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Uber Driver Tip-Hustling Schemes

angelinatravels.boardingarea.com

591–600 of 670 posts

Re: Uber Driver Tip-Hustling Schemes

#591
post #300

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Do I have to go into "other" to tip less than 20% for being handed a brown bag? Yes, of course, you go into other and select 0%. You don't need to tip someone for handing you a bag, and prompting for a 20% tip is shameless.

As a Mexican, every time I go to the Bay area and take a taxi, it amazes me how the taxi payment terminals have the option of 15%, 20% and 30%. Why would you tip a taxi?

[deleted]

Re: Uber Driver Tip-Hustling Schemes

#592

I 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…

I really don't care about their story. I worked for about a dozen restaurants, bars and clubs back in the day. I lived in some of the shittiest places imaginable (in the US,) including 3 weeks in my car parked outside the low-rent, skank-infested strip club at which I DJed. I get it; life is hard. However, tipping isn't a "charity surcharge" -- it's to reward service that went beyond the service you agreed to buy. A…

I'm talking about giving $2 to one person. A 10 second act

Re: Uber Driver Tip-Hustling Schemes

#593

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The implied social judgment whenever Uber drivers come up is a bummer. Yes, people prefer to make a little bit of money instead of not having money. This is surprising? And when someone earns a little bit of money, they might wish that they made more money. Again--not news. I think before getting critical about why Uber drivers are so dumb, it's worth thinking about why you don't drive for Uber. The answer probably s…

But the comment you're replying to is saying what's the point in working literally for free or at a loss? Sure, if you're not making much, that's one thing, but actually making zero is what they were talking about.

They're not making $0. They're trading $8/hr now against the cost of depreciation that they'll be able to "pay" later. Is that short-sighted? Yes. Do people feel like that's necessary when they have looming bills that need to be paid right now? Also yes. It'd be nice if people in that situation could afford to be more future-minded, but that's easy to say when the income from your primary job easily covers your expenses. Not so for many people.

Re: Uber Driver Tip-Hustling Schemes

#594
I'm surprised that this discussion of tipping doesn't include the fact that it implements price discrimination. It's possible that the reason tipping is so often the end point of systems is that price discrimination is much more profitable than having a fixed price for everyone. So trying to design a pricing system that replaces a tipping-based service needs to deal with this problem. How is your service going to implement price discrimination without tipping? Otherwise how is it going to be as profitable as a system that has price discrimination?

I'm not saying I prefer these systems as a consumer; I would much rather pay a fixed price. I'm saying that it seems like they create the most profit and thus competitive edge for the businesses using them.

Re: Uber Driver Tip-Hustling Schemes

#595

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You left out the part where they are still guaranteed minimum wage if they don't get enough tips.

Try working at a restaurant and actually getting them to pay you that. They don't.

I'm sure you're right, because that's the general attitude they operate with in that industry, but I was a server for six years and most of my friends still are, and it's totally unheard of for a server to end the night below minimum wage. I've never known a server to come away with less than kitchen staff and the norm was much higher. A really bad night at a cheap buffet was 60 in five hours. If it was slower than that servers and kitchen staff would just be sent home.

Re: Uber Driver Tip-Hustling Schemes

#596
post #448

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Do you believe that in Australia and Europe, restaurants and taxis are non functional because they don't have tipping? I've eaten out hundreds of times in my life, never left a tip, and never thought I needed an incentive system directly between me and the waiter. Same with taxis. There are only so many ways to screw up bringing food to a table. I've never once though "wow that waiter really brought my plate to me ba…

View on Europe on HN seems to be a little skewed. We have tipping here as well, maybe not to the same extent as in US, but it's definitely present. Even sandwich or coffee places would have "tip jar" where people would drop their change when they pay cash, but it's not required or even expected. It's not like there is no concept of tipping at all.

Sure, but that's still drastically different than in the US. With little exception, you're expected to pay an 18-20% tip just for the base level of service. Paying less than 15% -- even for mediocre or poor service -- is considered cheap and shameful.

