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How Software in Half of NYC Cabs Generates $5.2M a Year in Extra Tips

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Re: How Software in Half of NYC Cabs Generates $5.2M a Year in Extra Tips

#171

Post by DanBC »

rhino369 wrote: post #165
monksy wrote: post #152

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Are you kidding me? I've had only a handful of bad service experiences in Europe compared to the numerous great ones. The Europeans tend not to keep coming back to your table to ask how you're doing, or if something is wrong. If there is something wrong with the meal they'll come because they're watching/paying attention.

Most people want a waiter to come by because its rude to wave a waiter over. European service sucks.

Personally I loathe the intrusive cloying fake-friendliness of US waiters. I've had a few pretty poor[1] experiences despite not eating out that often in the US.

I have eaten out in the UK considerably more often and had fewer poor experiences.

maybe it's just a cultural thing?

Re: How Software in Half of NYC Cabs Generates $5.2M a Year in Extra Tips

#172

Post by Fuxy »

zach wrote: post #129
lawnchair_larry wrote: post #115

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Back in 2010? You mean this isn't still the case?

Indeed, the entrance of Uber has made taxi rides a market for lemons. The most pleasant and least avaricious drivers are better off within Uber's higher-accountability system. This is nothing specific to SF, either. This kind of nonsense is exactly what dysfunctional markets looks like, and it's everywhere, which is why Uber seems such a breath of fresh air to consumers around the globe. Well, almost everywhere. You…

Japan and the Japanese as a society are very into following the rules and rebellion and standing out is frowned upon so the general MO of Uber wouldn't have worked there.

Given that offering a universal way to book a taxi is the best thing they could have done.

Not to mention by the looks of it taxi cab services there are way ahead of their peers in the US launching their own apps etc.

Re: How Software in Half of NYC Cabs Generates $5.2M a Year in Extra Tips

#173

Post by konstruktor »

acjohnson55 wrote: post #74
jack-r-abbit wrote: post #55

There is a lot of talk about how people who get tips generally get a very low wage to start and if they don't get good tips they make a lot less. The federal minimum wage is $7.25 per hour (effective July 24, 2009).[1] Furthermore, the federal government requires a wage of at least $2.13 per hour be paid to employees that receive at least $30 per month in tips. If wages and tips do not equal the federal minimum wage…

I'm all for changing the absurd system where tipping is practically required for one where a reasonable wage is paid and pre-factored into the cost of the service. But if we all just stopped tipping suddenly, it's the most vulnerable people who bear the brunt until the system adjusts. I think that's pretty morally suspect.

So it is okay to deprive generations of future servers of a guaranteed livable wage, just because the current one will be affected temporarily?

Re: How Software in Half of NYC Cabs Generates $5.2M a Year in Extra Tips

#174

Post by redditmigrant »

maxerickson wrote: post #52
EC1 wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I can't wrap my head around tipping. Why do I have to pay extra? Why doesn't their employer pay them. Can someone explain tipping to me? Because apparently I'm the worst person on the planet for not tipping.

If you walk into a sit down restaurant in the US with a plan not to tip, you are being pretty obnoxious. It's not complicated, tips in that situation aren't extra, they are part of the compensation of the entire staff of the restaurant (the waiters usually tip the bussers and the kitchen...). If you don't like the arrangement, you should refrain from eating in such places.

If it is so necessary and expected just include it in the price of the food. Why leave it to my whims at all? In what other situations(excluding restaurants/cabs) do you routinely part with more money than is legally owed?

Re: How Software in Half of NYC Cabs Generates $5.2M a Year in Extra Tips

#175

Post by epaladin »

zach wrote: post #129
lawnchair_larry wrote: post #115

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Back in 2010? You mean this isn't still the case?

Indeed, the entrance of Uber has made taxi rides a market for lemons. The most pleasant and least avaricious drivers are better off within Uber's higher-accountability system. This is nothing specific to SF, either. This kind of nonsense is exactly what dysfunctional markets looks like, and it's everywhere, which is why Uber seems such a breath of fresh air to consumers around the globe. Well, almost everywhere. You…

Rude service in a taxi in Japan would be somewhat shocking, but they're also comparatively more expensive than most other places. One time I couldn't find a hotel in Tokyo, so I took a taxi- it turned out to be just around the block, but it still cost like $6. But hey, the cars are nice and the white glove thing is always an interesting contrast to NYC.

