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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

#471

Post by spencerflem »

q845712 wrote: post #139
godelski wrote: post #50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Tipping at best is a form of bribery and at worst a feudal practice of wealth transfer. I tip because it is the social norm (and bribery: don't want my food messed with), but I think we can also acknowledge that this practice is weird and has a shaky history.

I think tipping at its very best is an opportunity to give a stranger a small gift. I recognize your points -- sometimes it feels like an obligated payment and probably in nearly all cases the capital owning class could and/or should contribute more, but i think you're excluding some optional perspectives. Sometimes I just want to help someone have a nice day by giving them something they didn't expect, like a genero…

how on earth is this, a back-breakingly empathetic comment, being downvoted

thank you for being reasonable and for having far more patience than I

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

#472

Post by bradwood »

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…

Japan has been doing it like this for years. And it's much better. Pay people properly, and encourage them to be the best they can be (even for jobs that are so-called "unskilled") and then everyone's a winner.

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

#473

Post by andirk »

blendergeek wrote: post #371
Analemma_ wrote: post #315

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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…

A few companies around town here in SF Bay Area started doing cashless and the community saw it as a red flag as it clearly disadvantages certain groups in our community. A couple of those places I frequented took back cashless from said pushback.

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

#474

Post by roncesvalles »

kevin_thibedeau wrote: post #239
pseudo0 wrote: post #205

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Tipping in Canada is extra absurd. The minimum wage for servers and bartenders is the same as for regular workers (eg. $15.50 per hour in Ontario). But thanks to cultural osmosis from the US, 15-25% tips are also expected on top of that.

US tip workers also get full minimum wage. Tip workers who don't meet the minimum wage threshold on total earnings are compensated for the shortfall. The lower tip worker rate is a subsidy to business owners paid for by guilt tripping their customers.

Another way to see it is that the employer steals the first hours_worked*(minimum_wage-actual_wage) dollars from what the employee got in tips.

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

#475

Post by kqr2 »

jacktribe wrote: post #427
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 ).

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.

Guessing it's this: https://awakening.bar/

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

#476

Post by kyleee »

jacktribe wrote: post #427
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 ).

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.

Add some “we don’t accept cash” signs too to be nice to your customers, I’ve seen multiple instances of flustered people getting caught by no cash policies in the last year.

It’s the worst once someone has gone all the way through a tablet/GUI menu and made all their purchase decisions only to be awkwardly thwarted at the payment step. Negative bonus points if there is a line of customers behind the pour soul attempting to use cash

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

#477

Post by oh_sigh »

MuffinFlavored wrote: post #106
godelski wrote: post #30

One thing I've never understood is the argument for tipping. It has always been "because servers are being paid less than minimum wage." Which the issue with that is that that varies state by state. Most west coast states do not have a separate tipped wage[0]. So the question is, why do we tip at all on the west coast[1]? Worse, it seems to be expanding and increasing in size[2] The followup argument is often "well t…

> The followup argument is often "well they are still being under paid." While I can buy this argument, I do not think the solution is tipping The alternative is getting a restaurant to entirely change its identity. Their POS system will always have a spot for tip on a receipt. Their prices are based on the fact that they expect customers to tip the servers at least 15-25%. It's a monumental change. It's not just "pa…

Perhaps we just need a quick break where customers realize that they're paying for the service, one way or another. Your hamburger costing $20 and you leaving $5 is no different from your hamburger costing $25. It's really only the poor tippers who shouldn't want this transition to a fixed wage with the costs added to the food. Currently, they're getting subsidized service from good tippers.

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

#478

Post by doktorhladnjak »

deathanatos wrote: post #435
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…

SF restaurants, when I last lived in CA, were rife with these hidden fees. (The restaurants were upset about a local mandate. I … don't care about your politics? I just want a burger. Be straight about how much that will cost me…)

SF restaurants are the worst about this of anywhere I’ve been. What’s next? A high rent surcharge? Toilet facilities fee? A business income tax reclamation charge?

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

#479

Post by jacktribe »

kyleee wrote: post #476
jacktribe wrote: post #427

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

Add some “we don’t accept cash” signs too to be nice to your customers, I’ve seen multiple instances of flustered people getting caught by no cash policies in the last year. It’s the worst once someone has gone all the way through a tablet/GUI menu and made all their purchase decisions only to be awkwardly thwarted at the payment step. Negative bonus points if there is a line of customers behind the pour soul attempt…

We're waiting on some decals for the front door that say just that.

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

#480

Post by andirk »

parallel wrote: post #405
barbariangrunge wrote: post #241

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I wish you would take cash. Every other method of payment gets tracked and is used to profile people

Is this where cryptocurrencies come in? The convenience of a cashless transaction without the tracking.

I use Bitpay for some small-ish things. For small transactions, though, cash or credit card works best.

Lol the simple mention, and not even favourably, of crypto in an extremely relevant context gets a DVote. It's like mentioning Joe Rogan.

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