Bar Changes The Order Of The Tip Percentages On Their Pay Screens And Customers Are Calling It 'Truly Deceptive'
Critics condemn this tactic as deceptive and manipulative, with some expressing frustration over the increasing pressure to tip in service industries.
Kamil Macniak / Shutterstock A man is calling out a local bar for seemingly deceiving their customers by tricking them into tipping more than they planned to.
He claims that they deployed their plan by “flipping the orientation of the tipping percentages” on the tablets that customers use to pay.
The bar changed the order of tip percentages on their pay screens to dupe customers into tipping more.
Some restaurants utilize tablets that allow customers to pay with a credit card at the end of their meals. Typically, the screen presents customers with the option to tip, with the minimum recommended amount being on the left of the screen and the most generous on the right.
However, one bar opted to switch the recommended tipping order, and one man believes that they may have done so on purpose.
“At a local bar they’ve flipped the orientation of the tipping percentages so it’s 35% on the left, 30% in the middle, and 20% on the right,” the man shared on the subreddit, r/EndTipping. “I wonder if this is done randomly to catch people unaware.”
Photo: Sadi-Santos / Shutterstock
In Western culture languages, we habitually read from left to right. This is also because we learn how to write from left to right. When we read books, the story often begins on the left page. When we write numbers from lowest to highest, we go from left to right. So it is natural to conclude that on a tipping screen, 10% would be all the way on the left leading up the the highest tipping percentage all the way on the right.
We are conditioned to believe that the minimum tip will be on the left side of the screen, and the highest on the right. Some of us may not even take a second glance and absent-mindedly click based on our brain's autopilot reaction, without even realizing that we may have tipped much more money than we intended to.
People are labeling the bar’s decision as ‘deceptive.’
“When people aren’t paying attention, they’ll automatically click the one on the left without thinking or even noticing it’s opposite to how it normally is. It’s a complete trick and truly deceptive,” one Redditor pointed out.
“It absolutely is. I’m seeing this more and more. Blatant manipulation,” another user added.
"It’s intentional. 100%. It’s blatantly trying to catch people who are being rushed by the server already with these stupid handheld tip-begging systems,” another user wrote.
With the tipping culture controversy sweeping the nation, it is not out of the realm of possibility that customer service industries might try to 'trick' their patrons into tipping more.
It's certainly not a secret that many Americans believe that the obligation to tip has gone overboard, especially with many people feeling the blowback of inflation.
A recent survey from Bankrate found that 66% of Americans have a negative attitude toward tipping now, and around 30% believe that tipping has gotten out of control.
Many people are urging companies to start paying their employees a liveable wage so that they are not dependent on customer tips to make up the difference. As of February 2024, the average hourly pay for a restaurant server in the U.S. is $10. Without tips, restaurant waitstaff would never be able to make ends meet. The problem is, who is responsible for ensuring they have a livable wage?
For now, the onus falls on patrons to reliably tip for service, but they should do so with intent — not because they were deceived.
Megan Quinn is a writer at YourTango who covers entertainment and news, self, love, and relationships.