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Thanks to Venmo, We Now All Know How Cheap Our Friends Are

nytimes.com

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Re: Thanks to Venmo, We Now All Know How Cheap Our Friends Are

#231

Post by consz »

Insanity wrote: post #196

I had never even heard of this app. Yet it seems to be for people in my generation (25). I'm really happy that this is not something that happens in my social circles. Could be a cultural thing. Most of my social circles involve Latin American people, which is quite a mindset difference from the standard European / American mindset. Though, even with my European friends this does not happen. I don't mind having paid…

What if it doesn't even out eventually? I like to get 4-5 cocktails when I go out, and am usually the one getting steak instead of chicken (to use the article's analogy) -- so I almost always dine on significantly more than the average person at the table. If we just split uniformly, I'm definitely taking advantage of the other people at the table, so what options are there? Of course, I could pitch in more for that evening's bill, but once we're at the point that we're splitting it unevenly, then I don't see how that's any different than venmoing someone instead, and that's a lot easier than dealing with cash.

Re: Thanks to Venmo, We Now All Know How Cheap Our Friends Are

#232

Post by bogomipz »

Swizec wrote: post #170
bogomipz wrote: post #154

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>"In my experience, many restaurants have a limit on how many ways they can split the bill," That limit is artificially imposed though isn't? I also think this is mostly an American thing because its perceived as a "hassle" which is ironic because they're being tipped for their "service" in the US. In Sweden I noticed for instance instance you can get a meal with a group of 10 people and at the end of the meal the se…

A lot of restaurants are won't split bills too many ways because it takes time and impacts table turnover. When you have a line out the door, turnover matters. Back in Slovenia bill splitting doesn't exist. To me it's a completely American thing. The best they can do in Slovenia is charge everyone individually for their items, but that's not really bill splitting.

>"A lot of restaurants are won't split bills too many ways because it takes time and impacts table turnover."

How much time time does it really take? Let's compare it to a single check with with cash as the form of payment. Some diner at the table needs to go through the bill and and collect the money or else the bill gets passed around and then everyone antes up their portion, there always come confusion about what something on the check is or who had what. Then you need to collect all the cash and make change for everyone. Then the server needs to settle the check at the register.

Is that really any lengthier than just splitting up the check for individual diners? I am doubting it.

Re: Thanks to Venmo, We Now All Know How Cheap Our Friends Are

#233

Post by [deleted] »

freeflight wrote: post #225
int_19h wrote: post #217

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why not just say "separate bills" at the beginning, so that you get them itemized individually?

I'm asking myself exactly the same thing. I've never "split" a bill, but I've requested separate bills plenty of times and always gotten them, it's nothing out of the ordinary in Germany. Imho it's also the most reasonable approach that doesn't put anybody in an awkward position.

[deleted]

Re: Thanks to Venmo, We Now All Know How Cheap Our Friends Are

#234

Post by bogomipz »

saimiam wrote: post #156
bogomipz wrote: post #154

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>"In my experience, many restaurants have a limit on how many ways they can split the bill," That limit is artificially imposed though isn't? I also think this is mostly an American thing because its perceived as a "hassle" which is ironic because they're being tipped for their "service" in the US. In Sweden I noticed for instance instance you can get a meal with a group of 10 people and at the end of the meal the se…

I only experienced this resistance to splitting bills in New York. Where I live now, largish city in the South, they'll gladly split the bill any which way you want. Same with Midwest cities - no issues splitting.

Indeed I was mostly thinking NYC there but its the same in LA too.

Re: Thanks to Venmo, We Now All Know How Cheap Our Friends Are

#235

Post by abritinthebay »

rc_kas wrote: post #117
extr wrote: post #77

Young millennial male, every single person I know uses Venmo. IMO this article largely misses the point of the app. It's replaced cash/checks is all, it's not some huge social upheaval in the way we use money that needs to be analyzed. In my experience it's rarely used for splitting bills for dinner or picking up bar tabs (I can't remember the last time I went somewhere that wasn't able to split the bill on their end…

"every single person I know uses Venmo" How does that happen. I don't know a single person who uses Venmo. Not one. I know a lot of people and I work in Tech.

