Open Tab App Lets Customers Pool Spare Change to Help Others at Checkout

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A developer has built a prototype called Open Tab that allows customers to contribute small amounts of spare change during checkout, which flow into a shared pool others can draw from without any application or explanation. The system rounds up a purchase to the nearest 50-cent mark, or adds €0.20 when the total already ends in .00 or .50, and always shows the contribution amount before payment is confirmed. The weekend prototype connects two fictional businesses, Café Sol and Bread & Butter Bakery, both feeding the same shared pool and activity ledger. Research cited from the Journal of Consumer Psychology suggests round-up donation prompts generate more favourable responses than flat donation requests, attributed to a lower perceived pain of giving. The project remains a proof-of-concept, and real-world viability would depend on merchant participation, checkout volume, and measured customer contribution rates.

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