The Reading / Listening - Self-checkout Machines - Level 0

Tipping is normal in many countries. Some people put tips in a special tip jar. There is now a new way to tip – self checkout machines. People are not happy about them because they are asking for a tip. There is no face-to-face contact, so people are unhappy about tipping a machine.

People in the USA are tired of tipping self-checkout machines. They have "tipping fatigue". People are leaving tips for things like bottles of water. A customer said self-checkout machines asking for tips was like "blackmail". The machines have increased the number of tips by 15 per cent.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Self-checkout Machines - Level 1 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 is
  2. in many
  3. a special
  4. a new way
  5. People are not happy
  6. ask
  7. There is no face-to-face
  8. unhappy about tipping
  1. a machine
  2. tip jar
  3. for a tip
  4. normal
  5. contact
  6. to tip
  7. about them
  8. countries

Paragraph 2

  1. People in
  2. tired
  3. self-checkout
  4. They have
  5. People are leaving
  6. bottles
  7. asking for tips was like
  8. increased the number of tips
  1. "blackmail"
  2. "tipping fatigue"
  3. of tipping
  4. by 15 per cent
  5. of water
  6. machines
  7. the USA
  8. tips

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Tipping (1) ___________________ many countries. Some people (2) ___________________ a special tip jar. There is (3) ___________________ way to tip - self checkout machines. People (4) ___________________ about them because they are (5) ___________________ tip. There is no face-to-face contact, so people are unhappy (6) ___________________ machine.

People in the USA (7) ___________________ tipping self-checkout machines. They (8) ___________________. People are leaving tips (9) ___________________ bottles of water. A customer said self-checkout machines asking for (10) _________________ "blackmail". (11) ___________________ increased the number (12) ___________________ 15 per cent.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Tippingisnormalinmanycountries.Somepeopleputtipsinaspecialtipj
ar.Thereisnowanewwaytotip-selfcheckoutmachines.Peoplearenoth
appyaboutthembecausetheyareaskingforatip.Thereisnoface-to-fa
cecontact,sopeopleareunhappyabouttippingamachine.Peopleinthe
USAaretiredoftippingselfcheckoutmachines.Theyhave"tippingfatig
ue".Peopleareleavingtipsforthingslikebottlesofwater.Acustomersai
dself-checkoutmachinesaskingfortipswaslike"blackmail".Themachi
neshaveincreasedthenumberoftipsby15percent.

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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