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Summary of article:
A bookstore at New York’s JFK Airport charged a 3% “employee retention fee” even after customers made their purchases, sparking controversy among netizens as they questioned whether it was a hidden form of mandatory tipping.
According to the New York Post, consumers are not only facing more and more troubletip Requirements, and even self-checkout, scanning and bagging merchandise yourself, may result in employee fees.
New York JFK International Airport (jkf ) A bookstore recently charged a tourist an “employee retention fee,” even though the entire shopping process was done by the customer himself, from scanning items to placing them in bags, without the assistance of a clerk. After the incident was exposed, it was strongly criticized by netizens, with many criticizing it as a hidden form of forced tipping.
A traveler recently posted on the social platform Reddit that he was in New Yorkqueens Receipts from shopping at the Bryant Park Market in Terminal 5 at Kennedy Airport have caused heated discussion.
The passenger said he was preparing for a 6 a.m. flight and originally wanted to purchase a book titled “The Gales of November: The Untold Story of Edmund Fitzgerald,” which was priced at $21.99.
Unexpectedly, at checkout, in addition to the sales tax of 2.01 yuan, there was also an “employee benefits” fee of 0.66 yuan on the bill. At the bottom of the receipt it states that the store will add a 3% surcharge for employee retention plans, and it is emphasized in bold that this charge is “not a tip.”
After the traveler uploaded the receipt to a Reddit forum, it immediately attracted a large number of comments from netizens who protested the tipping culture, criticizing the store for passing on personnel costs to consumers who pay themselves.
One netizen said angrily, “If it were me, I would be so angry that I would immediately turn around and take the book back. I would never accept such blatant blackmail. It’s really infuriating.”
Another person said, “This is my last visit. I will never go there again. The store has the right to decide whether or not to charge this fee, but I also have the right to choose to buy things elsewhere.”
Some netizens bluntly said, “No matter what they call it, it is actually mandatory tipping.”
Summary FAQ
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The incident occurred at the “Bryant Park Market” bookstore in Terminal 5 of New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport. When a traveler bought a book there, he found additional charges added to his bill.
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In addition to the original book price of 21.99 yuan and sales tax of 2.01 yuan, the store added an additional 0.66 yuan, which was marked as 3% “employee retention fee” or employee welfare fee, and specifically stated that it is not a tip.
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Since the entire checkout process is completed by the customer themselves, they still have to pay personnel-related surcharges. Many netizens believe that this is equivalent to passing the cost of employees onto consumers and is similar to mandatory tipping.