Serious question: how old are you?

I’m 37 and probably wouldn’t know anyone using it in my normal social circle except I happen to know a bunch of ~24 yr olds (some younger) via a younger colleague.

Of those you are younger guess how many use Venmo? Every. Single. One.

Not every day, or all the time, but regularly: especially with friends & at weekends. It’s spread so we’ll split lunches at work occasionally with it.

Hell, there are several restaurants in Berkeley that allow you to pay with it because college kids use it so much.

Re: Thanks to Venmo, We Now All Know How Cheap Our Friends Are

#236

Post by cakedoggie »

guiomie wrote: post #40
mabbo wrote: post #17

I think the problem here is expectations. If you went to dinner with a friend, and thought everything was covered but then later received a bill in the mail there's an aspect of unexpected demands in it. If your friend said ahead of time "hey I've got this app that will let us split the bill easily, that okay?" then you'd be expecting it and there's no social transgression. Social norms and expectations are the ficti…

I was shocked by the inability of restaurants (literally their policy) in California to do individual bills. I still can't understand why it's this way... The only reason I used Venmo was for that.

Because it is a time consuming pain to do that, and restaurants don't usually like dealing with cheapskates.

Re: Thanks to Venmo, We Now All Know How Cheap Our Friends Are

#237

Post by abritinthebay »

EliRivers wrote: post #166
extr wrote: post #77

Young millennial male, every single person I know uses Venmo. IMO this article largely misses the point of the app. It's replaced cash/checks is all, it's not some huge social upheaval in the way we use money that needs to be analyzed. In my experience it's rarely used for splitting bills for dinner or picking up bar tabs (I can't remember the last time I went somewhere that wasn't able to split the bill on their end…

Far other end of what often gets labelled "millenial". Hadn't heard of Venmo until this HN thread. I do live in the UK where interbank transfer of cash is almost instant and free of charge, so the need for it is rather less, I suspect.

Yeah, the UK has so much contactless payment and cheap or free transfers that it has, somewhat ironically, limited competition in this sector.

Even things like Google Wallet & Apple Pay seem to be treated with a “but... why?” attitude.

Re: Thanks to Venmo, We Now All Know How Cheap Our Friends Are

#238

Post by notyourwork »

rc_kas wrote: post #117
extr wrote: post #77

Young millennial male, every single person I know uses Venmo. IMO this article largely misses the point of the app. It's replaced cash/checks is all, it's not some huge social upheaval in the way we use money that needs to be analyzed. In my experience it's rarely used for splitting bills for dinner or picking up bar tabs (I can't remember the last time I went somewhere that wasn't able to split the bill on their end…

"every single person I know uses Venmo" How does that happen. I don't know a single person who uses Venmo. Not one. I know a lot of people and I work in Tech.

I'm also in tech and never heard of it until my wife introduced me to it. Her and her friends use it regularly.

Re: Thanks to Venmo, We Now All Know How Cheap Our Friends Are

#239

Post by abritinthebay »

Swizec wrote: post #170
bogomipz wrote: post #154

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>"In my experience, many restaurants have a limit on how many ways they can split the bill," That limit is artificially imposed though isn't? I also think this is mostly an American thing because its perceived as a "hassle" which is ironic because they're being tipped for their "service" in the US. In Sweden I noticed for instance instance you can get a meal with a group of 10 people and at the end of the meal the se…

A lot of restaurants are won't split bills too many ways because it takes time and impacts table turnover. When you have a line out the door, turnover matters. Back in Slovenia bill splitting doesn't exist. To me it's a completely American thing. The best they can do in Slovenia is charge everyone individually for their items, but that's not really bill splitting.

That’s the restaurants excuse but it doesn’t hold up. The couple of minutes spent doing it when places support it is usually replaced with several times longer of diners working out how to handle it amongst each other at the table
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