Introduction
Starbucks recently announced a new digital tipping system that has been met with a lot of criticism from customers and baristas alike. The new system, which allows customers to tip their baristas through the Starbucks app, has been criticized for its lack of transparency and its potential to reduce the amount of tips baristas receive. This article will explore the issues with the new system, the customer and barista reactions, and the potential implications for the future of tipping at Starbucks.
Starbucks’ New Digital Tipping System Disliked by Customers and Baristas
Starbucks recently rolled out a new digital tipping system that has been met with criticism from both customers and baristas. The new system, which allows customers to tip their baristas through the Starbucks app, has been criticized for its lack of transparency and its potential to reduce tips for baristas.
The new system works by allowing customers to add a tip to their order when they pay through the app. The tip is then added to the barista’s total earnings for the day. However, customers have complained that the system is not transparent, as they are unable to see how much of their tip is actually going to the barista. Additionally, customers have expressed concern that the system could lead to baristas receiving fewer tips overall, as customers may be less likely to tip when they are not able to see how much of their tip is going to the barista.
Baristas have also expressed dissatisfaction with the new system. Many baristas have complained that the system is confusing and difficult to use, and that it does not provide them with the same level of transparency as cash tips. Additionally, baristas have expressed concern that the system could lead to fewer tips overall, as customers may be less likely to tip when they are not able to see how much of their tip is going to the barista.
Starbucks has responded to the criticism by stating that the new system is intended to provide customers with more convenience and flexibility when it comes to tipping. The company has also stated that the system is designed to ensure that baristas receive the same level of tips as they would with cash tips. However, many customers and baristas remain unconvinced, and the new system has been met with widespread criticism.
Tipping for good service is standard and most people are happy to do it. But the new digital tipping system that was recently implemented at Starbucks has many people caught between feeling either like a miser or a beggar. In fact, customers and baristas have expressed negative feelings about the new system.
Starbuck’s “reinvention plan” which will build on its “51-year history of market-leading innovation” includes the expansion of digital tipping to all points of sale for customers, including at the drive-thru window.
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Going forward, whenever a customer pays for a Starbucks product with any form of digital payment option, they will be automatically prompted to leave either a $1, $2, $5, or a custom tip amount. The other option Starbucks customers have is to tap a “No Tip” button, something that, per what countless people have said via various social media platforms, makes them feel unnecessarily rude.
And further, making tipping so hard to avoid puts an undue strain on people who may already be spread thin financially. As one Twitter user shared: “Tipping has gotten out of hand. I can barely afford going to these places. Its [sic] a treat for me to go as it’s expensive enough already. How do I explain I can’t afford to tip when I go here? I guess I will no longer buy from Starbucks.”
Others think the new tipping process is a way for the company to pass paying the barista on to the customer.
Customers are not the only ones frustrated by the new system; countless Starbucks baristas have sounded off on social media platforms like Reddit and TikTok calling the new digital tipping protocols gratingly awkward. They are now compelled to hand a customer a little screen the customer must use to award a tip or opt out just to finish the transaction, confusing some customers. Some baristas have been hitting the no-tip button before handing the screen to customers, which one TikToker warned was illegal and a fireable offense.
That said, not every Starbucks employee is unhappy with the new mandatory digital tipping system; one Reddit user reported a significant uptick in tip amounts with the new system, writing: “Can I just say that, at [my] store, we normally get around $500 in tips each week in cash. Our first week with cc tips… that number went up to $2500.”
Steven John