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Is tipping getting out of control? Many consumers say yes

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Re: Is tipping getting out of control? Many consumers say yes

#121

Post by thaumasiotes »

godelski wrote: post #30

One thing I've never understood is the argument for tipping. It has always been "because servers are being paid less than minimum wage." Which the issue with that is that that varies state by state. Most west coast states do not have a separate tipped wage[0]. So the question is, why do we tip at all on the west coast[1]? Worse, it seems to be expanding and increasing in size[2] The followup argument is often "well t…

> When I was a kid (some 20 years ago) 10% was common for a standard tip. Now most places have an 18%/20%/25% option on screens. Some even higher! The second image in the article even shows a 30% tip

Restaurant prices generally ran behind inflation; that's why tipping percentages increased.

Re: Is tipping getting out of control? Many consumers say yes

#122

Post by DrThunder »

tkuraku wrote: post #38

I think tipping should be outlawed. The price should be the price. Workers should not be subject to inconsistent pay for the same amount of work. In addition it gets rid of any bias in wages (more attractive people or people of different ethnicities might get higher tips for the same work).

I don't. For sit down restaurants, or many service oriented jobs it makes for a better customer experience. I agree for counter service it where they want tips BEFORE the service experience it makes no sense.

You ought to try sitting down in a restaurant in the EU. They do the bare minimum to serve you.

Tying a possible bonus to the way you act in customer service facing role has a lot of benefits.

"In addition it gets rid of any bias in wages (more attractive people more attractive people" Why are higher wages for a subjectively attractive person a bad thing... Are they not driving better business? Do you think it's somehow more altruistic to provide subjectively uglier individuals the same wage? Bias based on attractiveness is no worse than bias based on personality or any other trait. Your point is moot anyway, in a capitalistic society people can just choose to visit another business where the staff has the traits they desire.

Re: Is tipping getting out of control? Many consumers say yes

#123

Post by ipaddr »

notch656c wrote: post #54
giardia wrote: post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've always done 20% because it's easy to do in my head. Nowadays it's a low tip for those tip prompts and I punch it in manually if I tip at all. When I delivered food my tip spread was funny. Many people wouldn't tip at all, many would just let you keep the change or give you a token amount (~5-10%), and a few people would give you over 50% tips. Not many gave me 15-25%.

Yeah I did food delivery and a sizeable amount didn't tip at all. It also created huge problems picking up food because many of the places people ordered from were full service restaurants, and the workers would purposefully go slow as fuck because they knew they would get no tip as most the food delivery companies don't provision for a tip to the restaraunt people preparing the food for the food delivery guy. A few…

Get a delivery job for the restaurant and none of this happens.

Re: Is tipping getting out of control? Many consumers say yes

#124

Post by purpleblue »

zzzeek wrote: post #71

I can't believe these comments, what is wrong with you people? if you are a highly paid technology worker, when you go to service establishments where people are working hourly and are desperate to work 40-50 hour weeks just to pay their rent and feed their kids, you *tip*. *generously*. the US has an insanely out of control income inequality issue that is very intractible and structural. If you are so fortunate as t…

No. Workers should be paid a fair wage and all prices should be transparent. As well, different types of work deserve different types of pay. End of story.

Your "oh these poor, hopeless blue collar workers that desperately need our help" is just your own classism, looking down on them and making you feel better about yourself by thinking you're helping them survive, like small swimmer fish eating the leftover from the shark that you are.

Re: Is tipping getting out of control? Many consumers say yes

#125

Post by DrThunder »

Fauntleroy wrote: post #55
seizethecheese wrote: post #52

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Nothing should be outlawed unless it causes a reasonable amount of harm. This mostly doesn’t. First, it’s just semantics. Second, you don’t have to buy again.

The tipping system causes harm.

Provide evidence based examples please.

Re: Is tipping getting out of control? Many consumers say yes

#126

Post by undersuit »

exabrial wrote: post #2

Yes. If you business wants to collect a "tip" up front, before services rendered, it's not a tip (Doordash, Instacart, etc). If 100% of the proceeds don't get straight to the employees, but some end up in the pocket of the business, it's not a tip. This last one is going to be to hear, but if you pay your employees below mimimum wage and allow for tips to make up the difference, well..... Always tip, in cash, direct…

I really dislike tipping when I order my pizza deliveries. It doesn't offer me anything over giving the delivery driver a $5 bill.

Re: Is tipping getting out of control? Many consumers say yes

#127

Post by tptacek »

Larrikin wrote: post #112
tptacek wrote: post #90

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Cost sharing isn't charity.

A business that can't stay open when consumers pay the price for their services or goods is absolutely relying on charity donations to stay open.

I don't follow. When you pay for a meal with the tip, you are paying the price for the services and goods.

Re: Is tipping getting out of control? Many consumers say yes

#128

Post by tptacek »

notfromhere wrote: post #118
detaro wrote: post #87

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's not a counter to anything tptacek listed?

You can take it the other way and tip literally every profession.

You can. It's a system that makes more sense for some occupations and less for others, but plenty of occupations besides hospitality are routinely tipped. You tip your hotel housekeepers, don't you?

Re: Is tipping getting out of control? Many consumers say yes

#129

Post by tkuraku »

DrThunder wrote: post #122
tkuraku wrote: post #38

I think tipping should be outlawed. The price should be the price. Workers should not be subject to inconsistent pay for the same amount of work. In addition it gets rid of any bias in wages (more attractive people or people of different ethnicities might get higher tips for the same work).

I don't. For sit down restaurants, or many service oriented jobs it makes for a better customer experience. I agree for counter service it where they want tips BEFORE the service experience it makes no sense. You ought to try sitting down in a restaurant in the EU. They do the bare minimum to serve you. Tying a possible bonus to the way you act in customer service facing role has a lot of benefits. "In addition it ge…

It does not mean better service. For example, no tipping in Japan, but sit down restaurants are perfectly pleasant.

Re: Is tipping getting out of control? Many consumers say yes

#130

Post by purpleblue »

detaro wrote: post #109
purpleblue wrote: post #92

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Most places in the world do not have tipping. The US has tipping because for some reason, the law allows restaurants to pay below minimum wage. I think that tipping should be outlawed and waiters should be paid a wage supported by the market, at least whatever minimum wage is (in California, that's $15.50/hr).

> The US has tipping because for some reason, the law allows restaurants to pay below minimum wage Tipping predates minimum wage laws. (indeed the first laws to ban tipping in the US also predate minimum wage laws, but it clearly didn't stick)

I'm not talking about the history of tipping. I'm talking about why tipping exists right now in the US. It's a form of additional tax on consumers that the restaurants don't have to pay and exploits workers with the promise of tips. Restaurants going below minimum wage should be illegal and if they can't afford to do that, then I'm perfectly okay with them going bankrupt.
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