Angela Epstein says card machines and checkout prompts have turned optional tipping and charity donations into an obligatory, conscience-pricking ritual she is sick of. She describes feeling as if the word “cashpoint” has been splashed across her forehead, with supermarkets, self-checkouts, petrol stations and coffee shops now all prompting customers to contribute to service or donate to charity.
From optional coins to obligatory prompts
What was once optional – dropping a few coins in a tin or slipping a couple of quid into a grateful palm – now feels obligatory, she writes. After meeting a friend for a rushed cuppa and raisin scone, she went to settle the bill only to be asked by the machine how much she wanted to tip. With a waitress standing over her, she panic-punched a 20% option, later wondering: for what?
She recounts a similar experience in a black cab yesterday, when the machine suggested a gratuity for the 15-minute journey home – a service she was already paying for. “This wasn’t a taxi ride; it was a fully formed guilt trip,” she writes.
Checkout charity and service charges
Epstein points to the rise of checkout charity or point-of-sale fundraising, where a screen or cashier asks if you would like to add a small amount for a nominated charity. She says micro donations are an easy way in a cashless society to give to a good cause, but when it kicks in with every latte to go, a hurriedly purchased bag of sugar, or a jar of vitamins, it is aggravating and annoying.
She insists this is not about being tight. She says she is always happy to give to charity, knowing how many causes are suffering during the cost-of-living crisis. She has no problem dropping coins in a busker’s hat, supporting friends and family in sponsored events, or seeing pubs host fundraisers and supermarkets run cross-store campaigns.
Put on the spot
What she objects to is being put on the spot. In one coffee shop chain, the screen simply flashed “give 25p to charity?” – without even explaining who it was for. She also questions whether 100% of funds raised at the till reach the charity chosen by the place, noting it is impossible to investigate such questions when a queue is forming.
She also takes issue with service charges automatically added to bills, such as a 12.5% charge at a London restaurant. When she challenged the lack of consent, she was asked if she wanted the extra cost removed, but with two colleagues standing nearby, she mumbled it was fine. “But I resented having my choice taken away from me,” she writes. “When I invoice for work I don’t smuggle in a few extra quid. Why should anyone else?”
Epstein concludes that society should strive to be kind and caring, but philanthropy should be spontaneous and meaningful – not something demanded alongside a packet of toilet rolls or a cup of coffee.
