Starbucks customers who pay for their grande skinny vanilla lattes using the company's app will soon be able to add a tip to their purchase. The new feature, which will roll out March 19, comes at a time when one out every 10 purchases are made using a mobile device. Customers will be able to leave tips of 50 cents, $1, or $2 within two hours of purchase.
As CBS News notes, tipping has been a "sensitive topic" for Starbucks' customers and workers. Some customers don't want to pay an additional fee since the drinks are already pricey, while others don't mind leaving some spare change for exceptional service. Zee Lemke, a Starbucks barista in Wisconsin, said she hopes the move persuades people to tip more since her hourly wage is low. She added that it's up to the store's management to decide how to divvy up the tips, although Starbucks said tips on its mobile app will be paid out to employees directly in cash.
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