Instacart paying 80 cents an hour because worker received a large tip • Hacker News Board

Re: Instacart paying 80 cents an hour because worker received a large tip

#11

Post by standardUser » Tue, Jan 29, 2019, 9:21 PM UTC

This isn't uncommon or new. Many states allow for tips to offset wages, even if wages fall below the minimum wage. Some states even have a separate minimum wage for tipper workers that is below the standard minimum wage.

If you want to blame someone, I suggest looking for the actual culprit and not a law-abiding company. This has little to do with Instacart and everything to do with state wage laws.

Re: Instacart paying 80 cents an hour because worker received a large tip

#12

Post by dan-robertson » Tue, Jan 29, 2019, 9:22 PM UTC

_drimzy wrote: post #4

I don't get it. Should the minimum wage be excluding tips? Edit: I meant shouldn't.

Well typically people give tips under the understanding that they are supplementing the worker’s income, rather than the company’s bottom line

Re: Instacart paying 80 cents an hour because worker received a large tip

#13

Post by steve19 » Tue, Jan 29, 2019, 9:22 PM UTC

_drimzy wrote: post #4

I don't get it. Should the minimum wage be excluding tips? Edit: I meant shouldn't.

If I give you a tip surely it should benefit you. In this case the tip soley benefits instacart.

Re: Instacart paying 80 cents an hour because worker received a large tip

#14

Post by parshimers » Tue, Jan 29, 2019, 9:22 PM UTC

What absolute garbage, it defies the entire point of tipping. Is this even legal? If a restaurant got caught doing this, they would definitely lose many customers or even get run out of business.

Re: Instacart paying 80 cents an hour because worker received a large tip

#15

Post by pjc50 » Tue, Jan 29, 2019, 9:22 PM UTC

steve19 wrote: post #5

This is terrible for the worker and highly deceptive to the client. Surely this is fraud? Collecting tips but not passing it on?

Of course it's illegal to steal tips, but actually enforcing that is another matter. Companies will blatantly build illegal business models. And of course some developer coded this automated tip stealing.

Re: Instacart paying 80 cents an hour because worker received a large tip

#16

Post by kregasaurusrex » Tue, Jan 29, 2019, 9:22 PM UTC

_drimzy wrote: post #4

I don't get it. Should the minimum wage be excluding tips? Edit: I meant shouldn't.

Some states have a minimum wage for tipped employees; where Washington only has a flat minimum wage for both tipped and untipped workers.

Re: Instacart paying 80 cents an hour because worker received a large tip

#17

Post by warp_factor » Tue, Jan 29, 2019, 9:22 PM UTC

people should simply NOT tip. At restaurant maybe because it is socially mandatory, but anywhere else, a signal should be sent that it is stupid and doesn't make any economical sense to tip!

Re: Instacart paying 80 cents an hour because worker received a large tip

#18

Post by _t2kx » Tue, Jan 29, 2019, 9:23 PM UTC

tedivm wrote: post #10

There's a related blog post up on Medium by this same group (Working Washington) where they placed the same order, once with tip and once without, so people could directly compare. From my perspective Instacart is stealing from its customers and workers by doing this. I'm a huge fan of instacart (my fiance and I use it regularly), but this is definitely going to push me away from the platform. At a minimum I'm going…

> From my perspective Instacart is stealing from its customers and workers by doing this.

This is 100% wage theft.

Re: Instacart paying 80 cents an hour because worker received a large tip

#19

Post by pageandrew » Tue, Jan 29, 2019, 9:23 PM UTC

Absolutely terrible practice, and dishonest to both their workers and customers. Shame on Instacart -- never using them again.

Re: Instacart paying 80 cents an hour because worker received a large tip

#20

Post by dymk » Tue, Jan 29, 2019, 9:23 PM UTC

awake wrote: post #2

I used to work for a delivery company with this same pay structure. This is garbage and its taking advantage of young people who are looking for jobs.

Serious question: if somebody knows that a job like this is such a ripoff (even if the rates aren't advertised, you _will_ find out soon enough, if via stories like this), why would somebody take a job like this?