How Software in Half of NYC Cabs Generates $5.2M a Year in Extra Tips • Hacker News Board

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

#31

Post by infinotize » Tue, Jan 06, 2015, 12:05 AM UTC

madeofpalk wrote: post #28

infinotize wrote: post #22

I thought this was a pretty blatant cheap trick the first time I saw it (similar to restaurants putting tip calculations on bills from 18-25% (which are usually post-tax no less!!)) and on the occasion I am in a cab always punch in "Other," or best option pay cash. Automatic deduction for cabbies who often tip themselves and hand you less change without asking - give me my change in full and I'll tip you, thanks. To…

> less than 15% requires the server to be noticably rude or inattentive. As an Australian, in a country that doesn't have a culture of tipping, I find it very amusing that you would tip a server who was noticably rude. Edit: For context as well, tipping is on the rise up in Australia, but only at classier/fancier/modern/hipster places, and the extent of a tip would be to round up to nearest $10 (or note, if paying ca…

See also above poster who feels 20% is not a high tip! To be fair most tipped workers do not make enough without tips and are allowed to be paid well under the minimum wage if they work in a tipping industry, so by not tipping at all you are really screwing them over.

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

#32

Post by meowface » Tue, Jan 06, 2015, 12:05 AM UTC

madeofpalk wrote: post #28

infinotize wrote: post #22

I thought this was a pretty blatant cheap trick the first time I saw it (similar to restaurants putting tip calculations on bills from 18-25% (which are usually post-tax no less!!)) and on the occasion I am in a cab always punch in "Other," or best option pay cash. Automatic deduction for cabbies who often tip themselves and hand you less change without asking - give me my change in full and I'll tip you, thanks. To…

> less than 15% requires the server to be noticably rude or inattentive. As an Australian, in a country that doesn't have a culture of tipping, I find it very amusing that you would tip a server who was noticably rude. Edit: For context as well, tipping is on the rise up in Australia, but only at classier/fancier/modern/hipster places, and the extent of a tip would be to round up to nearest $10 (or note, if paying ca…

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 service was extremely bad or the waiter was insulting or hostile.

Employers are legally required to chip in if the employee doesn't make minimum wage for a pay period, so it's not completely insane, but it's still a rather weird system.

[1] http://www.payscale.com/research/US/Job=Waiter%2FWaitress/Ho...

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

#33

Post by bobbles » Tue, Jan 06, 2015, 12:07 AM UTC

madeofpalk wrote: post #28

infinotize wrote: post #22

I thought this was a pretty blatant cheap trick the first time I saw it (similar to restaurants putting tip calculations on bills from 18-25% (which are usually post-tax no less!!)) and on the occasion I am in a cab always punch in "Other," or best option pay cash. Automatic deduction for cabbies who often tip themselves and hand you less change without asking - give me my change in full and I'll tip you, thanks. To…

> less than 15% requires the server to be noticably rude or inattentive. As an Australian, in a country that doesn't have a culture of tipping, I find it very amusing that you would tip a server who was noticably rude. Edit: For context as well, tipping is on the rise up in Australia, but only at classier/fancier/modern/hipster places, and the extent of a tip would be to round up to nearest $10 (or note, if paying ca…

Yeah and a cabbie not giving full change is seen as 'tipping himself' rather than.. you know.. stealing?

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

#34

Post by bunderbunder » Tue, Jan 06, 2015, 12:13 AM UTC

madeofpalk wrote: post #28

infinotize wrote: post #22

I thought this was a pretty blatant cheap trick the first time I saw it (similar to restaurants putting tip calculations on bills from 18-25% (which are usually post-tax no less!!)) and on the occasion I am in a cab always punch in "Other," or best option pay cash. Automatic deduction for cabbies who often tip themselves and hand you less change without asking - give me my change in full and I'll tip you, thanks. To…

> less than 15% requires the server to be noticably rude or inattentive. As an Australian, in a country that doesn't have a culture of tipping, I find it very amusing that you would tip a server who was noticably rude. Edit: For context as well, tipping is on the rise up in Australia, but only at classier/fancier/modern/hipster places, and the extent of a tip would be to round up to nearest $10 (or note, if paying ca…

Tipping in the USA goes something beyond just being culture. We've even got it ingrained into our laws. Minimum wage for servers is barely nominal, and much less than what anyone else in the restaurant is making. It's expected that customer tips will form the bulk of their earnings. So if you believe that people deserve to be paid a living wage for their time even when they're not at their best, the status quo places the onus to make sure that happens on you.

