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The Dark Pattern of Tipping Culture
How credit card machines pressure you into tipping more
Have you ever noticed how credit card machines seem to have a sneaky way of making us tip more? It’s like they’ve cracked the code to our generosity — or maybe it’s just a dark pattern at play.
Back in the day, tipping used to be a straightforward act of showing appreciation for good service. Credit card machines would offer tip options as low as 10% or 12%, giving us the flexibility to reflect our satisfaction or dissatisfaction with the service we received. It made sense, right?
But as time went on, those low-tip options became not-so-low anymore. Nowadays, you’ll often find yourself facing tip options that kick off at a whopping 18%. The pressure is definitely on you to dig deeper into your pockets.
Social desirability bias
This thing called social desirability bias plays a significant role in tipping culture. It’s that little voice in our heads that whispers, “Don’t be cheap! The server is watching you!” And it’s true, isn’t it?
Think about it — when the server is standing right there, looking at us, it’s hard not to feel that pressure to appear generous and avoid the dreaded label of being cheap. We want to be seen as appreciative and fair, so we tend to lean towards the higher tip options presented to us.
Whether you’re at a fancy restaurant or your local coffee shop, those servers have a way of making eye contact right when you’re deciding how much to tip. It’s like they’ve mastered the art of making you feel like a Scrooge if you don’t go for the higher options.
Dark patterns
But here’s where it gets interesting. Credit card machines have taken advantage of this social dynamic and employed a dark pattern — a devious design trick to manipulate our behavior.
They understand that we’re often in a rush, standing in long lines at coffee shops or busy restaurants, and we don’t want to be the cause of delays. So, these machines conveniently start the…
