Whether they mean to or not, Uber has been making the drivers less and less human. Now it's backfiring.
Lyft includes tipping in the UI, after the ride. As a result, their drivers don't have as much of a reason to hustle for tips.
Uber Driver Tip-Hustling Schemes
531–540 of 670 posts
Re: Uber Driver Tip-Hustling Schemes
#532I guess most of HN never were so broke that they can't put themselves in the place of a worker who can receive a tip. Tips go directly to a person. Often a low paying or second job. It is about generosity and helping a fellow person. It's not about economic theory or even JUST how they served you. The tip -$1 or $2 or $5 gets the person a gallon of gas. A meal. A cup of coffee. It helps pay off a bill. It is savings…
This is a good point, but I do want to note one caveat, which is that in a lot of restaurants now tips, at least those that aren't in cash, are split between front and back of house staff. This means that even if you tip extra for the purposes of rewarding your waiter/ress for their service, it may not go to them.
This does not mean you shouldn't tip extra if the service was great, amazing, etc., but just something to be aware of.
Re: Uber Driver Tip-Hustling Schemes
#533Earlier quoted context omitted.
25% is crazy.
Depends. 20-30% if you are dining solo and not drinking in a place which is normally couples and with some wine, seems fair, since what actually matters to the waiter is total tips at the end of the night. My check is probably $40 vs $120.
You are also less work for them. I'm not sure why you feel obligated to make up for the fact that you aren't blowing 120 dollars at the table.
I'll tip 30% at like an Ihop when my bill is 11 bucks because "total tips" is what matters.
Re: Uber Driver Tip-Hustling Schemes
#534Earlier quoted context omitted.
The implication is that 20% the widely accepted minimum "good tip" rate, and consistently tipping 15% is consistently being cheap. Especially when you're a tech worker FFS. Let's break out of our echo chamber a bit. In the US, tipping isn't "paying more than required," it's basic manners. You can argue until you're blue in the face about how businesses are to blame, but the vast majority of society, who have no big b…
I'm in Canada whre 15% is considered "normal". I did not know 20% was the normal in the U.S.
Some people have been claiming that 20% is normal for the US. But many people believe 15%. There are even some people who claim that 25% should be the norm.
You can definitely get away with 15% at places where you don't regularly eat. I do 20% at regular places where the waiter will remember me for sure and I don't want them to get the idea that I don't like them.
Re: Uber Driver Tip-Hustling Schemes
#535Earlier quoted context omitted.
A lot of Americans, myself included, think it's a crappy concept too.
It's frustrating because everyone has different concepts of what a "good" tip is as well. I tip well now but it's mostly because I'm overcompensating for years of under tipping after getting advice from high school friends or cheap adults. However it's often just not clear enough what to give.
the percentage method is bad in my opinion. the most expensive cuisine typically hire more affluent staff and pay them more to begin with.
Personally I go with a $5 minimum, more if I am a bother or there for over an hour. Though, this makes me look like a jerk when people drag me to fancy restaurants, and a saint at coffee/fast food places.
Re: Uber Driver Tip-Hustling Schemes
#536I guess most of HN never were so broke that they can't put themselves in the place of a worker who can receive a tip. Tips go directly to a person. Often a low paying or second job. It is about generosity and helping a fellow person. It's not about economic theory or even JUST how they served you. The tip -$1 or $2 or $5 gets the person a gallon of gas. A meal. A cup of coffee. It helps pay off a bill. It is savings…
This sort of post is actually yet another reason why I dislike tipping culture. I'm being guilted/pressured -- and not even by a driver -- into supporting a system in which drivers are underpaid and every customer has to individually think about how they can make up for that.
When/if lots of customers start regularly tipping, I fear Uber will just take advantage of the situation to reduce wages even lower -- untenably so. This will end up forcing all drivers to be completely reliant on tips. And once that happens, there's pretty much no going back.
This is an opportunity to have a major service that finally does away with tipping in the US. I don't think we should bend over backwards so easily and just give up on that possibility.
Re: Uber Driver Tip-Hustling Schemes
#537I guess most of HN never were so broke that they can't put themselves in the place of a worker who can receive a tip. Tips go directly to a person. Often a low paying or second job. It is about generosity and helping a fellow person. It's not about economic theory or even JUST how they served you. The tip -$1 or $2 or $5 gets the person a gallon of gas. A meal. A cup of coffee. It helps pay off a bill. It is savings…
Tipping when mandatory (and this behavior, makes it that way) is also a hidden fee, why not just charge more? If Uber is not paying enough, why not work for someone else?
In the end by tipping you I'm essentially subsidizing Uber and enable them to pay you less.
Re: Uber Driver Tip-Hustling Schemes
#538The author is more tolerant than I am. In the case of both Ride 1 and Ride 2, I would have immediately cancelled on the driver as soon as he pulled those stunts.
I actually did once get a text from a guy demanding to know my destination. I told him I already entered it into the system, and he immediately cancelled on me.
Re: Uber Driver Tip-Hustling Schemes
#539Earlier quoted context omitted.
> There is universal agreement about tipping at restaurants. Tips of 15% (or 20%?) are definitely customary, expected, priced-in. People who don't leave tips after experiencing decent service are definitely not paying their fair share. Is this a joke? Not only is it not universal, it's not even customary. The agreement you have with the restaurant is this: you sit down, are served, eat food, and pay. Baseline service…
> it's not even customary This is thoroughly false. It is so customary in the US that it has been baked into the minimum wage laws: in general, the federal minimum wage is $7.25, but for waitstaff and some other "tipped" jobs, the minimum wage is less than a third of that, at $2.13. The whole system is completely appalling, but that doesn't change the fact that in a lot of places the waitstaff is effectively subcontr…
Maybe federally, but in Oregon, where I live, restaurant workers make at least state minimum wage ($9.75), and in Portland, the wage is going up to $15.
I feel a good first start would be to get rid of the tipped-job-exception from the Federal minimum wage law and set it a fixed minimum regardless of job classification.
Re: Uber Driver Tip-Hustling Schemes
#540I guess most of HN never were so broke that they can't put themselves in the place of a worker who can receive a tip. Tips go directly to a person. Often a low paying or second job. It is about generosity and helping a fellow person. It's not about economic theory or even JUST how they served you. The tip -$1 or $2 or $5 gets the person a gallon of gas. A meal. A cup of coffee. It helps pay off a bill. It is savings…
>One of lifes most enjoyable things is to be generous. Then shouldn't Uber be generous and pay their employees more? >Ask your next uber driver why they are working. They're working for money, come on man.
because 1) uber doesn't classify them as employees, they classify them as contractors, and 2) Uber doesn't give a shit about their drivers.