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Why Is Tipping Everywhere You Checkout?

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Re: Why Is Tipping Everywhere You Checkout?

#221

Post by paleotrope »

deadbolt wrote: post #196
Aunche wrote: post #154

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Why cant we just give employees dignity and a fair wage? We do and that's tipped wages. A career waiter in a major American city can make over 100k, which is several times more than what they would make in Europe. Even if you adjust for cost of living and median incomes, it's still going to be much higher. On the low end of the spectrum, tipped wages and untipped wages would be both at minimum wage.

It's not just waiters though, in fact the article specifically uses coffee shop employees as an example. I would be quite surprised if they're clearing 100k, even in a major city.

Coffee shop employees are not Tipped employees. They get minimum wage.

This conflation of actual legally tipped employees (who get a substantially smaller than minimum wage wage) and everyone else is leading to really stupid ideas.

Re: Why Is Tipping Everywhere You Checkout?

#222

Post by Mikeb85 »

benhurmarcel wrote: post #220
Mikeb85 wrote: post #217

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Some (many?) countries have demonstrated that no-tipping can work just fine. Yes, but the reason it's difficult to implement when there was previously a tipping system is the fact that increasing prices to cover labour means a no-tipping place has a higher menu price than a place that encourages tipping. Customers also have less perceived "power" over their dining experience. France for example, (mostly) abolished…

> to this day there's a 15% service charge on your bill in France I can't think of any place that bills service separately. They just say the menu is €20, and you pay €20.

Yes because it's included. Like taxes and things. But it's there.

Re: Why Is Tipping Everywhere You Checkout?

#223

Post by no_wizard »

maerF0x0 wrote: post #203
no_wizard wrote: post #179

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You aren't, I genuinely try to tip well, knowing how stacked things are, and I'm lucky to be in a higher income bracket, but it sucks, and I wish we could end tipping via an outright ban (as to not cause weirdness in the marketplace). I'd rather the prices adjust accordingly, and everyone gets a fair wage. Its so much more transparent. and I think thats really what it is, its a way to obfuscate pricing transparency t…

> You aren't sorry, it's clear. I am not what?

>Maybe I'm an outlier

Rest assured, I don't think you are :)

Re: Why Is Tipping Everywhere You Checkout?

#224

Post by xtracto »

lghh wrote: post #21
sergiotapia wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think it's a US thing. I came from Bolivia and never once tipped anywhere outside of restaurants. No, I won't tip you for packaging 4 cookies in a box at Crumbl Cookies lol.

Not just packaging, it also tips the baker.

Why should the Baker expect to receive alimony?

Re: Why Is Tipping Everywhere You Checkout?

#225

Post by russelldjimmy »

benhurmarcel wrote: post #220
Mikeb85 wrote: post #217

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Some (many?) countries have demonstrated that no-tipping can work just fine. Yes, but the reason it's difficult to implement when there was previously a tipping system is the fact that increasing prices to cover labour means a no-tipping place has a higher menu price than a place that encourages tipping. Customers also have less perceived "power" over their dining experience. France for example, (mostly) abolished…

> to this day there's a 15% service charge on your bill in France I can't think of any place that bills service separately. They just say the menu is €20, and you pay €20.

This happens in India. It’s called a service charge and is usually ~10% of the bill.

* Upper-mid to more expensive restaurants usually keep a service charge.

* Customers have the right to ask it to be removed.

* When there’s no included service charge, some restaurants’ waiters point this out, possibly expecting a tip.

* When there’s no included service charge, and the waiter doesn’t point this out, some customers feel free to leave a tip in cash.

* Some restaurants include a service charge and outright reject tips (politely) - this is rare but it has happened with me. Even when I tried to tip them after hosting a large party.

Re: Why Is Tipping Everywhere You Checkout?

#226

Post by midoridensha »

pcurve wrote: post #127
dheera wrote: post #67

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I live in the US and I HATE tipping. Just multiply all the menu items by 1.15, 1.18, 1.20, or whatever you need to ensure your wait staff is happy, and re-print the menu. Don't make ME have to bust out a calculator and do math after my meal, and then have to decide which of the above numbers I should use.

