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Casualties of the Cashless Society: Those Who Get Seasonal Tips

nytimes.com

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Re: Casualties of the Cashless Society: Those Who Get Seasonal Tips

#31

Post by jedberg »

tzahola wrote: post #24
jedberg wrote: post #7

I've had this problem from the other side. I haven't been to the bank to withdraw cash in years. Usually I got all the cash I needed by splitting bills with friends, where I paid on the card and got cash, or Chinese New Year money. But since having kids (and the invention of Venmo and its ilk), we've stopped going out with friends and splitting checks and when we do it's all digital, and now I have to give the New Ye…

>Also when I get a haircut they give a big discount for cash “discount” ;) Nice euphemism for tax evasion.

I don't really ask. They advertise it on the window though, so it's not like the IRS would be all that fooled.

Re: Casualties of the Cashless Society: Those Who Get Seasonal Tips

#32

Post by bootcampjs »

tzahola wrote: post #24
jedberg wrote: post #7

I've had this problem from the other side. I haven't been to the bank to withdraw cash in years. Usually I got all the cash I needed by splitting bills with friends, where I paid on the card and got cash, or Chinese New Year money. But since having kids (and the invention of Venmo and its ilk), we've stopped going out with friends and splitting checks and when we do it's all digital, and now I have to give the New Ye…

>Also when I get a haircut they give a big discount for cash “discount” ;) Nice euphemism for tax evasion.

Potentially, although do remember that card processing fees are rather high for small businesses, and every transaction that they don’t have to lose 3% or 5% of or whatever is extra money they can keep.

Re: Casualties of the Cashless Society: Those Who Get Seasonal Tips

#33

Post by c0wb0yc0d3r »

Sangermaine wrote: post #4
betterunix2 wrote: post #2

Maybe we should not have tips? There is no actual need or advantage to giving people tips, and there are plenty of countries where tipping is not common (including some where cash is still favored over electronic payments). Why not just pay people a fair wage that they can live on?

Because that would cost the companies more and they're happy to get away with paying less. It's really not a mystery.

In the US, employees must still be paid minimum wage. Depending on the state, an employer may count tips toward this amount. If an employee reports $0 in tips, the employer must pay them $7.25/hr. While I would like to believe that what you say is true, I find it hard to be true.

I think the bigger issues are at play whether it's is the fact that minimum wages need to be adjusted, a more modern solution is needed to replace minimum wages, whether a job in question is simply suitable for a human to perform (in this case a doorman, they don't really have them where I live so I don't know their purpose), or maybe children (even adults) need to be taught better money management skills.

I personally think that an area for quick improvement would be helping folks with managing their money. Anecdotally, I know people who haven't paid more than the minimum on student loans because they that they will automatically be forgiven in 20 years. On a $40k loan, they have easily squandered away a down payment on a house or money they could have otherwise put in their 401k.

Re: Casualties of the Cashless Society: Those Who Get Seasonal Tips

#34

Post by BrainInAJar »

45h34jh53k4j wrote: post #3

Its time to pay people a living wage, and stop the tipping culture. I hate carrying cash, and It bothers me that I have to carry $1 bills for the tipping extortion. Im resentful that I have to pay for things as well as bribe the workers. Its disgusting.

I too believe the `$15 and a union` slogan.

Companies aren't going to do it out of the good of their hearts

Re: Casualties of the Cashless Society: Those Who Get Seasonal Tips

#35

Post by Feniks »

betterunix2 wrote: post #2

Maybe we should not have tips? There is no actual need or advantage to giving people tips, and there are plenty of countries where tipping is not common (including some where cash is still favored over electronic payments). Why not just pay people a fair wage that they can live on?

Sadly the wonderful American invention of "gig economy" has crossed the Atlantic. Those Deliveroo guys deserve a tip.

Actually getting your hands on cash money is surprisingly hard in my country though, ATMs are rapidly vanishing.

Re: Casualties of the Cashless Society: Those Who Get Seasonal Tips

#36

Post by exhilaration »

yardie wrote: post #20
unethical_ban wrote: post #13

When I was a kid, we tipped the postal worker and several other "service workers" that didn't need it the way food service does. It's just a nice eway of saying "thank you for your work". The purely logical among you will say "That's what a wage is for" but that's not the point. Kind of like how I don't get Christmas gift because I can't afford socks.

And that is fine as long as there is no obligation. But most American restaurants if you don’t tip to the formula they treat you like you’re robbbng them.

Things are different in America - restaurants get a special exemption under labor law [1] that allows them to pay wait staff about 25% of the minimum wage required for all other professions. The social understanding is that patrons are obligated to make up the difference via tips - you have to pay to use their services.

The system sucks but that's how it is, if you don't want to tip then you can always eat at McDonalds or other establishments without wait staff.

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tipped_wage_in_the_United_Stat...

Re: Casualties of the Cashless Society: Those Who Get Seasonal Tips

#37

Post by tomc1985 »

betterunix2 wrote: post #2

Maybe we should not have tips? There is no actual need or advantage to giving people tips, and there are plenty of countries where tipping is not common (including some where cash is still favored over electronic payments). Why not just pay people a fair wage that they can live on?

Maybe we should keep cash and stop trying to kill it? So many think there is no value to a physical, untraceable, my-transaction-is-not-necessarily-logged money, so sad :/

Re: Casualties of the Cashless Society: Those Who Get Seasonal Tips

#38

Post by Simon_says »

arafa wrote: post #25

Tipping is often associated with both corruption and racism: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2012/09/05/study... http://scholarship.sha.cornell.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?artic... I have actually almost entirely stopped using Uber after they made tipping part of the app. I've worked in a place with tipping, and my experience directly corroborates those links.

Tipping is part of Uber now? That was what I liked about it! Did they at least lower the base rate to compensate?

Re: Casualties of the Cashless Society: Those Who Get Seasonal Tips

#39

Post by rhino369 »

betterunix2 wrote: post #2

Maybe we should not have tips? There is no actual need or advantage to giving people tips, and there are plenty of countries where tipping is not common (including some where cash is still favored over electronic payments). Why not just pay people a fair wage that they can live on?

In most of these industries, the "fair wage" is actually less than tips. Or at least they used to be. Ending tipping will hurt them overall.

Just think about how a great a deal tips are for waiters. 10-20% of gross revenue is huge.

Re: Casualties of the Cashless Society: Those Who Get Seasonal Tips

#40

Post by workthrowaway27 »

rhino369 wrote: post #39
betterunix2 wrote: post #2

Maybe we should not have tips? There is no actual need or advantage to giving people tips, and there are plenty of countries where tipping is not common (including some where cash is still favored over electronic payments). Why not just pay people a fair wage that they can live on?

In most of these industries, the "fair wage" is actually less than tips. Or at least they used to be. Ending tipping will hurt them overall. Just think about how a great a deal tips are for waiters. 10-20% of gross revenue is huge.

And they often get under-reported on taxes.
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