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'Coerced into tipping'? How apps are changing the culture of tipping in SF

sfgate.com

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Re: 'Coerced into tipping'? How apps are changing the culture of tipping in SF

#11

Post by edoceo »

tomc1985 wrote: post #5

Where I am there are a lot of restaurants with the Square tablets on a pivot, and what I've noticed is that with fast-food-type places the worker will turn their head away while you enter the tip amount. Or they'll preselect, "no tip" I too am annoyed by the ubiquity of these tip prompts, but the manners haven't changed. (It's been on credit card slips forever.) People shouldn't feel obligated to tip just because, sa…

In many cases the software magically selected 20%, vs a paper receipt which adds 0%

Re: 'Coerced into tipping'? How apps are changing the culture of tipping in SF

#12

Post by jahewson »

maym86 wrote: post #2

Guess what, you still don't have to tip if you don't want to. Your "guilt" is your problem, not a problem with the iPad. Anything that increases the takehome pay of low paid service workers in SF seems fine. It is entirely opt in. An article featuring complaints about some of the lowest paid people in SF getting paid a little more because of a new technology lacks some self awareness.

> Anything that increases the takehome pay of low paid service workers in SF seems fine.

Anything?

Re: 'Coerced into tipping'? How apps are changing the culture of tipping in SF

#13

Post by duxup »

Lots of fast casual places now have a tip on their screens. I always choose 0.

I mean seriously the only interaction I'm having lasted 30 seconds, I'll never see this person again / they won't do anything more for me, no tip needed...

I hate tipping as it is (granted I do tip in non fast casual food situations). I'd rather just the cost be up front.

Re: 'Coerced into tipping'? How apps are changing the culture of tipping in SF

#14

Post by exacube »

blacksqr wrote: post #8

It seems to me that tipping has evolved from an incentive and reward for good service to a form of voluntary workfare where those who have something to spare decide to share with those still struggling in the low end of the service economy.

yes! tipping is like a naturally occuring form of redistrbution of wealth in capitalist countries :) I personally view the evolution of tipping culture as positive on the whole. and also, I think people tend to tip a bit higher if they feel good about the service, so it still incentivizes good service. When I visit Europe, I am reminded how nice the service industry in America is.

Re: 'Coerced into tipping'? How apps are changing the culture of tipping in SF

#16

Post by KyeRussell »

exacube wrote: post #14
blacksqr wrote: post #8

It seems to me that tipping has evolved from an incentive and reward for good service to a form of voluntary workfare where those who have something to spare decide to share with those still struggling in the low end of the service economy.

yes! tipping is like a naturally occuring form of redistrbution of wealth in capitalist countries :) I personally view the evolution of tipping culture as positive on the whole. and also, I think people tend to tip a bit higher if they feel good about the service, so it still incentivizes good service. When I visit Europe, I am reminded how nice the service industry in America is.

Or you could just have a living minimum wage, lol.

Re: 'Coerced into tipping'? How apps are changing the culture of tipping in SF

#17

Post by lbotos »

tomc1985 wrote: post #5

Where I am there are a lot of restaurants with the Square tablets on a pivot, and what I've noticed is that with fast-food-type places the worker will turn their head away while you enter the tip amount. Or they'll preselect, "no tip" I too am annoyed by the ubiquity of these tip prompts, but the manners haven't changed. (It's been on credit card slips forever.) People shouldn't feel obligated to tip just because, sa…

I mean, my fav is NYC cabs where the options start at 20% and go 25%, 30% or custom. Great way to avoid getting 10% tips if that was set as the floor.

Re: 'Coerced into tipping'? How apps are changing the culture of tipping in SF

#18

Post by jaysonelliot »

maym86 wrote: post #2

Guess what, you still don't have to tip if you don't want to. Your "guilt" is your problem, not a problem with the iPad. Anything that increases the takehome pay of low paid service workers in SF seems fine. It is entirely opt in. An article featuring complaints about some of the lowest paid people in SF getting paid a little more because of a new technology lacks some self awareness.

Another way to look at it is that companies are making it easier to underpay their workers by offloading the responsibility for seeing that they're fairly compensated to their customers.

Repeated studies have shown that tipping is inherently discriminatory, with people of color faring worse than, say, conventionally "pretty" blonde women.

In this case, the workers don't even get the one benefit of tipping that wait staff do, namely, cash that can go largely untaxed.

What's happening here is that companies are setting a new normal that lets them not only avoid the cost of employees by calling their workers "independent contractors," they're even avoiding the cost of paying them a fair wage at all.

This isn't about guilt, it's about service workers being hurt by basic concepts like fair and equitable pay, benefits and stability being replaced by a gig economy where their take-home pay is subject to the whims of patrons' moods.

Re: 'Coerced into tipping'? How apps are changing the culture of tipping in SF

#19

Post by smittywerben »

maym86 wrote: post #2

Guess what, you still don't have to tip if you don't want to. Your "guilt" is your problem, not a problem with the iPad. Anything that increases the takehome pay of low paid service workers in SF seems fine. It is entirely opt in. An article featuring complaints about some of the lowest paid people in SF getting paid a little more because of a new technology lacks some self awareness.

> Your guilt is your problem

I'm sorry, who are you?

Re: 'Coerced into tipping'? How apps are changing the culture of tipping in SF

#20

Post by notyourwork »

brian-armstrong wrote: post #15

The tip calculator on these is surprisingly broken in obvious ways. For example, if you order a cup of coffee and merchandise or a bag of beans, it calculates 15% on the entire order. Wtf!

You usually do tip on the full amount right?
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