Dave Portnoy blasts self-checkout tip kiosks over gratuity guilt: ‘I don’t do it to be a nice guy’
The Barstool Sports founder said he lives 'in fear' of someone catching him leaving no tip
Barstool Sports founder and President Dave Portnoy joined ‘Varney & Co.’ to discuss self-checkout tip kiosks, the stock market, and the upcoming match between Manchester City and Real Madrid.
According to Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy, America's tipping culture has gotten out of control.
Portnoy torched the self-checkout tipping trend during an appearance on "Varney & Co.," claiming that he is "deathly afraid" of being ruled a "cheapskate" for getting caught leaving no tip.
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"I don't do it to be a nice guy, Stuart. I'm deathly afraid of somebody seeing me not tip and them be like, 'Dave Portnoy is a cheapskate who doesn't tip.' So that, I live in fear of, and it forces me to tip at all times," he told host Stuart Varney, Wednesday.
Barstool Sports founder David Portnoy attends Game Seven of the 2022 NBA Playoffs Eastern Conference Semifinals between the Milwaukee Bucks and the Boston Celtics at TD Garden on May 15, 2022 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Adam Glanzman/Getty Images / Getty Images)
Portnoy's comments come in response to the nationwide tipping trend that has left consumers in an even tighter penny pinch. The new feature prompts consumers with a tipping questionnaire at the end of a self-checkout purchase – a type of transaction that traditionally has never prompted customers to tip.
Companies, including airports, bakeries, coffee shops and sports stadiums, have now introduced the self-serve tipping option, where customers can leave tips including the typical 20%, despite facing minimal to no interaction with any employee, according to a recent report by The Wall Street Journal.
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Customers report feeling obligated to leave a tip as they question where and to whom the extra money is actually going, but businesses are increasingly embracing the option to boost pay for workers outside of salaries, according to WSJ.
After ruling the scenario a "tough one," Portnoy confirmed that he tends to tip "all the time," regardless if it is a self-checkout kiosk or not.
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When it came to weighing in on cultural trends, Portnoy did not stop there.
In a recent viral video, the Barstool Sports founder shredded a fellow airport-goer for talking on speakerphone, arguing the oblivious move goes against "basic human decency."
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"I got to be honest. I don't get people like this," he explained in a viral video on Twitter. "You know, who puts their buddy on speaker like this? It's crazy. Does he even hear me talking about him? Like, just take it off speaker, put it in your phone. It's basic human decency."
During his appearance on "Varney & Co.," Portnoy further nailed his argument, deeming the act as a societal "violation."
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"I didn't say anything to the guy. I just talked loudly behind his back, and then he eventually got up and left. I don't even think he heard me. But yeah, I've heard people be like, 'well he's old. Maybe the phone's broken.' No. People do this all over the place. They do it at the airport, and it's a violation, Stuart. It's a violation."
FOX Business Emily Robertson contributed to this report.