A $6.49 bottle of water at Newark Liberty International Airport recently came with a surprise: an automatic 18% tip request on a self-service kiosk. The incident, captured in a viral video by Dr. Clay Moss, has sparked a wider conversation about the boundaries of American tipping culture as automation enters the retail space.
The situation highlights a growing tension in the US economy. While the cost of living continues to climb and salaries often fail to keep pace, consumers are increasingly facing requests for tips. When this happens in a “captive market” like an airport, where passengers have few alternatives for basic necessities, the friction becomes a flashpoint for public frustration.
A $1.17 charge for no service
On October 16, Dr. Clay Moss, a licensed doctor specializing in metabolic health, filmed his experience at a CIBO Express store located in Terminal C of Newark Liberty International Airport. As reported by nj.com, the video shows Moss purchasing a bottle of water for $6.49. Upon reaching the payment screen, the self-service kiosk had already applied an automatic 18% tip, adding an additional $1.17 to the total.
Dr. Clay Moss was asked to leave a tip while buying a bottle of water at a self-service store at Newark Liberty International Airport, leaving him very confused. https://t.co/fipH80xHYz
Moss quickly removed the tip, but the encounter prompted him to question the logic of the charge. Look at this. This is what the world’s come to nowadays. … Who is this automatic 18% tip that I have to click out of for?
Moss asked in the video, which subsequently gained over 1.5 million views across TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube.
The friction of automation and gratuity
The core of the outrage stems from the contradiction of the “self-service” model. Traditionally, a tip is a reward for labor or a supplement to a service worker’s wage. In this instance, the customer performed the labor of selecting the item and processing the payment. This has led some social media users to argue that the economic incentive should be reversed.
According to nj.com, some viewers of the video suggested that customers should actually receive a discount when using self-checkout kiosks. One TikTok user noted that because the customer is doing the work, they should receive a 20% discount rather than being asked for a gratuity.
The debate reflects a broader systemic shift. As businesses implement AI and self-service automation, the financial burden of maintaining service standards—or the expectation of “extra” income—is being shifted toward the consumer. This creates a psychological clash: the efficiency of a machine paired with the social obligation of a human-centric tipping tradition.
Airport vendors use pricing power to inflate costs
Airports are unique economic environments. Because passengers are restricted by security checkpoints and tight flight schedules, vendors possess significant pricing power. This allows for the “arm and a leg” pricing often seen for basic goods like bottled water.
Dr. Clay Moss was asked to leave a tip while buying a bottle of water at a self-service CIBO Express convenience store at Newark Liberty Airport. https://t.co/1Mglt1cyAV
When an automatic tip is added to an already inflated price, it changes the transaction from a voluntary gesture of gratitude to a perceived hidden fee. This is particularly jarring for consumers who already feel a social pressure to tip 20% in traditional settings, even when service is mediocre, out of empathy for low-wage workers.
The unanswered question of labor
The viral reaction to the CIBO Express kiosk raises a fundamental question about the transparency of corporate pricing. If a business moves to a self-service model to save on labor, the cost of the product should theoretically reflect that efficiency.
As noted in the comments on Moss’s Instagram video, users questioned where the high cost of airport beverages goes if the employees are not being paid through those margins or the tips. One user asked, You pay a lot of money for food and beverages, so where does all that money go if you don’t pay your employees?
At the time of reporting by nj.com, neither Dr. Moss nor CIBO Express had responded to requests for further comment on the incident. The lack of a formal explanation leaves the 18% default setting as a stark symbol of “tip fatigue” in a digital age.
