The tech author tells how a supermarket worker gave him a dirty look when he refused to tip up to 30%

A tech columnist has revealed how a grocery store clerk recently gave him a dirty look when he refused to leave a 30 percent tip at checkout.

In a recent column, Brian X. Chen, consumer technology writer for The New York Times, recalled paying for his articles at an iPad cash register when the interface gave him the option to tip between 10 and 30 percent.

Chen chose “no tip” and said the cashier then “threw me a dirty look,” resulting in an “awkward” one. He said he was “surprised” when asked for a tip at a grocery store checkout counter.

The writer, who also wrote The Tech Fix, also said he was “pressured” to tip his bike mechanic at a cash register. Chen said that although he felt the tip was also unjustified, he reluctantly paid it because “my safety depended on his services.”

In the column, Chen examined the practice of tipping on tray registers and suggested it could soon become a part of a Federal Trade Commission investigation into unfair business practices that victimize customers.

His concerns come as thousands of Americans have complained about the digital tip machines that have popped up in restaurants across the country.

Tech columnist Brian X. Chen recalled being scowled at by a grocery store clerk recently when he refused to leave a 30 percent tip at the checkout

Despite the long tradition of tipping in the US, the recent rise of service iPads has sparked anger among those who feel the custom is out of control

Chen wrote about how payment platforms, which are prevalent in stores across the market, deliberately manipulate people into tipping.

“Payment technologies allow merchants to display a range of standard tip amounts,” he wrote, “for example, 15 percent, 20 percent, and 30 percent buttons, along with a no tip or custom tip button.”

“This setup makes it easiest for us to choose a generous tip, rather than a smaller tip or no tip at all.”

Ted Selker, a product designer who has worked for companies like Xerox and IBM, told Chen that the payment app’s designs were very intentional.

“It’s compulsion,” he said.

Chen gave another example, recalled to him by a director of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Tony Hu.

‘Mister. MIT’s Hu said he was recently offered tipping options of $1, $3 and $5 after a $10 Uber ride,” Chen wrote. “He hit the middle button, $3, before realizing that he would normally tip the driver 20 percent, or $2.”

Hu said to Chen, “These are psychological mind games.”

Some Americans have begun to suppress the practice.

Though tipping has a long history in the nation, rampant inflation and the expectation of tipping for as little as a cup of coffee has left people wondering if it’s time to change unspoken tipping codes .

DailyMail.com took to the streets to find out what people really think about the practice, and readers say they’ve had enough, going so far as to avoid places that ask their customers to tip.

Readers said one of the most offensive aspects of modern tipping is the expectation that customers should now pay extra “no matter what the service.”

One commenter wrote, “Not sure why I should tip a bartender who reaches for a bottle of beer and takes the lid off for 5 seconds.”

“I don’t mind tipping a waiter who’s been waiting for me for an hour. I mind tipping someone if they hand me a drink. Are grocery store checkouts now going to start requiring tips too?’ asked another.

And while tipping has long been a custom in the US, the noticeable rise in prices in recent years has led one commentator to brand the tradition as “ridiculous.”

“They always ask for tips for everything,” they continued.

Numerous readers agreed that checkout apps that ask for tips are inappropriate, with one person noting, “You go to the counter to pay and the tip button is right there where the staff are staring at you.” Unpleasant.’

“I’ve really put myself off going to places that have these tip screens,” said another disgruntled reader.

In 66 countries, it is customary to tip 10 percent, while Americans are expected to routinely tip over 20 percent

Debates over tipping etiquette erupted this month after New York magazine The Cut published new “guidelines.”

The proposals, intended as a new code of honor, sparked fury after advising people to routinely tip 20 percent no matter what to avoid being seen as “rude”.

And while one of the suggestions was to add an extra 10 percent even if you go out for takeout, readers lashed out at the absurd new “rule.”

“The magazine article is the biggest culprit here, trying to brainwash young people who read it into paying (even cash they don’t have) by manipulating guilt and peer pressure,” said one reader.

‘I tip according to service.’

Another agreed, adding: “No tipping on a takeout order, never has been, this is super unreasonable for these establishments to require.”

“I never tip when I go in and pick up the food. sorry not sorry

“I tip 20% for waiters, hairdressers, pizza delivery men. But never for them to pass food over the counter.’

In the UK, Germany and the Netherlands, tipping is around five to ten percent, according to maps published by HawaiinIslands.com.

But according to The Cut, those who resist tipping on everyday items are “stingy,” while those with disposable incomes should splash well over 25 percent at restaurants and bars.

For coffee shops, coffee carts, cafés and bodegas, customers should tip at least 20 percent due to the “tense environment” and “complicated orders”, the magazine says.

But while it argued that Uber drivers should also get 20 percent since they earn less than regular cab drivers, some lashed out at the pricey demands.

Kirsten Fleming agreed with many of our readers, writing in the New York Post: “You have absolutely no connection with real New Yorkers struggling to pay rising rents and inflated food bills.

“The list should have been reduced to a few useful ideas.”

Source: | This article originally belongs to Dailymail.co.uk