The Reading / Listening - Self-checkout Machines - Level 1

Tipping in restaurants and hotels is normal in many countries. People put tips in a jar near a cash register. There is now a new way to tip – self checkout machines. People are not happy about them because they are asking for a tip. They are in bookstores and clothes shops in the USA. There is no face-to-face contact between people, so customers in stores are unhappy about tipping a machine.

A newspaper said people in the USA are becoming tired of tipping self-checkout machines. They are experiencing "tipping fatigue". Nearly 20 per cent of people now leave tips for things like bottles of water. A customer at one store said self-checkout machines asking for tips was like "emotional blackmail". A digital payments company said the machines have increased the number of tips by 15 per cent.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Self-checkout Machines - Level 0 Self-checkout Machines - Level 2   or  Self-checkout Machines - Level 3

Sources
  • https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2023/05/15/service-charges-tips-fatigue/70220385007/
  • https://gizmodo.com/tipping-self-check-out-1850419084
  • https://www.businessinsider.com/customers-are-hesitant-to-tip-at-self-check-out-2023-5


Make sure you try all of the online activities for this reading and listening - There are dictations, multiple choice activities, drag and drop activities, sentence jumbles, which word activities, text reconstructions, spelling, gap fills and a whole lot more. Please enjoy :-)

Phrase Matching

Paragraph 1

  1. Tipping in
  2. normal in many
  3. People put tips
  4. There is now a new way
  5. they are asking
  6. They are
  7. There is no face-to-face
  8. unhappy about tipping
  1. in bookstores
  2. in a jar
  3. contact
  4. a machine
  5. restaurants
  6. for a tip
  7. countries
  8. to tip

Paragraph 2

  1. becoming tired
  2. 20 per cent of people now
  3. things like
  4. A customer
  5. machines asking
  6. emotional
  7. A digital payments
  8. increased the number of tips
  1. for tips
  2. bottles of water
  3. company
  4. leave tips
  5. by 15 per cent
  6. of tipping
  7. blackmail
  8. at one store

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Tipping in restaurants and (1) ___________________ in many countries. People put tips (2) ___________________ near a cash register. There is now a (3) ___________________ tip - self checkout machines. People are not happy about them because they (4) ___________________ a tip. They are in bookstores and clothes shops in the USA. (5) ___________________ face-to-face contact between people, so customers in stores are unhappy (6) ___________________ machine.

A newspaper said people in the USA are becoming (7) ___________________ self-checkout machines. They are experiencing "tipping fatigue". Nearly 20 per cent of people now (8) ___________________ things like bottles of water. A customer (9) ___________________ said self-checkout machines (10) ___________________ was like "emotional blackmail". (11) ___________________ company said the machines have increased the number (12) ___________________ 15 per cent.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Tippinginrestaurantsandhotelsisnormalinmanycountries.Peopleput
tipsinajarnearacashregister.Thereisnowanewwaytotip-selfcheckou
tmachines.Peoplearenothappyaboutthembecausetheyareaskingfor
atip.TheyareinbookstoresandclothesshopsintheUSA.Thereisnoface
-to-facecontactbetweenpeople,socustomersinstoresareunhappyab
outtippingamachine.AnewspapersaidpeopleintheUSAarebecomingt
iredoftippingself-checkoutmachines.Theyareexperiencing"tipping
atigue".Nearly20percentofpeoplenowleavetipsforthingslikebottleso
fwater.Acustomeratonestoresaidself-checkoutmachinesaskingfort
ipswaslike"emotionalblackmail".Adigitalpaymentscompanysaidthe
machineshaveincreasedthenumberoftipsby15percent.

Student survey

Write five GOOD questions about this topic in the table. Do this in pairs. Each student must write the questions on his / her own paper. When you have finished, interview other students. Write down their answers.

(Please look at page 12 of the PDF to see a photocopiable example of this activity.)

Discussion — Write your own questions

STUDENT A’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)

(a) ________________

(b) ________________

(c) ________________

(d) ________________

(e) ________________

(f) ________________

(g) ________________

(h) ________________

STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)

(i) ________________

(j) ________________

(k) ________________

(l) ________________

(m) ________________

(n) ________________

(o) ________________

(p) ________________

Free writing

Write about this topic for 10 minutes. Comment on your partner’s paper.

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Answers

(Please check your answers against the article above.

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