To compare apples to apples, in a sandwich/coffee place in the US you're still expected to tip the standard amount, even if your change from a cash payment falls short. And not tipping at all in those situations is considered bad form.

I'd say the European system is far preferable, but I like Japan the best: a taxi driver would be nearly offended if you tried to tip them. I had one get out of the car and nearly chase me down because I got out before taking my 30 yen in change.

Just charge what it costs to provide a living wage and don't require or expect a tip, ever. Remove the social stigma associated with being cheap for not tipping. In the US, eliminate the comically-low minimum wage for tipped staff, and make them pay the regular minimum wage. To ease the transition, reduce payroll taxes for such businesses (tips aren't subject to payroll taxes) so they don't have to jack up prices 30+% to compensate. I know this will never happen here, but I can hope...

Re: Uber Driver Tip-Hustling Schemes

#597
post #278

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I believe they do tip their hairdressers in the US. Rest of the argument stands though, and I agree with you.

Hairdressers, massage places (the fancy ones (e.g. resort spas) give you an envelope which explains tipping for foreign travelers), sometimes auto mechanics, maître d's (fancy restaurants get expensive when you have to tip the person who sat you, the waiter, the chef, and the sommelier), valets, parking garages where they park your car since it's so tight that all the cars are in a grid (common in e.g. SF), bell pers…

I'm actually having a hard time thinking of any service job in the US where it's not customary (and/or expected) to tip.

Re: Uber Driver Tip-Hustling Schemes

#598
post #151
post #96

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Is good service and hospitably an antiquated notion? I'll happily give a bartender, server or a driver an extra buck or two when they make the experience pleasant/informative/friendly because, far too many people treat their jobs not as a privileged but a chore. Without tipping far too many would take your money for granted and the quality of service would decline across the board because there is zero incentive to p…

In some cases, that makes sense, or at least, enough sense that I can see "reasonable people disagree..." there. In other cases, I just want a ride home. I don't care about being regaled with tales, or how hyperoptimized the route is, or fake friendliness, or even refreshments. I just want to know, unambiguously, what it takes to satisfy my obligation for this specific service, and reasonably expect that the provider…

Yeah, and that's the thing. I think Uber started off with a great idea: eliminate tipping for a job where tipping is the norm. But then they failed to fix the reason for tipping these days: paying the usually-tipped person a living wage.

Re: Uber Driver Tip-Hustling Schemes

#599

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Then Uber should be charging more. Sorry about that.

Uber charges the amount that they need to get enough drivers to drive the number of customers they have. When there aren't enough drivers willing to drive at the given rate, they go into 'surge' pricing to intice more drivers to drive. You know what would happen if they raised the rates and paid more to the drivers? Two things - fewer riders would ride, and more drivers would drive. You would end up with a lot of dri…

I don't think it's zero-sum, though. Before Uber/Lyft, I very rarely took a taxi, not because of cost, but because of the difficulty and uncertainty in being able to find and secure one (in SF). (I would either drive myself, and have to leave earlier due to the difficulty of finding parking, or take the bus, and have to leave even earlier due to how slow it is.) If Uber/Lyft were to increase prices to the same cost as a taxi, yes, I'd use them less, but I'd certainly use them more than I ever used taxis... because I'm getting a lot more for the money.

Re: Uber Driver Tip-Hustling Schemes

#600

Earlier quoted context omitted.

By getting a job, it will interfere with what I need to do. I make my own hours, which is very important. I do 40 hrs driving and 40 hrs on my company every week. Right now I am at the tail end of the stretch and I am already starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel (funding). "Honey Badger does not give a sh*t, if it's hungry, it's hungry"

Well, I wouldn't consider yourself funded until the term sheet is signed and the money has been wired. You'll get a lot of "warm" courtship interest from investors who actually are just scoping out the field, so to speak, and you'll run into ones who have cold feet and back out at the last minute (I even had an outstanding term sheet get withdrawn once). Just be careful. Investors are often very two-faced.

Agreed 100%, it can be annoying sometimes, but it is part of the game.
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