Square Terminal • Hacker News Board

Re: Square Terminal

#61

Post by zaksoup » Thu, Oct 18, 2018, 9:37 PM UTC

Nullabillity wrote: post #58

peterwwillis wrote: post #56

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Tipping helps pay for a worker's living. If tipping didn't exist, the cost would just go back into the base cost of the drink. One way to get out of the embarrassment you feel is to tap the preset tip button and go on with your day. Tipping isn't bribery. If your barista is making your coffee differently based on a tip, they're a bad barista.

> If tipping didn't exist, the cost would just go back into the base cost of the drink. So the advertised cost would actually be the honest that you would pay for the product. What a horrible world that would be!

One thing to keep in mind is that in many states tipped minimum wage is significantly lower than hourly minimum wage. As low as $2.50 an hour. Tipping is bad for everybody, including the workers involved, but framing tipping as purely a response to “performance” isn’t always the whole story.

Re: Square Terminal

#62

Post by dangerboysteve » Thu, Oct 18, 2018, 9:38 PM UTC

bpicolo wrote: post #7

I hope this takes off solely so I can pay with a credit card directly at my table at restaurants instead of having them take it to back of house. Much of Europe has been doing this correctly for a long time now

Many places already have this in the US. They have longer range table side machines or cellular based. These have been around for years. Its up to the establishments to choose the terminal they want to use.

https://merchantservices.chase.com/payment-solutions

Re: Square Terminal

#63

Post by dandellion » Thu, Oct 18, 2018, 9:43 PM UTC

peterwwillis wrote: post #56

MithrilTuxedo wrote: post #50

How is this going to affect how often I get asked to tip? I want to see less tipping, not more. Square seems to be one of the primary offenders in introducing bribery to transactions where I don't really want to rate how much I was pleasured by the personal performance being put on for me. Getting coffee shouldn't be embarrassing, and don't prompt me to tip you before you give me what I'm paying for.

Tipping helps pay for a worker's living. If tipping didn't exist, the cost would just go back into the base cost of the drink. One way to get out of the embarrassment you feel is to tap the preset tip button and go on with your day. Tipping isn't bribery. If your barista is making your coffee differently based on a tip, they're a bad barista.

As someone from a place where tipping doesn't exist, the whole concept of tipping seems crazy to me.

Re: Square Terminal

#64

Post by WC3w6pXxgGd » Thu, Oct 18, 2018, 9:50 PM UTC

peterwwillis wrote: post #56

MithrilTuxedo wrote: post #50

How is this going to affect how often I get asked to tip? I want to see less tipping, not more. Square seems to be one of the primary offenders in introducing bribery to transactions where I don't really want to rate how much I was pleasured by the personal performance being put on for me. Getting coffee shouldn't be embarrassing, and don't prompt me to tip you before you give me what I'm paying for.

Tipping helps pay for a worker's living. If tipping didn't exist, the cost would just go back into the base cost of the drink. One way to get out of the embarrassment you feel is to tap the preset tip button and go on with your day. Tipping isn't bribery. If your barista is making your coffee differently based on a tip, they're a bad barista.

Tipping is 99% of the time guilt-based.

Re: Square Terminal

#65

Post by dsimms » Thu, Oct 18, 2018, 9:56 PM UTC

jumelles wrote: post #20

If this can always process chip cards that quickly, I'm very impressed. Usually it's at least 10 seconds, just standing there staring at the card reader, waiting.

Not just in Terminal, but chip and tap in general:

https://squareup.com/us/en/press/square-makes-payments-even-...

Re: Square Terminal

#66

Post by floatingatoll » Thu, Oct 18, 2018, 10:00 PM UTC

MithrilTuxedo wrote: post #50

How is this going to affect how often I get asked to tip? I want to see less tipping, not more. Square seems to be one of the primary offenders in introducing bribery to transactions where I don't really want to rate how much I was pleasured by the personal performance being put on for me. Getting coffee shouldn't be embarrassing, and don't prompt me to tip you before you give me what I'm paying for.

On many Square instances, when you choose No Tip on the screen, tapping New Sale after it says Done! in the top right will clear the “no tip” indicator. If they go into the transaction history then it’ll show there still, but that takes an admin PIN and is annoying and so no one will.

(I tip, but that’s no excuse for someone else to suffer social pressure.)

Re: Square Terminal

#67

Post by kmm » Thu, Oct 18, 2018, 10:00 PM UTC

zaksoup wrote: post #61

Nullabillity wrote: post #58

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> If tipping didn't exist, the cost would just go back into the base cost of the drink. So the advertised cost would actually be the honest that you would pay for the product. What a horrible world that would be!

One thing to keep in mind is that in many states tipped minimum wage is significantly lower than hourly minimum wage. As low as $2.50 an hour. Tipping is bad for everybody, including the workers involved, but framing tipping as purely a response to “performance” isn’t always the whole story.

In no state is the minimum wage the employee takes home lower than $7.25 an hour. The employer can pay them less only if the tips make up the difference, down to $2.13(!) an hour. Of course, most waiters and servers end up making quite a bit more.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tipped_wage

Re: Square Terminal

#68

Post by floatingatoll » Thu, Oct 18, 2018, 10:05 PM UTC

dawhizkid wrote: post #49

I feel like they should've future-proofed a little more by including a scanner. Scanning QR codes to pay is huge in China (Wechat Pay) and Chase has their own "Chase Pay" app that lets you pay with a QR code as well. Would also presumably enable crypto payments.

CVS Pharmacy recently gave up on a years-long initiative to convince Americans to pay with QR codes. It seems market-appropriate, in light of that total failure, to have reservations about adding camera hardware to a cash register.

Re: Square Terminal

#69

Post by dawhizkid » Thu, Oct 18, 2018, 10:10 PM UTC

floatingatoll wrote: post #68

dawhizkid wrote: post #49

I feel like they should've future-proofed a little more by including a scanner. Scanning QR codes to pay is huge in China (Wechat Pay) and Chase has their own "Chase Pay" app that lets you pay with a QR code as well. Would also presumably enable crypto payments.

CVS Pharmacy recently gave up on a years-long initiative to convince Americans to pay with QR codes. It seems market-appropriate, in light of that total failure, to have reservations about adding camera hardware to a cash register.

AFAIK Starbucks' own app represents a sizable percentage of mobile payments in the U.S. and is QR-code based. I don't think Square should take cues from one random merchant's failure with QR-code payments to decide whether or not it will take off in the future. Also I assume Square has ambitions to expand globally and in doing needs to shake off a western bias when it comes to payments.

Re: Square Terminal

#70

Post by nihonde » Thu, Oct 18, 2018, 10:14 PM UTC

harryh wrote: post #11

bpicolo wrote: post #7

I hope this takes off solely so I can pay with a credit card directly at my table at restaurants instead of having them take it to back of house. Much of Europe has been doing this correctly for a long time now

Speaking as an American, I've always found at-the-table swiping to be kind of strange, at least for higher end meals. It puts the commerce part of the evening a little too front and center for me. Or maybe I'm just not used to it.

I prefer the system in Japan—-pay at a “host station” on the way out. You can leave without needing to flag anyone down.