Yahoo Finance Aussie pharmacy sparks outrage by asking customers for tips on online orders
Cut Price Pharmacy has been called out for asking shoppers for more money in a cost of living crisis.
An Australian pharmacy has been slammed for asking customers to add a tip during the online-ordering process.
The cost-of-living crisis has left Aussies trying to hold onto as much of their hard-earned cash as possible. But a Cut Price Pharmacy shopper was livid when they went to pay and saw a section at the bottom asking whether they wanted to send the company more money as a gratuity.
The company asked people to “show their support” and suggested tips could lower the cost of medications. The options were 5 per, 10 per cent, 15 per cent or nothing at all. There was also an option to input your own custom tip if you weren’t satisfied with any of those.
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“Are we really doing this, Australia?” the shopper asked as they posted a screenshot of the website. “Enough with the tipping culture! No no no.”
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The tipping request was live earlier this week and Yahoo Finance contacted Cut Price Pharmacy. The pharmacy has not responded, but the feature was no longer live when the site was checked again on Thursday.
People were fuming at the concept of a pharmaceutical retailer asking for extra money for no additional service.
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“Who tips the bloody chemist[?] lol,” one said. “Like, no. I won't tip you, I need insulin or I will die.”
Another added: “Who exactly are we tipping for their good service in an online transaction?”
A third wrote: “No one from the working class benefits from this type of tipping. They only add this crap because it’s literally free money, costs nothing to implement the feature and if just 1 out of 1,000 customers decided to use this then the company sees it as worth it.”
This isn’t an isolated incident either. While tipping seems to be commonplace in hospitality venues and through food and grocery delivery services, it’s odd seeing them in other industries. Louve Collection, a mobile phone accessory store, sparked similar outrage when it asked for a 5, 10 or 15 per cent gratuity when completing a purchase.
To tip or not to tip?
Consumer psychologist Professor Jana Bowden from Macquarie University Business School told Yahoo Australia people could feel a range of emotions when asked to tip, especially in places they’re not expecting it.
"Social-norms theory tells us that if tipping is made to look like the norm - either by a business through its advertising, signage or messaging - then choosing not to tip can lead to a sense of shame, embarrassment, and guilt,” Bowden said.
"Consumer psychology tells us that negative reinforcement is a strong driver of consumer behaviour. We aren't forced to tip. Tipping is voluntary in Australia. But social norms might pressure us into doing so.
"We know from research that tipping creates anxiety. It actually affects consumers' well-being. This is likely to be exacerbated as the cost-of-living crisis deepens further as money becomes tight. The question becomes: is it moral or appropriate for businesses to suggest that consumers should tip?"
