Michael Knowles scanned water at a self-checkout kiosk, then a screen popped up asking him to tip the machine: ‘The robot wants me to tip it’

The viral video of political commentator and author Michael Knowles navigating a self-checkout kiosk has found a new life on Reddit. According to the Daily Dot, this clip, which originally appeared on his TikTok account @notmichaelknowles in 2023, shows Knowles attempting to purchase a bottle of Perrier water at an airport.

The situation took a strange turn when the automated machine prompted him to provide a tip for the transaction. This interaction has reignited a heated discussion regarding the expansion of tipping culture and the rise of what some are calling negative tipping. Knowles recorded the entire process for his followers after noticing the complete absence of staff at the self-checkout area.

He explained that he had put in the work to find the beverage and scan the item himself, making the request for a tip feel particularly out of place. As he pointed his camera at the kiosk screen, the options for a tip ranged from 64 cents to $50.36. He captured his reaction to the bizarre request by stating, “I have not seen a single employee…The robot wants me to tip it.” This frustration is something many people can relate to, especially as automated kiosks become more common in retail and airport settings.

Reddit users are looking for ways to fight back

Users in the Reddit thread have been brainstorming ways to push back against these automated requests, with some claiming they have attempted to enter negative values into the custom tip field. A similar tip request left a customer just as baffled when a woman built her own frozen yogurt and was still asked to tip someone she never met.

A 2023 survey from the Pew Research Center found that four in ten U.S. adults strongly or somewhat oppose suggested tips on bills or screens. The research also highlighted that 72% of Americans feel that tipping is expected in more places today than it was just five years ago.

A point made by a Lehigh University professor is particularly relevant to Knowles’ experience at the airport. Because federal tipping protections under the Fair Labor Standards Act do not cover machines, there is no guarantee that money entered into a kiosk actually makes its way to a human employee. When looking at the specifics of self-checkout, the numbers show just how unpopular this practice is.

Data from Toast indicates that only 11% of restaurant guests are willing to tip at a self-checkout kiosk. This is lower than the 12% who are willing to tip at a drive-thru and the 17% who are comfortable tipping at counter-service pickups.