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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

#371

Post by blendergeek »

Analemma_ wrote: post #315
expensive_news wrote: post #275

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Somewhat of a meta-comment but I’m shocked at how many people are complaining about you not taking cash. Has anyone ever walked out of your coffee shop because they only had cash on them? I can’t remember the last time I paid or even saw someone pay cash for anything.

Remember: this is HN, where the bubble effect is strong. On Hacker News, everybody "knows" that Google Search is useless these days and that Amazon results are all counterfeit junk, even though in the real world I have never heard anyone bring this up and these services are still incredibly popular. It's the same thing with cash: I don't think I've seen anyone pay with cash in years. Even the old people at the grocer…

> I don't think I've seen anyone pay with cash in years. Even the old people at the grocery store use chip-and-PIN cards.

I'm not sure where you live. I work in a fast-food place on a college campus. While the students generally use their meal-plans to buy food, the moment we have a "parents' weekend" or similar event, we do a lot of cash.

It is generally poorer people (who don't have access to banks) who have to use cash (or resort to alternative banking systems that charge exorbitant fees).

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

#372

Post by simonebrunozzi »

eslaught wrote: post #323

I recently saw a "3% cost of living" charge at a restaurant (in California). This same restaurant provided suggested tips of 18, 20, and (I think) 25%. At a certain level I think this is just dishonesty. They want to raise prices, but they know some people will stop coming, so they try to hide it in extra fees instead. I don't mind tipping per se, but the hidden fees and tip inflation make me think that if this keeps…

Give them a 10% tip. Write why. It will make them think.

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

#373

Post by rhplus »

As a point of reference, Ross tips $20 on $200 in a nice restaurant, after Rachel’s dad tips “like 4%” in a season 3 episode of Friends:

https://youtu.be/gOxG6HSicwk

So we can say that 15% was more than generous in 1996 according to the NY/LA TV writer set.

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

#374

Post by [deleted] »

zzzeek wrote: post #168
jjav wrote: post #156

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> So...maybe tip in the meantime? Do you tip every employee in every industry that might be making minimum wage?

no, I tip in establishments where the workers are service workers who explicitly asking for tips, as well as for specific transactions where tipping is customary hence expected. note that restaurant workers in the US make less than minimum wage before tips in many cases.

[deleted]

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

#375

Post by Larrikin »

expensive_news wrote: post #275
jacktribe wrote: post #99

I've just opened a coffee shop in Los Angeles last month, and we don't take tips. We only use self-ordering iPads (I've custom coded an iOS app w/ Stripe Terminal for it), and we don't accept cash either. We've had a few customers baffled by the no-tipping policy, and still insisting that they leave a tip. Some even left cash on the counter or on the table. We had to chase a few of them down to return their money. Al…

Somewhat of a meta-comment but I’m shocked at how many people are complaining about you not taking cash. Has anyone ever walked out of your coffee shop because they only had cash on them? I can’t remember the last time I paid or even saw someone pay cash for anything.

Cities are making it illegal, as they should. It's not always meant in bad faith, but it's also a form of gentrification that hurts the poor and unbanked by removing yet another service from them.

https://www.nssh.com/2020/04/philadelphias-ban-on-cashless-s...

I personally never use anything but cards since I have many of the high reward credit cards. But I've also had family members with tax liens or other problems that didn't allow them to get a bank account, that relied on family to pay bills, order things online for them, etc.

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

#376

Post by ugh123 »

ntr-- wrote: post #83

> Tipping is about making sure the people who are performing that service for you are getting paid what they’re owed Here in AU we call that "wages". Having to do quick maths while under social pressure and the threat of having your service quality degraded to make up for an employer or state being unwilling to pay workers enough to live might be called "coercion", but certainly it is externalising costs onto the cus…

> threat of having your service quality degraded

Or even worse, be publicly outed by a waiter online because they didn't agree with the tipped amount (retrieving your full name from the CC receipt). Happens.

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

#377

Post by wyclif »

luxuryballs wrote: post #330
ddyevf635372 wrote: post #306

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There isn't any tip in New Zealand and Australia. Everybody get proper salary. The service is always exceptional. How is that possible?

culture/demographic

It's difficult to explain the cause. You can't really account for it by a simple tipping/no tipping divide. In other countries that don't do tipping, you'll end up wishing they did because the service is so abysmal. You can't get decent service or expect a good waiter or waitress, because nobody is motivated to do the job well.

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

#378

Post by gnicholas »

nerdbert wrote: post #142
bscphil wrote: post #68

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> When I delivered food A "token amount" is pretty reasonable if you take tipping at face value, no? It's supposed to be a reward for good service. Waitstaff engage with you many times over the course of about an hour, and every person at a table receives service. It's fairly reasonable in this case to tip in proportion to the total bill. On the contrary, it's roughly the same amount of work for a delivery driver to…

> It's fairly reasonable in this case to tip in proportion to the total bill. Someone who helps you at a $10/plate restaurant can be just as helpful as the person working at a $200/plate restaurant. Often less annoying, in fact.

I honestly don't know, but do you think the $200/plate restaurant spreads your tips among more people? I would imagine their ratio of tipped workers to patrons would be higher than most restaurants.

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

#379

Post by GenerocUsername »

rhplus wrote: post #373

As a point of reference, Ross tips $20 on $200 in a nice restaurant, after Rachel’s dad tips “like 4%” in a season 3 episode of Friends: https://youtu.be/gOxG6HSicwk So we can say that 15% was more than generous in 1996 according to the NY/LA TV writer set.

Agreed. I remember the days of 10% being standard.

It's the stripe/square payment machines that started offering 18%, 20%, or other.

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

#380

Post by sershe »

I like tipping (high almost regardless of service quality, as long as it's not aggressively bad) to support the workers specifically. I think service workers/low-level contractor crew workers/etc. have one of the highest "people who I admire" x "people who don't get enough money" scores. So it's a small wealth transfer - like taxes, but instead of being completely wasted or given to whoever, the best people get it. Sure you could also try to change the "unfair" world. Or you could just give people money :P
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