The Reading / Listening - Self-checkout Machines - Level 2

Leaving a tip in a restaurant is a part of life in many countries. We tip a waiter or someone in a hotel. We might put a tip in a jar next to a cash register. There is now a new way to tip – self checkout machines. People are not happy about them. Some of these machines are asking for a 20 per cent tip. They are in airports, cafes, bookstores and clothes shops in the USA. There is no face-to-face contact between people. Many customers in stores say they are not happy about leaving a tip and giving extra money to a machine.

The Wall Street Journal said people in the USA are becoming tired of tipping the self-checkout machines. Many people are experiencing "tipping fatigue". Nearly 20 per cent of people are now leaving tips for things they never used to leave tips for, like bottles of water. A customer at an airport store said self-checkout machines asking for a tip was like "emotional blackmail". A digital payments company said the machines are increasing the number of tips. It said Americans are leaving 15 per cent more tips than before.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Self-checkout Machines - Level 0 Self-checkout Machines - Level 1   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. a part
  2. put a tip
  3. There is now a new
  4. machines are asking for a
  5. face-to-face
  6. customers in stores say
  7. leaving
  8. giving extra money
  1. they are not happy
  2. way to tip
  3. to a machine
  4. in a jar
  5. a tip
  6. 20 per cent tip
  7. contact
  8. of life

Paragraph 2

  1. becoming
  2. people are experiencing tipping
  3. bottles
  4. A customer
  5. a tip was like emotional
  6. A digital payments
  7. increasing the number
  8. leaving 15 per cent more
  1. of water
  2. of tips
  3. at an airport store
  4. tips than before
  5. tired of tipping
  6. blackmail
  7. company
  8. fatigue

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Leaving (1) ___________________ a restaurant is a part of life in many countries. We tip (2) ___________________ someone in a hotel. We might put a tip in a jar next to a cash register. There is now (3) ___________________ to tip - self checkout machines. People are not happy about them. Some of these machines are (4) ___________________ 20 per cent tip. They are in airports, cafes, bookstores and clothes shops in the USA. There is no (5) ___________________ contact between people. Many customers in stores say they are not happy about leaving a tip and giving (6) ___________________ a machine.

The Wall Street Journal said people in the USA are becoming (7) ___________________ the self-checkout machines. Many people are (8) ___________________. Nearly 20 per cent of people are now leaving tips for things they (9) ___________________ leave tips for, like bottles of water. A customer at an airport store said self-checkout machines (10) ___________________ tip was like "emotional blackmail". A digital payments company said the machines are increasing (11) ___________________ tips. It said Americans are leaving 15 per cent more (12) ___________________.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Leavingatipinarestaurantisapartoflifeinmanycountries.Wetipawaite
rorsomeoneinahotel.Wemightputatipinajarnexttoacashregister.The
reisnowanewwaytotip-selfcheckoutmachines.Peoplearenothappya
boutthem.Someofthesemachinesareaskingfora20percenttip.Theya
reinairports,cafes,bookstoresandclothesshopsintheUSA.Thereisnof
ace-to-facecontactbetweenpeople.Manycustomersinstoressaythey
arenothappyaboutleavingatipandgivingextramoneytoamachine.Th
eWallStreetJournalsaidpeopleintheUSAarebecomingtiredoftippingt
heself-checkoutmachines.Manypeopleareexperiencing"tippingfa
tigue".Nearly20percentofpeoplearenowleavingtipsforthingstheyne
verusedtoleavetipsfor,likebottlesofwater.Acustomeratanairportstor
esaidself-checkoutmachinesaskingforatipwaslike"emotionalblackm
ail".Adigitalpaymentscompanysaidthemachinesareincreasingthenu
mberoftips.ItsaidAmericansareleaving15percentmoretipsthanbefor
e.

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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