Live data from Hacker News

Instacart and DoorDash’s Tip Policies Are Delivering Outrage

nytimes.com

291–300 of 376 posts

Re: Instacart and DoorDash’s Tip Policies Are Delivering Outrage

#291
The thing that's actually terrible is that there's tipping on Instacart in the first place.

Uber didn't used to have tipping, it was added later. I'm not really sure why, it makes the experience as a user worse, I'm not interested in thinking about that, just pay the drivers Uber.

Re: Instacart and DoorDash’s Tip Policies Are Delivering Outrage

#292

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm not missing the point. Ethics isn't negotiable. This is not a place to be cynical. "Just following orders" isn't an acceptable excuse. You either quit or you're complicit. It's pretty straightforward actually. What we're trying to get to is a place where there is some incentive for organizations to do the process you described. At a certain point we're just going to legislate it, so we can wait for that blunt ham…

This sort of process where you shame a group of people into collective action just isn't realistic within the day to day lives of working class people in any society on this planet. Corporate legislation and profit motives are the only real incentives in business, I don't care how much you try to isolate individuals taking part and shame them for complicity. It's not about people capable of making the right choice in…

I'm increasingly convinced that there is no non-coercive way to do it, hence the question: Can anyone think of another way to align incentives other than legislating ethics?

I think the current state was inevitable, assuming there wasn't some coercive legislation preventing it. Even then, would people just go do business somewhere else and continue what they are doing because the new system is just viewed as a cost?

No simple answers.

Re: Instacart and DoorDash’s Tip Policies Are Delivering Outrage

#293
post #257

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I quit tipping on DD as soon as I found this out about a month ago because it'd almost always be less than $4.50, so wouldn't affect the dasher's bottom line anyway. If I start again it'll be cash, but I don't typically carry that in small bills. But I'm pissed . I've been a heavy DD customer for years and I'm an excellent tipper. Apparently I've been offsetting DD's costs for quite awhile now thinking "100% goes to…

In other news, 100% of lottery taxes go to the school system. Strange that we don't see the same outrage for the same shady tricks practiced elsewhere.

Regardless of your feelings on this specific issue, it’s fair to say we can have two problems at once, and one doesn’t diminish the other.

Re: Instacart and DoorDash’s Tip Policies Are Delivering Outrage

#294
I see a class action from customers. They gave a person money and it was stolen by a corporation. It is nothing less then thief. The drivers are not working for them so why should they be providing their base pay. Besides if that is the case, each customer should be providing a 1099 to the drivers based on IRS rules.

Re: Instacart and DoorDash’s Tip Policies Are Delivering Outrage

#295
post #265

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You quit tipping, but you haven't stopped using the service?

They quit tipping through the service, and, if I'm reading correctly, instead zero the tip at checkout, and tip in cash on arrival.

I think he means he can't be that outraged if he's still using them.

Re: Instacart and DoorDash’s Tip Policies Are Delivering Outrage

#296
post #257

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I quit tipping on DD as soon as I found this out about a month ago because it'd almost always be less than $4.50, so wouldn't affect the dasher's bottom line anyway. If I start again it'll be cash, but I don't typically carry that in small bills. But I'm pissed . I've been a heavy DD customer for years and I'm an excellent tipper. Apparently I've been offsetting DD's costs for quite awhile now thinking "100% goes to…

In other news, 100% of lottery taxes go to the school system. Strange that we don't see the same outrage for the same shady tricks practiced elsewhere.

I don’t think the government should be in the lottery business.

Re: Instacart and DoorDash’s Tip Policies Are Delivering Outrage

#297
post #259
post #25

Why doesn't this problem exist when I order something from Amazon? Because there is no absurd idea that I should be tipping the UPS guy or anyone else involved in fulfilling my order. It makes much more sense for InstaCart to simply collect star ratings and offer bonuses for the employees who are going above and beyond. Considering how often the shopper has to call me about replacements, parking outside my building,…

I think tipping someone who delivers food to you is one of the only areas where tipping makes sense.

Why do think this? There are plenty of cultures where tipping is not normal and will in general be refused if you try to tip.

Re: Instacart and DoorDash’s Tip Policies Are Delivering Outrage

#298
post #284

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What if you give a good tip first but then the delivery turns out late?

Complain though whatever feedback mechanism the app gives you. Same thing you’d do if the food didn’t show up at all. On the other hand, what does the driver do if they go above and beyond to give you great service, but then you don’t tip?

With prepayment of tip, we have no idea how the service will be. It would make sense to just roll it into the base cost.

Re: Instacart and DoorDash’s Tip Policies Are Delivering Outrage

#299

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Waiters and waitresses don’t use their own vehicle amd gas to bring me my food, though.

That's not really part of this problem though, as even if they were compensated for gas and insurance for the car, this still applies. Fundamentally, people are outraged because essentially tipping is subsidizing the wages the employer should be paying, and that's the case even with a restaurant. The issue is the tipping system. It's counterintuitive but your "generosity" with a tip, once it becomes standard cultural…

In a restaurant it’s not per transaction so it’s not directly rendering your generosity ineffectual. It’s a matter of degree and convention but not insignificant.

Re: Instacart and DoorDash’s Tip Policies Are Delivering Outrage

#300
post #257

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In other news, 100% of lottery taxes go to the school system. Strange that we don't see the same outrage for the same shady tricks practiced elsewhere.

I don’t think the government should be in the lottery business.

The argument in favor of this generally goes: if there wasn't a government lottery, there would be privately-run lotteries, and attempts to ban lotteries would just push them into the hands of organized crime. At least a government-run lottery will publish honest odds and pay out to winners, which private/criminal lotteries would less reliably do, and that minimizes the harm done by the lottery.

You can apply basically this argument to similar things which the government doesn't do and people typically don't support (like running casinos or selling drugs), though.

Post reply on HN