I always tip 20, but I honestly hate doing it for many reasons. I also hate separate sales tax. Just build it into the menu. I just got back from Portugal. 99% of places took cards. When you are ready to pay the bill, they bring out the portable POS machine, you tap your card, and you're done. No awkward tipping screen. No separate calculation for sales tax. No pressure to buy bottled water or charging of table fee l…

>I just got back from Portugal. 99% of places took cards. When you are ready to pay the bill, they bring out the portable POS machine, you tap your card, and you're done. No awkward tipping screen. No separate calculation for sales tax. No pressure to buy bottled water or charging of table fee like in Italy.

Here in Japan, it's much the same.

After you're done ordering, the server leaves a slip of paper in a special holder on your table with the bill written/printed on it. It's just a total of the things you ordered, which are clearly printed with prices on the menu.

When you're done, you go to the cashier at the front with this paper, and pay. Most places take credit cards, plus various online options (PayPay, LINE Pay, etc.). Many also take Suica/Pasmo cards (the contactless cash cards you use to get on the subway).

Sales tax is included in the price.

Tipping *does not exist*.

Water is free. (It's tap water though, but it's fine. Water quality here is excellent for tap water.)

Table fees (cover charges) I think exist in some places but not in normal restaurants, and they're clearly shown before you sit down.

Japan has more Michelin-star restaurants than anyplace in the world outside of France. Restaurants aren't much more expensive than cooking at home, depending on what you order/make of course.

I honestly don't know why anyone bothers going out to eat in the US any more unless they're rich. It's a complete rip-off.

Re: Why Is Tipping Everywhere You Checkout?

#228

Post by midoridensha »

Larrikin wrote: post #185
xfitm3 wrote: post #110

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Tipping incentivizes good service. When I travel to countries without tips I always have to chase down someone for service..

What country are you referring to? Tipping is considered rude in Japan and the service there is almost always better than the service I get in the US for a comparable job. Some how the country hasn't collapsed and all the hotels, restaurants, bars, etc continue to operate just fine and with good service.

I live in Japan, and this depends completely on your perspective and expectations.

The OP would disagree with you.

In the US, it's normal to have a server hovering around your table, and frequently "checking up" on you to see if you need anything. They frequently will interrupt your conversation to ask you if you're OK. Some people would find this annoying, but Americans like the OP love this kind of service.

In Japan, no one is going to come around to your table to see how you're doing, or to take your order. You need to flag them down: raising your hand, pressing a button on the table, yelling "sumimasen!" etc are all pretty normal.

Also, in Japan the service is extremely professional and courteous. The server will not tell you how their day is going or anything else about their life. Americans don't like this: they want the server to act like their best friend and chit-chat with them for several minutes. Japanese servers will never do this: they take your order and then go do other work.

Overall, the amount of service in a typical Japanese is much less than in America. It's one of the reasons it costs less to eat here. Instead of a huge waitstaff standing around ready to attend to customers, there might be just one server in the whole restaurant, and he also mans the cash register, and does various other things while not doing those. That doesn't happen in America. So of course the hourly labor cost to run a restaurant in America is huge with all these people, whereas in Japan you might only need 2-3 people to run the whole place.

Americans like the OP simply won't be happy with the kind of service offered here. It's minimalist and highly efficient, and not at all "warm" or "friendly" like they're used to in America.

Re: Why Is Tipping Everywhere You Checkout?

#229

Post by lern_too_spel »

zeroonetwothree wrote: post #102
lern_too_spel wrote: post #83

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In California, minimum wage for tipped workers is the same as minimum wage for any other employee. Tips are in addition to the state minimum wage. I have noticed that several checkout systems compute tips after tax instead of pretax, so I always end up computing tip myself anyway.

It's odd that you think it's super important to tip a very specific amount.

It's important that I don't reward liars.

Re: Why Is Tipping Everywhere You Checkout?

#230

Post by Ekaros »

mrguyorama wrote: post #129
RegnisGnaw wrote: post #80

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Really? I own a coffee shop and the employees don't always get 100%. For cash, yes its 100%. For CC they get around 97.8% (I pay 2.2% CC fees).

The CC fees should be paid by the product or service transaction. Maybe it's legal but it's not cool that you are basically charging your employees for the right to get a tip from a credit card transaction you are already processing.

So, instead you should not accept CC and expect the employees being happy with higher take from tips and less tips in general as losing people paying by CC would result?
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