Another similar notion is with credit card payments for convenience items at bakeries, deli, and pizza restaurants. A company called "4shifts" is notorious for telling owners to place a sign on the register "a convenience charge of 3.5% will be added to the sale if you use a credit card". Add the 3.5% plus sales tax which increases the sale by 8% - 12% depending on the state you live in. 4shifts is also used in major stadium venues.
SouthwestAirlines' Meltdown Shows How Corporations Pit Consumers Against Workers
171–180 of 277 posts
Re: SouthwestAirlines' Meltdown Shows How Corporations Pit Consumers Against Workers
#172[deleted]
Re: SouthwestAirlines' Meltdown Shows How Corporations Pit Consumers Against Workers
#173Do people seriously prefer the agent to the app or the waitress to the app? You would rather wait in line or wait to be checked on than do something right away?
The weather affected my holiday travels (not for Southwest.)
I sat at the gate behind 20 other people in line, waiting. I called the support number and tried to use the app while on hold.
The person on the phone managed to snipe a flight that put me home four hours later than my original plans, with a free, unsolicited upgrade to first class. The best the app showed me was a 48 hours delay. Nobody had showed up to help the line of people by the time I was off to find a comfortable seat.
I usually dislike talking to people. When it comes to stressful situations or customizations that aren't cheap (think cars or dining out,) a living, breathing professional is going to be much more useful than an inherently limited screen.
Re: SouthwestAirlines' Meltdown Shows How Corporations Pit Consumers Against Workers
#174Earlier quoted context omitted.
>For some services like Uber Eats/DoorDash I've heard that orders will just sit on a shelf because the tip isn't high enough to entice someone to "claim" that order. Tipping is mandatory if you want to get your food in any reasonable timeframe. Honestly this is great, for two reasons: 1. You're letting the market figure out the right price for delivery service at any given moment, which reduces deadweight loss. For i…
I want food. I don’t want to find the intercept between curves. I don’t want to see how busy or not your workers are. I just want my food. If I don’t get my food, I’m blaming you. I stopped using Seamless and, after GrubHub bought them, Caviar, because of this B.S.
This seems to echo and reinforce a point in the article. The apps aren’t replacing the delivery person they’re replacing the logistics management with you the consumer and letting you be mad at yourself, the driver, the restaurant, and the app in some set of proportions when net the balance of ire should fall on the app for the state of affairs.
Re: SouthwestAirlines' Meltdown Shows How Corporations Pit Consumers Against Workers
#175Earlier quoted context omitted.
It actually used to be 10%. It’s crept upwards for years
I do wonder why it’s creeping upward though given it’s proportional and would increase as prices increase - perhaps it’s a symptom of employers paying even less after controlling for inflation etc. when comparing then vs now
I assume it is at least partly a status symbol thing when going out as a group to eat, especially amongst young people.
Re: SouthwestAirlines' Meltdown Shows How Corporations Pit Consumers Against Workers
#176It’s the same with the tipping that seems almost everywhere these days. Instead of the workers being paid properly by the company the customer gets guilt tripped to tip and when you don’t tip the worker is angry at the customer, not the company.
The problem here is that workers now want to be "paid properly" (what ever that means) and still get tips. There have been restaurants have tried non-tipping models, consumers and staff both hate it. First the highly productive staff often make less under that model (where poor performers make more), consumers hate it because the menu prices increase, and you end up with McD's level customer service where drinks are…
consumers hate it because the menu prices increase, and you end up with McD's level customer service where drinks are never refilled, and service overall degrades
I have one such restaurant near me and I neither hate it nor experience bad service. It's been like this a few years and they're doing fine.
Re: SouthwestAirlines' Meltdown Shows How Corporations Pit Consumers Against Workers
#177It’s the same with the tipping that seems almost everywhere these days. Instead of the workers being paid properly by the company the customer gets guilt tripped to tip and when you don’t tip the worker is angry at the customer, not the company.
On an iPad UI nonetheless
Re: SouthwestAirlines' Meltdown Shows How Corporations Pit Consumers Against Workers
#178Earlier quoted context omitted.
I want food. I don’t want to find the intercept between curves. I don’t want to see how busy or not your workers are. I just want my food. If I don’t get my food, I’m blaming you. I stopped using Seamless and, after GrubHub bought them, Caviar, because of this B.S.
You realize that absent this, you still have the issue of not getting your food? If there are more people wanting deliveries than there are drivers, you'll still be left waiting. This merely gives you more options (eg. "delivery within 10 minutes for $15, delivery within 60 minutes for $5), compared to the alternative of the platform trying to make a one-size-fits-all price for everyone (eg. some sort of surge pricin…
I interpreted them to mean that if they are going to use the app instead of cooking or eating out, they just want to pay to get food. If there is uncertainty about whether the food is coming or not, there is no reason to use the service.
Re: SouthwestAirlines' Meltdown Shows How Corporations Pit Consumers Against Workers
#179It’s the same with the tipping that seems almost everywhere these days. Instead of the workers being paid properly by the company the customer gets guilt tripped to tip and when you don’t tip the worker is angry at the customer, not the company.
The problem here is that workers now want to be "paid properly" (what ever that means) and still get tips. There have been restaurants have tried non-tipping models, consumers and staff both hate it. First the highly productive staff often make less under that model (where poor performers make more), consumers hate it because the menu prices increase, and you end up with McD's level customer service where drinks are…
I hate tipping and the idea of it and now it’s automated with all these payment apps, ie it suggests a figure, is even more stupid. Like the worst service ever and they suggest you pay 15%” so you feel obliged because the poor kid gets paid nothing anyway.
I’ve travelled all over the world and I don’t find the service in America to be that much better honestly.
Re: SouthwestAirlines' Meltdown Shows How Corporations Pit Consumers Against Workers
#180Earlier quoted context omitted.
The simplest way to find out would be to ask the nice person in front of you who's trying to help you.
The base level staff often aren't allowed discretion to do more than "computer says no".
I said it was simple, not guaranteed to work. If it works, it works. If it doesn't, it doesn't. But it's more inclined to work if you tell them that you appreciate their help and that they'd like to contact higher ups about the situation later.