TikToker Asks "Who Am I Tipping Here?" After Airport Self-Checkout Demands 18%

A TikTok creator just asked the question that’s been living rent-free in all our heads. While buying a bottle of water at an airport self-service kiosk, @drclaymoss was hit with an 18% tip prompt on the payment screen. No cashier, no barista, no employee in sight. So he tapped 0%, panned the camera around to prove it, and said it out loud:“Who am I tipping here?”The video, posted October 17, has since pulled in more than 208,800 views, and the comment section is basically a support group for everyone who’s ever felt trapped by a tip screen.

Commenters wasted no time backing him up. One user joked that self-checkout customers should actually get a 20% discount for doing the work themselves, which might be the most popular take on the internet this week. The details of the airport and business haven’t been independently verified, but it doesn’t matter. The clip went viral because it captures a feeling every traveler knows: paying premium prices for the basics while a machine guilt-trips you for extra. Tip fatigue is real, and the airport may be its final boss.

So now we need your verdict. Are tip prompts on self-service machines out of control, or is there a reason to keep them around? And what’s the strangest place you’ve ever been asked to tip? Tell us in the comments.