Starbucks New Tipping System: Customers Are Freaking Out
Tipping at restaurants and coffee shops can be tricky. Technically, it's not required, but it's becoming less and less cool to not do it.
In May, the world-famous coffee chain announced the programme so that customers could "recognise their favourite baristas.
They started doing it in some stores in September. Customers who pay with debit or credit cards can give the barista a $1, $2, or custom tip, which has caused some strong feelings.
Starting August 1, the average pay for Starbucks employees in the U.S. went up to nearly $17 per hour.
A Starbucks representative said that people hired before May 2 would get either a 3% pay raise or $15/hour, whichever is higher.
"People will call me cheap, but I rarely tip for to-go food or coffee," commented one Facebook user. I leave several tips when I eat out or use other services.
But not everyone hates the new way things work. Several people on Reddit said that they would be happy to tip the baristas.
The Starbucks Workers Union (SBWU) told that their campaign directly led to the credit card tipping program.
A Starbucks spokesperson said that employees had been waiting for a way to tip with credit cards, which adds to the current wage and benefits system.