A Unionized Apple Store Wants Customers to Start Leaving Tips for Employees Will there soon be a tip jar at the Genius Bar?
By Emily Rella
Opinions expressed by BIZ Experiences contributors are their own.
Companies like Starbucks have been under fire from customers after implementing systems that ask for a tip while employees can still see their screens, creating a potentially awkward situation should the customer decide not to leave a gratuity.
Now, Apple could soon be following suit. Employees at a unionized store in Maryland added an automated tipping system to its list of demands, per Bloomberg.
Related: 'Tip Culture Is Getting Insane': Starbucks Customers Furious Over Company's New Tipping System
"Apple will integrate a tipping option at the end of all credit card transactions in-store. It will say: no tip, 3%, 5%, custom amount," the proposal reads. "This will allow thankful patrons the ability to express gratitude for a job well done without any obligations. All monies collected through this manner would be dispersed to members of the bargaining unit biweekly based on any hours worked."
Though the proposal didn't clarify which transactions would ask for a tip, the request could include all transactions, whether it's one-on-one help at the Genius Bar or a simple product purchase.
Related: An Apple Store in Maryland Is the First to Unionize in the U.S.: 'We Did It Towson!'
The store, located in Towson, Maryland, was the first to successfully unionize in June 2022. Workers sought better compensation, working conditions, and COVID-19 safety precautions.
BIZ Experiences has reached out to Apple for comment.
Apple was up just shy of 12% in a one-year period.
