worker.

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