The Screen Turns Around

Visitors to New York learn fast: in America, you tip. You tip the waiter, the barber, the person who carries your bag. For a long time the rule was simple — about twenty percent at a restaurant, a dollar or two for small things.

But something has changed. Now the little screen turns around. You buy one coffee, and the machine asks if you want to add a tip: fifteen, twenty, or twenty-five percent? The barista watches. The people behind you wait. You tap a button before you can think.

This is sometimes called “tip creep.” Tipping used to be for service that took time and care. Now it shows up when you buy a bottle of water.

Some people feel the pressure and pay every time. Others feel annoyed and stop tipping at all, which isn't fair to the workers who really depend on it.

The honest answer is that nobody is quite sure of the rules anymore. And a machine asking politely doesn't make them any clearer.