Why this coffee chain's tipping system has customers in knots

The discussion around tipping in the US has not made tipping any less confusing. While it may not be mandatory to tip, but skipping it is always looked down upon. The new tipping system at Starbucks has not made it any easier for people.

The famous coffee chain announced the initiative in May 2022 as a way for customers to recognize their favorite baristas. They rolled it out in certain stores where customers paying with debit or credit cards could pay the barista a $1, $2 or custom tip.

In a reddit thread about this, one user writes , "It works so well for in-store purchases but yeah having it in drive thru is so awkward I never know what to say," to which another replies , "I had this older lady come in the drive through and get all huffy because she can't see the screen (in her hand) and wouldn't listen when I said she had to press a button in order for her to be able to pay. I'm wondering how she couldn't see the screen in her hands but she was driving."

Last year in August, Starbucks increased the average pay for employees to nearly $17/hour in the U.S, but workers at the coffee chain would really appreciate your tip, especially in these inflationary times.

"Although tipping a Starbucks barista isn't mandatory, it's greatly appreciated," says Lindsay Babcock, a writer, proofreader and former Starbucks barista. "Generally, I think a tip of 10% to 20% is standard, depending on the complexity of the order," via Parade.

Sometimes, even a smaller tip can mean a whole lot for a server, "A common practice is to leave small change from your cash transactions or tip a dollar or two when paying with a card. The digital tipping system on the Starbucks app makes it easy to tip $1, $2, or more with a simple tap after your purchase," says former Starbucks barista Kayla Stavridis.

In an article by Business Insider, baristas share how they feel about people not tipping or asking for a tip. "It's not like I'm a waitress who gets $2/hour and has to make up the rest in tips. That's why it feels so strange to prompt customers for a tip — we're just a coffee shop," says one server, while another says that they feel like tipping questions that they need to ask the customers adds stress.

"People are coming to Starbucks for a small treat in their day and I feel like the tipping question simply adds stress to what should be a moment of calm," one server said, adding that it was way easier when they had a tip jar. "I feel like that was much less pressure. People were able to just drop change into the jar instead of being asked directly to tip," the server said.

Another Reddit post discusses how the tipping prompt at Starbucks can be too much at times. "I went through a Starbucks drive thru the other day and purchased a $2.65 coffee. When I went through to pay, the recommended tip option were not only in dollar amounts as opposed to percentage but they were $1 $2 or $5 so 38% 75% or 187%," the post read.

"Tipping culture has gotten way out of control. When will the levy break? I know that this was the moment for me when I reevaluated who I tip and how much," the OP added.

Many people took to the post to talk about the situations in which they like to tip. "I’d gladly tip if the cashier is the one that made my coffee. Just taking my order and having me swipe my own card, and having to walk over to the other counter to grab my own coffee isn’t something worth tipping for. The key factor in deciding if I’m gonna tip is who did most of the work, Me Or the worker If they made my coffee, and brought it over to me where I was sitting, I would happily tip," writes one, while another added , "i hate tipping unless its a restaurant. I especially hate tipping cabs because they are already expensive as f***."