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

#35

Post by girvo » Tue, Jan 06, 2015, 12:14 AM UTC

DanBC wrote: post #27

infinotize wrote: post #22

I thought this was a pretty blatant cheap trick the first time I saw it (similar to restaurants putting tip calculations on bills from 18-25% (which are usually post-tax no less!!)) and on the occasion I am in a cab always punch in "Other," or best option pay cash. Automatic deduction for cabbies who often tip themselves and hand you less change without asking - give me my change in full and I'll tip you, thanks. To…

> keeping the doors locked and asking where you are going before letting you in, which is illegal) Just out of interest: do you ever report those cabs?

Different country, I'm in Australia, but I've reported many cabs for breaking various rules (and laws) as well as being outright hostile. I have an intense dislike of our cab duopoly in Brisbane, but to both of the companies' credit, they appreciated the heads-up when it came to dangerous, rude or illegal drivers. I highly recommend others report cabbies who break the rules, as if we don't they will never improve.

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

#36

Post by jonesdc » Tue, Jan 06, 2015, 12:14 AM UTC

meowface wrote: post #32

madeofpalk wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> less than 15% requires the server to be noticably rude or inattentive. As an Australian, in a country that doesn't have a culture of tipping, I find it very amusing that you would tip a server who was noticably rude. Edit: For context as well, tipping is on the rise up in Australia, but only at classier/fancier/modern/hipster places, and the extent of a tip would be to round up to nearest $10 (or note, if paying ca…

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…

At first I thought your comment may have been flawed but you clearly recognized that the restaurant owner must cover the pay difference.

How is the average/median less than the federally mandated minimum wage law? Could the waiters themselves be under reporting tips?

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

#37

Post by infinotize » Tue, Jan 06, 2015, 12:14 AM UTC

DanBC wrote: post #27

infinotize wrote: post #22

I thought this was a pretty blatant cheap trick the first time I saw it (similar to restaurants putting tip calculations on bills from 18-25% (which are usually post-tax no less!!)) and on the occasion I am in a cab always punch in "Other," or best option pay cash. Automatic deduction for cabbies who often tip themselves and hand you less change without asking - give me my change in full and I'll tip you, thanks. To…

> keeping the doors locked and asking where you are going before letting you in, which is illegal) Just out of interest: do you ever report those cabs?

I never have in maybe half a dozen times, but if I and more people did it would happen less. I believe the consequences to the driver are quite steep. Usually if you are refused and not in the cab yet the driver won't stick around for you to get a good look at the plate/medallion/driver info. Another anecdote: I had a cab passenger open their door into my car once and while chatting with said passenger the driver (who saw what had happened) sped off as soon as the door was shut.

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

#38

Post by EC1 » Tue, Jan 06, 2015, 12:14 AM UTC

crmd wrote: post #25

infinotize wrote: post #22

I thought this was a pretty blatant cheap trick the first time I saw it (similar to restaurants putting tip calculations on bills from 18-25% (which are usually post-tax no less!!)) and on the occasion I am in a cab always punch in "Other," or best option pay cash. Automatic deduction for cabbies who often tip themselves and hand you less change without asking - give me my change in full and I'll tip you, thanks. To…

>I won't default to a high tip for average service just because other people are doing it. 30% and up is a high tip. 20% is not. Life is short. Be the guy/gal who puts smiles on strangers faces. You can do this by taking care of service staff.

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.

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

#39

Post by infinotize » Tue, Jan 06, 2015, 12:17 AM UTC

bobbles wrote: post #33

madeofpalk wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> less than 15% requires the server to be noticably rude or inattentive. As an Australian, in a country that doesn't have a culture of tipping, I find it very amusing that you would tip a server who was noticably rude. Edit: For context as well, tipping is on the rise up in Australia, but only at classier/fancier/modern/hipster places, and the extent of a tip would be to round up to nearest $10 (or note, if paying ca…

Yeah and a cabbie not giving full change is seen as 'tipping himself' rather than.. you know.. stealing?

It is stealing but it gets lumped into the "things that happen in NYC that screw you over" category where you lose patience over in taking more seriously past getting your own money back.

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

#40

Post by ihaveajob » Tue, Jan 06, 2015, 12:18 AM UTC

conductr wrote: post #19

monksy wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

But it's the norm and expectation. Theres a reason why the post tax total is the biggest number on the check. (Other than thats how much you owe)

Agree. It is the norm. All restaurants, the most common places to tip, do this too. If they calculate/print suggested tip amounts they use post tax and also if you trigger a gratuity included they use post tax. To be far, I think most people use post tax when calculating tip in their head too.

One thing I hear a lot is to just double the sales tax. Around CA, when it was around 7.5%, it added up to a nice 15%. Since they recently increased sales taxes to about 8.5-9% depending on the city, it doesn't work that way. Or yes, if you account for tip inflation.