A TikTok video has sparked heated discussion after a self-checkout kiosk at an airport shop prompted a customer to leave an 18% tip.
According to a report by the California Post, Dr. Clay Moss uploaded a video to TikTok sharing his experience at an unnamed airport shop. After purchasing a bottle of water—already priced at a premium—he was prompted by the self-checkout machine to add a tip, with 18% set as the default option. The footage shows that the kiosk’s software includes a built-in tipping feature, offering choices of 10%, 15%, and 18%.
Dr. Moss noted that while he has encountered similar prompts in other retail settings, this particular airport shop was entirely self-service, with no staff members in sight. In the video, he questioned whether “tipping culture” has spiraled out of control and asked who, exactly, would receive the money. “Who is this 18% tip—which I have to manually decline—actually going to? Who am I tipping? Has it really come to this?” he asked.
He pointed out that, typically, tips are intended for staff—such as cashiers or servers—or are pooled and distributed among employees. However, the situation becomes more complex when a self-checkout kiosk is owned and operated by a third party. In the video’s caption, he explained that when third-party payment processors or applications are used, tips are routed to the merchant through that system; how the funds are ultimately distributed depends on the specific policies of the company or employer.
Tipping culture has been a subject of ongoing controversy in the United States, and the video drew a flood of comments from viewers. Some argued that since self-checkout essentially means the customer is doing the work themselves, they should instead receive a 20% discount. Others slammed the practice as unscrupulous, while some expressed a blunt hatred for American tipping culture altogether.