Waterstones responds to Twitter outrage over cafe staff tips scandal

The business has revealed in a tweet that it does not allow its café staff to keep tips from customers.

The British book retailer that operates 283 shops, mainly in the United Kingdom, has branches in the North East including Darlington, Durham and Newcastle.

The book shop chain tweeted this morning (Wednesday, May 11):

There’s no question of staff not keeping tips, the fact is that Waterstones does not accept tips. This applies in cafes as it does in our bookshops. To accept them requires a system of reporting to HMRC for tax which we don’t have. If a customer insists we suggest the charity box

— Waterstones (@Waterstones) May 11, 2022

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This was in response to a twitter user with the username @Ayo Ceaser who tweeted the retailer saying:

So, @WaterstonesPicc don’t allow their cafe staff to keep their tips.

I’m not going to spend any money there until they do. Anyone else?

— Ash Sarkar (@AyoCaesar) May 10, 2022

As of 2020 part-time Waterstones employees were paid the national minimum wage. Twitter users flooded in to challenge the retailer.

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Another user with the username @LondonTitan was unimpressed with Waterstones’ response.

This is ridiculous.

I’d suggest some kind of legal protection to ensure that waiting staff, who often aren’t very well paid and who have to work hard for their money, get the tips they’ve been given but this UK government isn’t going to worry about looking after the little guys.

— London Titan 💙🇺🇦 (@LondonTitan) May 10, 2022

He wasn’t alone in this opinion. A user with the username @MarshGibbon23 said:

Good grief. No. I shan't be buying books there until it changes. Shame, as I like the Picadilly one.

— Howard Smith (@MarshGibbon23) May 10, 2022

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Echoed by another Twitter user, the general opinion of Waterstones due to this controversy is not good.

A friend of mine works for Waterstones - I asked her and she says it’s all their stores that have a policy that no tips can go to cafe workers, they get complaints about this but nothing is done to change it apparently

— acab 🏴 (@buildanarchy) May 10, 2022

A spokesperson from Waterstones said: "It is not that we do not let staff keep tips, it is that we do not accept tips.

"This has never been the case in bookshops, where customers wish to give tips very seldom.

"Should they wish to, we suggest they give to our charity boxes instead. This applies also in the cafes we run within our bookshops.

"Staff generally work across the shop, and a consistent approach has always seemed appropriate.

"Having no policy of tipping, our payroll systems do not monitor them, as is required by HMRC so that earnings are taxed properly."

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