I had honestly forgotten about reason #1 as I haven't heard anyone mentioning the service when leaving a tip in decades. IMO that's dying boomer behavior. Everyone understands that tipped workers are universally underpaid, and either tip generously in solidarity (if they are normal or vaguely left wing/liberal) or tip the minimum they can get away with socially or legally (if they misanthropes or right wingers). The…
What is the evidence that tipped workers are universally underpaid? Compared to who and against what benchmark? In the law passed by the city, the drivers are now very well compensated -- and guaranteed that compensation (something I believe is important).
Would you quit your job in order to be a gig delivery driver? If not, why not?
I don't tip at all, ever. What are my politics? I'm genuinely curious.
Per the formulation in my post, that puts you in the misanthrope/right winger category, but presumably you are asking because in this case you don't feel that's right as some kind of gotcha.
If you're not from the US maybe not tipping is understandable.
If you are from the US and you don't ever tip, you're an insufferable jerk, on the left or the right.
Per the formulation in my post, that puts you in the misanthrope/right winger category, but presumably you are asking because in this case you don't feel that's right as some kind of gotcha.
If you're not from the US maybe not tipping is understandable. If you are from the US and you don't ever tip, you're an insufferable jerk, on the left or the right.
You could also out avoid situations that require tipping. Like using the grocery store salad bar doesn’t require tipping, so eat lunch there rather than going to a local restaurant.
I avoid fast food places that require tips also, it just seems weird to me. You can choose where to spend your money, it’s not misanthropic to just opt out.
Yeah, the change was to force the apps to include a tip option before the food arrived, which users interpret as the "don't spit in my food" option. Of _course_ tips went up when the apps were forced to make this change.
I am looking forward to the day when food delivery transport robots fully replace human delivery workers, because the robots don't need to be tipped and have zero chance of spitting in my food if I don't tip them.
> don't need to be tipped
I was at a sports stadium last month and I went to get a bottle of water - the whole thing was completely automated. I picked up a bottle of water off the shelf, scanned it and presented my card, no human involved.
Agree 100%. We have reached a point where delivery costs almost match the food costs. It's cheaper for me to drive to the restaurant and pick up the order. Even then the restaurant prompts to leave a tip. I vaguely remember seeing a post on Reddit showing a vending machine asking for a tip.
> It's cheaper for me to drive to the restaurant and pick up the order Of course it is... were you expecting delivery companies to perform magic while humans are required to bring you your food? If a burrito costs $15, it may cost $30 to have it delivered from 20 minutes away; the alternative is 40 minutes of your time and $15. The thesis of delivery companies is that you value 40 minutes of your time more than $15.
You are absolutely right that the delivery services sell the convenience of saving time. The economics of it also suggests that only the rich can truly afford it regularly. That's where the price gauging comes in. In India, it is often cheaper to drive down and get the food yourself because of the business model of the delivery apps. They take a commission from the restaurant (from the billed items) and also charge the consumer a bunch of fees for the delivery (ranging from subscription, platform fees, convenience fees, surge fees, delivery fees etc. etc). This has resulted in restaurants having a two-tier pricing model with the listed price in the delivery apps being way costlier. Just last week I wanted to get some food for some guests, and the total price on the delivery app for it was Rs. 1050, where as the restaurant price was Rs. 770. So even though the delivery price was listed as Rs. 17 for me in the app (as I also pay a subscription fee), in reality I was being charged a total of Rs. 297 (the cost of a car Taxi fare, both ways!).
Yeah, the change was to force the apps to include a tip option before the food arrived, which users interpret as the "don't spit in my food" option. Of _course_ tips went up when the apps were forced to make this change.
Before the guaranteed wages all the apps had the tip option at checkout. When NYC enforced a liveable wage, the delivery apps raised holy hell including intrusive popups in the ads telling you how horrible it was for you the innocent consumer, plus added a special extra charge to rub it in. They ALSO at this time moved the tip to post-checkout which was just an asshole, anti-driver move, explicitly to punish drivers.…
Why is tip before the order the norm? That is the question.
Why would you tip before the service is provided if the tip is meant to be for good service? If the tip is no longer a bonus for good service, then what is it for?
This is the confusing part of the entire experience.
What is the evidence that tipped workers are universally underpaid? Compared to who and against what benchmark? In the law passed by the city, the drivers are now very well compensated -- and guaranteed that compensation (something I believe is important).
Would you quit your job in order to be a gig delivery driver? If not, why not?
Because I make significantly more than the guaranteed rate of the delivery driver.
I didn't claim being a delivery driver was so lucrative that I wanted to do it. I just pointed out that they are now being paid a guaranteed wage (which is fairer than "working" for an hour with no predictability on what you will make).
Before the guaranteed wages all the apps had the tip option at checkout. When NYC enforced a liveable wage, the delivery apps raised holy hell including intrusive popups in the ads telling you how horrible it was for you the innocent consumer, plus added a special extra charge to rub it in. They ALSO at this time moved the tip to post-checkout which was just an asshole, anti-driver move, explicitly to punish drivers.…
Why is tip before the order the norm? That is the question. Why would you tip before the service is provided if the tip is meant to be for good service? If the tip is no longer a bonus for good service, then what is it for? This is the confusing part of the entire experience.
Bonus points for tip after the order _is_ the norm in every other context, like in restaurants where it actually makes sense.