‘Who am I tipping here?’: Man buys $6.49 bottle of water at an airport self-service kiosk. Then he looks at the screen and notices the 18% tip

A man at an airport self-service kiosk said he grabbed a bottle of water and then noticed an automatic tip option on the checkout screen. Clay Moss, who posts on TikTok as @drclaymoss, shared the moment in a video that has gained over hundreds of thousands of views. He described the location as a self-service spot in the airport.

Moss said in the video, “All right, take a look at this. This is what the world’s come to nowadays.” He was wearing a black cap with a white logo, red-tinted sunglasses, and a grey hoodie while filming himself. The camera later showed shelves of snacks and a refrigerated display case nearby.

He explained that he had just grabbed a bottle of water and planned to check out. The screen listed HABITAS ARTESIAN WATER 1L at $6.49. Tip choices appeared below the subtotal as 0%, 15%, 18%, and 20%, with 18% highlighted as the default. Moss asked in the video, “Who am I tipping here?”

Airport kiosk shows default tip option on bottled water screen

Moss continued speaking to the camera after scanning the item. He said, “Who- who is this automatic 18% tip that I have to click out of for?” He then tapped the 0% button to remove the tip. The video showed him turning the camera back toward himself.

He asked, “What- what’s- is this what we’ve come to? I don’t know.” Moss smiled at the camera as the clip ended. The post carried the caption “If you don’t tip nobody you’re cheap!” This is not an isolated incident, as another customer back in 2023 recorded a video of a self-service kiosk asking for a tip after scanning a bottle of water. 

Viewers responded with their own experiences involving tip prompts. One person noted that a tipping option appeared while buying clothes online. Another wrote, “That’s shady AF.”

A different commenter questioned whether products appear on shelves without any human involvement. They wrote, “You think the products magically appear on the shelves by themselves??” One viewer suggested the prompt comes from the software and can be skipped. They stated, “Relax! The software is programmed to ask that question, just select 0% and move on with your life.”

Another commenter described buying a drink on Allegiant Airlines where a tip had already been added. They said the stewardess could not click out of it and claimed the employee told them, “we do not collect the tips for ourselves.”

A separate viewer warned that some fast food restaurants automatically add a tip to the total. They wrote, “Some fast food restaurants are automatically adding it to the total. Watch out!!”