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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

#581

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As a European living in Canada, the tipping culture took some time to get used to. It's such a stupid/bad system.

In southern Europe, automatic 10% tips are often included. But the server will whisper into your ear that he doesn't see any of those 10%, owner takes it all for herself.

That's the first time I ever heard of that. Maybe you just went to a bad place.

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

#582
post #574
post #561

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I would be concerned about any sort of individual bonus directly linked to the service just rendered. That tends to work against cooperation and creativity and problem solving. Only when you are unencumbered by incentives can you afford to experiment and learn from your mistakes and get better at what you do. (See e.g. Pink's Drive for more details on motivation.) It's especially bad if it's based on some variant of…

The rest of the working world is unencumbered by incentives. They still show up.

Far from it -- many professionals, particularly in sales and finance, have bonuses tied to individual performance metrics. That's just as bad.

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

#583

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…

> Also, some customers seem to think that the screen froze at the very end because it didn't ask for a tip.

That sounds like the end of transaction screen can be improved

Adding a message like "All Done" then "We're a tip free restaurant" go a long way

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

#584

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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…

I saw one of those “mind blown!” sorts of posts on Facebook the other day that I haven’t been able to really reconcile in my head because it both makes sense and doesn’t make sense. The gist was that if everybody is paying with credit cards, $50 will eventually whittle down to $0 because AmEx, et. Al. got $50 worth of fees after so many transactions (accountant pays grocer who pays dentist who pays hygienist who pays…

The $50 in fee is paid to the employee at AmEx (99%+ of it), then the last % is paid into dividends and such, which people will use to buy grocery etc. In that way, the loop closes and why the point doesn’t make sense.

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

#585

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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…

This. I am a legal immigrant and have the papers and job to open an account. Some of my relatives aren't so fortunate so I have opened accounts in my name which they use as theirs. It get convoluted and I would rather I didn't have to do this but you are right it is a form of gentrification.

Even legal immigrants struggle with this. It's hard to open a bank account during your first few months in a country, as you might not fulfill the basic requirements set by banks.

At least it's a serious issue in Germany, especially for Indians whose passport is not accepted by many authentication services.

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

#586

Earlier quoted context omitted.

We had a no tipping restaurant we used to go to and the service was reliably terrible. Hopefully the rating system will work but I’d say you do need some kind of system. On the other hand Chick-fil-A is able to make their employees act friendly. I wonder how they do it. Finally I do wish you’d accept cash just for people that want to preserve their privacy.

Cash will tie up an additional employee behind the counter. One of the reasons we are able to not accept tips and pay fair wages instead, is because we don't need a person at the register. And while you can use that person for other tasks when there is no one in line, they do need to glove up each time they may handle a food item. Also, in LA cash is a safety issue if you plan on staying open late when traffic is low…

Plenty of places have waiters carry around hip bags with cash instead of doing it at the register. It's no less convient than carrying around a card reader.

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

#587

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…

Here I thought it's nice that an American business does not force their employees to be over the top nice all the time to the customers even if they're having a bad day by making their wage depend on it, but then I read the last part...

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

#588
post #540

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I saw one of those “mind blown!” sorts of posts on Facebook the other day that I haven’t been able to really reconcile in my head because it both makes sense and doesn’t make sense. The gist was that if everybody is paying with credit cards, $50 will eventually whittle down to $0 because AmEx, et. Al. got $50 worth of fees after so many transactions (accountant pays grocer who pays dentist who pays hygienist who pays…

This feels plausible but I think it is really nonsense. Processing fees are not unique to cash. Banks charge cash processing fees to businesses too, and have for ever. Most shops will deposit all the cash received at the end of the day - perhaps every few days - with a bank.

Yep, dealing with cash comes with significant costs too. It's a hassle to handle much of it

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

#589
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 ).

I love how one person opened a coffee shop which basically operates like every single coffee shop in the world apart from the US , and you guys need a detailed write up, charts, flow charts, tips for the secret sauce :)

> like every single coffee shop in the world apart from the US

Well, context is important. Right? If someone opened a "tips required" coffee shop in Japan, it could be something to watch and learn from.

I don't generally have a problem with tipping. Still, I would much rather people get paid well, with whatever that cost might be reflected in the price of what you are buying. If, on the other hand, tipping is on the ticket and it is used as an evaluation of the service being provided, the field should be blank by default.

I have tipped way over 15% lots of times. Every time a device tries to force a higher percentage on me, I reduce it because the pattern annoys me.

It is always interesting to travel to places like Japan, where tipping at a restaurant can be offensive.

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

#590
post #460

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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 This sounds like the real problem to solve. It's unacceptable for people to be unable to get a bank account and whatever cards to pay cashless

In Germany a free account is a right, but recent immigrants often struggle because banks require a registered address, a residence permit, or a biometric passport.

A recent immigrant from countries that don't issue biometric passports (like India) might struggle to open a bank account. I had to devote a lot of time to finding loopholes for my readers.

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