Do you owe a tip to the barista who poured your black coffee? New payment systems leave some in a quandary
CHICAGO _Working the register at Dollop Coffee Co. in the Loop one recent evening, Evelyn Rangel rang up a $4.39 almond croissant and stood by as her customer, having swiped her credit card, studied the tip screen that popped up.
Did the service merit a $1 tip? $2? $3? Those were the options prominently displayed across the top of the Square payment touch screen. Below there were additional buttons that gave the option of leaving a custom tip or "no tip" at all before signing to complete the purchase.
Rangel, 28, has seen customers freeze at this juncture in the payment process, unsure whether to tip for counter service.
"Sometimes I'll notice someone is hesitating and I'll find something else to do for a couple of seconds and walk away," said Rangel, insisting that she was not miffed when the buyer of the almond croissant selected the "no tip" option. "Customers are way more worried about it than we are."
Social norms around tipping are shifting in the U.S., thanks largely to the widespread adoption of technology that puts tipping front and center when paying for a coffee, a trip in a taxi or ride-share vehicle, or food delivery. The payment systems,