Re: How Software in Half of NYC Cabs Generates $5.2M a Year in Extra Tips

#176

Post by stevekemp »

rhino369 wrote: post #165
monksy wrote: post #152

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Are you kidding me? I've had only a handful of bad service experiences in Europe compared to the numerous great ones. The Europeans tend not to keep coming back to your table to ask how you're doing, or if something is wrong. If there is something wrong with the meal they'll come because they're watching/paying attention.

Most people want a waiter to come by because its rude to wave a waiter over. European service sucks.

No, most people probably want to eat their meal in peace and quiet.

They don't need a waiter coming over every five minutes - specifically so that you'll remember that and equate it with "attentiveness" and "great service" when it comes to time to tip.

Re: How Software in Half of NYC Cabs Generates $5.2M a Year in Extra Tips

#177

Post by elbear »

dantheman wrote: post #161
ma2rten wrote: post #157

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's even worse in Europe, where a "mandatory tip" is already included in your bill by the time you get it. There is no "mandatory tip" in Europe. It's actually very simple: you pay for a service, the business pays it's employees. How much the employees get payed is not your concern as a customer. You can tip if you received excellent service, but that is totally optional as it should be. In general, the US is a cons…

Europe is not consumer friendly at all. Service is terrible, many places only accept cash, more accept debit cards, most don't accept credit cards. Store hours are terrible.

Where in Europe have you been? The diversity between countries is big and even in the same country you encounter differences.

Re: How Software in Half of NYC Cabs Generates $5.2M a Year in Extra Tips

#178

Post by jmccree »

parennoob wrote: post #121
madeofpalk wrote: post #59

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> guaranteed that they will make at least the federal minimum wage Guaranteed legally, and guaranteed in reality are two different things. If I pay someone to drive me somewhere, it's legally guaranteed that they're licensed driver by the government by the appropriate regulator. But in reality, UberX. I would like to know how often employee's end up following this up with their employer, and how often the employer ma…

This. I come from a culture where tipping implies "reward for good service". But in the US, I always feel that if I tip less than the expected 20%, practically I may be cutting into someone's wages. If they demand the difference, they may end up getting fired by their boss. Does anyone know if these workers are that helpless in practice? Or can they make a single call and get the restaurant owner in trouble if he/she…

It's really not that most restaurants wouldn't make up the wages to the minimum. The minimum wage in most US states is not for most people would call a "living wage, it's around $15k/yr. It's not uncommon in a major city for waiters to be able to pull in $30-60k/year. The thing is that in many place tips are paid out in cash at the end of their shift, so if you don't tip you're literally taking money out of their pocket for that day.

Many paycheck I've seen from most wait staff is less than $20 for two weeks. The employer is required to withhold taxes based on the hours worked and tips reported, so the whole paycheck basically goes to taxes.

As for cases where someone doesn't make enough tips to hit minimum wage, in many places not making enough tips is a sign that the person isn't doing a good enough job. So they won't be fired for "asking for minimum wage", but because "their performance was unsatisfactory".

So yes, in practice most wait staff do live off their tips. Depending on the locale an extra $10 or $100 in tips could be the difference in what their kid eats that night or whether they can make their car payment tomorrow.

(Personal story time: I will always remember helping my mom wait tables at a local diner when I was young and someone tipped $10 on a ~$10 meal and instead of eating hamburger helper that night we got to go out an eat at Long John Silver's.)

Re: How Software in Half of NYC Cabs Generates $5.2M a Year in Extra Tips

#179

Post by jmccree »

madeofpalk wrote: post #41
meowface wrote: post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Waiters in the US make an average of $4.63 and median of $4.00 per hour [1] from their employer in wages. They make the rest of their income in tips. If you don't tip, you're potentially taking a not insignificant chunk out of their pay for the day. In the US, it takes fairly extreme circumstances to not tip (by most people's standards at least; some people just never tip, but they're a tiny group), like if the servi…

Yeah I mean I understand all of that, I just think it's crazy. As a consumer. Vox said it well with "consumers should not be responsible for paying the incomes of a restaurant owner's employees". I find it hilarious how much intelligent and smart people rationalise the US tipping culture. It's always justified as you need to tip because the staff are paid low because they make it up in tips. It's circular reasoning.

Tipping is the original crowd funding.

Re: How Software in Half of NYC Cabs Generates $5.2M a Year in Extra Tips

#180

Post by pestaa »

btian wrote: post #154
monksy wrote: post #150

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why did you even pay at all? He just completely raised the price during the transaction. On top of that, why on earth did you give 20%?

Because you may get murdered if you don't. Better get out of the situation alive

Not really useful answer. I rarely give tips because I don't care about social pressure and most of the time the service is not special anyway.
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