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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

#421

Post by screamingninja »

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…

Went to this Mexican restaurant yesterday. On the payment handheld device, default selection for tip was 22% with buttons for 20% and 25% and a tiny "custom" button. Making a selection under pressure with the waitress staring at the handheld device was an uncomfortable interaction.

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

#422

Post by TylerE »

oefrha wrote: post #262
akomtu wrote: post #162

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you show the full price with taxes upfront, that's an astonishing level of integrity. One idea is to print qr codes on coffee cups: customers can scan those and leave anonymous feedback later.

> If you show the full price with taxes upfront, that's an astonishing level of integrity. It’s funny, what you see is what you pay doesn’t require an astonishing level of integrity in much (most?) of the world, it’s just standard practice; instead, tacking on hidden fees not on the price tag would be unthinkable.

It’s really complicated in the US because we charge about 4 different kinds of sales tax (federal, state, county, city), and differing rates depending on the type of good, or even the time of year.

So like a chain store can’t include taxes in things like print ads because you could have two locations a few blocks apart that literally have different tax.

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

#423

Post by lxgr »

peterhadlaw wrote: post #232
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…

Please accept cash. We don't need to encourage credit card companies to track our purchases and give them the tools to control who can and cannot do business.

I'm a big fan of card payments myself, but I agree that cash should be accepted universally, until unbanking/underbanking is completely solved and there is a cash-analogous private way to pay.

Besides the accessibility issue, not nearly all activities or situations making somebody want to transact anonymously are illegal (just consider e.g. people in unsafe domestic situations trying to get help/away but not having their own card).

I believe we could strike a pretty good balance with some research, engineering, and product development, avoiding both possibilities for tax evasion and financial crimes on one extreme, and creating a complete financial panopticon on the other.

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

#424

Post by loeg »

simonebrunozzi wrote: post #372
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.

Zero. Don't reward it.

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

#425

Post by jacktribe »

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.

From what I've observed, a tiny fraction have left because of the no-cash policy, probably under 1%. We were expecting 5% to 10% in the first weeks, since customers that walked in for the very first time wouldn't have known of the policy.

From the ones that left, most said they didn't have a card on them at the time and they'd return another time, but we did get a couple of people that did leave because they didn't agree to the policy.

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

#426

Post by ssttoo »

freetime2 wrote: post #218
adam_arthur wrote: post #6

Given that even retail stores have added tipping prompts to their checkouts, I'd say yes. Plus many restaurants with placeholder tip icons that start at 25%+ You also don't know what the tip is really going towards in many cases. In the classic restaurant/waitstaff case you can reasonably expect it to go to the workers, in the random knick knack or general goods stores ??? Tipping in general is a system to transfer w…

> Given that even retail stores have added tipping prompts to their checkouts Really?! Which retail stores?

Few weeks ago facing the tip selection screen at a liquor store here in LA, it clicked for me that this tipping thing has gone too far.

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

#427

Post by jacktribe »

dang wrote: post #216
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…

You should write a longer piece about your coffee shop! and the process behind it. If you do, you should submit it to HN - and if you do that you should email us (hn@ycombinator.com) because we might put it in the second-chance pool ( https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26998308 ).

Will do.

If anyone is in the LA area and wants to check it out, it's Awakening Coffee in Inglewood. I'm there most days since we've just opened and there are many things to be sorted out. Come say hi.

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

#428

Post by unethical_ban »

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.

I go to a bar that is cashless and still see people have to leave because they only had cash (or didn't want to use their card).

To play devil's advocate, credit cards are another way to get tracked, a great way for a duopoly of companies to skim 1-3% off the economy, a way to be analyzed by the merchant, a way to get more explicitly prompted to pay a 20% tip, and more hassle than handing a $5 for a $4.73 coffee and walking off.

"Imagine these magical tokens with monetary value that I could instantly transfer to a merchant without waiting for my bill to come back!"

Going cashless only benefits the owner for not having to deal with counting cash, with potential worker theft, and (slim concern) robbery - things that, depending on the area and the market, are theoretical.

At the same time, I think it's neat that street performers and buskers have QR codes to Venmo. I think everyone should accept everything.

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

#429

Post by deathanatos »

djur wrote: post #215
delta_p_delta_x wrote: post #104

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> don't want my food messed with If someone has the mentality that they are free to spoil your food because they won't get a (good) tip, then they don't deserve to be paid at all , let alone be tipped well. There's a lot of things the US has that are extremely strange, and the tipping culture is amongst them.

You don't bribe someone because you think they deserve a bribe. That's not a bribe, it's a gift.

And a tip isn't a bribe. Thinking tipping someone so they don't sabotage the job they are already being paid to do is, to use the article's words "getting out of hand".

It is not unreasonable for me to expect that you complete the job you are paid to do, for the price we already agreed upon. Period. Tips used to be for good service, circumstances where you know that due to circumstance you're asking a little more of the staff.

Many of the "pickup" order sites I have request a tip. There is literally no service, and I'm not even sure how the quality of the order will be, as I've literally not gotten it.

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

#430

Post by jacktribe »

harrisi wrote: post #229
dang wrote: post #216

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You should write a longer piece about your coffee shop! and the process behind it. If you do, you should submit it to HN - and if you do that you should email us (hn@ycombinator.com) because we might put it in the second-chance pool ( https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26998308 ).

Just wanted to say, please include some technical information if possible. I've spent time with and looked into developing for Clover and set up other POS systems. I've also tutored people pursuing their CS degree while bartending that want to make their own system. I'm very interested in this space since it seems impenetrable. Small businesses can't take too many risks and trying to sell a tailor-made POS seems impo…

We've had a few customers that have shown real interest in the POS system because they are small business owners too, and split their time between the register and everything else they have to do behind the counter.

I've started coding it only 5 days before opening, and it's paired with a kitchen app that shows & prints the orders, recipes, etc. They're both very raw and I'm working on v2 right now.

Definitely a space worth exploring. I understand the needs of bartenders, baristas, etc. a lot better now that I'm behind the counter.

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