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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

#601

Post by spencerflem »

mikhael28 wrote: post #536
q845712 wrote: post #139

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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…

Cash is a terrible gift. It shows you don't care. The best Christmas gifts were actual things - not an envelope with $60 in it.

But this isn't christmas ... ?

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

#602

Post by kelnos »

mikhael28 wrote: post #520
seanmcdirmid wrote: post #409

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If a place doesn’t accept credit cards, I leave also. I just don’t carry cash anymore. To each their own. They mostly do it for safety reasons. Being a target for being robbed for drug money just gets annoying after awhile. Getting rid of cash gets rid of that risk. They might lose some customers, but losing workers to stress about being robbed is a bigger problem these days.

It also costs money to handle cash. You have to count it at the end of the shift. And store it. And transport it to a bank to deposit it, which takes time ($$) and resources (gas, etc)

I also expect banks charge larger businesses that deal with a lot of cash for the privilege of getting the bank to handle that cash for them.

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

#603

Post by foldr »

jacktribe wrote: post #565
mnky9800n wrote: post #527

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The review feedback program sounds like over engineered nonsense. You get metrics which you think represents customer experience which you can use to evaluate and motivate your employees to act a certain in this coffee fueled skinner box designed to train baristas. But the data won't represent that, the interaction with a barista is only a small fraction of what makes a coffee shop good (first should be good coffee,…

While profit sharing may work as an incentive for shift managers or store managers, in the absence of tips most baristas will expect some other immediate bonus pay, preferably based on a measurable metric that doesn't depend on factors beyond the barista's control, such as cost of goods sold, supply chain constraints, rent hikes, recessions, etc. If you occasionally ask the customer in-app "how was your service today…

If it’s thumbs up/down there’s not going to be a difference between the median and (mean > 0.5).

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

#604

Post by mixmastamyk »

tptacek wrote: post #76
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…

Tipping is a system in which customers explicitly, optionally, and variably share some of the cost of labor. It has the features of allowing individual patrons to modulate the labor subsidy they provide, based on their current price sensitivity, the value they place on warm fuzzies (don't dismiss this!), the relationship they want to build with the business, and the service they perceive themselves to be getting. You…

And managment should be aligned on happy customers if they want to stay in business for long. Maybe I'm missing something else.

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

#605

Post by danenania »

jacktribe wrote: post #481
kqr2 wrote: post #475

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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

Yep. Didn't want to share it because it's embarrassing how taped together that page is, but I had to put something up in an afternoon, because in the absence of a website people were taking photos of the menu on the iPads to take home.

Everything looks delicious. You could polish up the design if you want, but I think it's getting the job done. I'd definitely go if I was nearby after seeing the menu :)

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

#606

Post by conductr »

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…

I’m in process of opening an all you can eat pancake shop and doing the same.

I’m thinking of charging a small ~$x per table fee for bussing tables. Refundable if they self bus. Probably would always refund it unless they wreck the table. Not sure I want to administer it, or if it would be perceived as a punitive thing and get bad reviews. Just an idea I had while coding the self checkout app.

Also, pancakes are made by a robot

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

#607

Post by lmz »

ovao wrote: post #595
bigmattystyles wrote: post #441

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In defense of cashless, there is so much you don’t have to worry about as the business owner; yes the credit companies take a somewhat exhorbitant percentage but you don’t have to worry about having thousands of dollars in cash at the end of the day, don’t have to worry about employees skimming or making mistakes like coming in short. It also automates a ton of the accounting. So there are some benefits.

On the other hand, you have to worry about disputes and chargebacks, of which you can only accumulate so many with your processor, and which also tend to have unfavorable outcomes for merchants. The pros may still outweigh the cons, but it’s not all roses with cards.

Disputes and chargebacks for in person payments especially for food/drinks immediately consumed would be rather rare.

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

#608

Post by TylerE »

conductr wrote: post #606
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…

I’m in process of opening an all you can eat pancake shop and doing the same. I’m thinking of charging a small ~$x per table fee for bussing tables. Refundable if they self bus. Probably would always refund it unless they wreck the table. Not sure I want to administer it, or if it would be perceived as a punitive thing and get bad reviews. Just an idea I had while coding the self checkout app. Also, pancakes are made…

That would definitely mKe me not-a-customer.

There’s a lot more to something BEING clean than LOOKING clean.

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

#609

Post by skrebbel »

jacktribe wrote: post #481
kqr2 wrote: post #475

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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

Yep. Didn't want to share it because it's embarrassing how taped together that page is, but I had to put something up in an afternoon, because in the absence of a website people were taking photos of the menu on the iPads to take home.

Fwiw I really like the current design. If you hadn’t said it was taped together I had assumed that it was purposefully designed like that. It not really brutalist, but adjacent, somehow? That seems fitting for an unconventional coffee shop IMO.

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

#610

Post by teekert »

I can tell from experience if you come from a non-tipping country you can really have some negative experiences before you realize what's going on :)

That said, the "need" for a tip does make the waiter/ress a lot more pro-active and helpful than in my country where waiter/ress's can be cranky even. In the US they introduce themselves ("Hi I'm Jerome, I'm excited to be your waiter today!" Made me smile every time), make sure you are ok, the level of service is pretty high.

We do tip here (Netherlands), but it's more when service was really good. But personnel won't bat an eye when you don't. Of course, we learned from Reservoir Dogs [0] that tipping is basically part of the income in the US. Is that still true? In the Netherlands we generally agree with Mr. Pink, minimum wage is higher here though (I think).

[0]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V4sbYy0WdGQ

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