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Square Terminal

squareup.com

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Re: Square Terminal

#81

Post by atombender »

techsupporter wrote: post #9
bpicolo wrote: post #7

I hope this takes off solely so I can pay with a credit card directly at my table at restaurants instead of having them take it to back of house. Much of Europe has been doing this correctly for a long time now

I'd even be happy if the United States can go one step prior to this and actually have the customer-facing portion of the terminal (the bit with the slot, keypad, and NFC reader) actually face the customer . I'd use tap-to-pay and such far more often if I could reliably use the part of the terminal that's supposed to be for my use and if it said up front if tap and insert are supported. Instead, right now we get this…

I'm on the East Coast, and I find that lots of stores have the user-facing terminals now. Either the are tablets that flip or turn, or they are a permanently outward-facing screen like the Square one. The latter type is definitely preferable.

Re: Square Terminal

#82

Post by lyricalpanda »

MithrilTuxedo wrote: post #50

How is this going to affect how often I get asked to tip? I want to see less tipping, not more. Square seems to be one of the primary offenders in introducing bribery to transactions where I don't really want to rate how much I was pleasured by the personal performance being put on for me. Getting coffee shouldn't be embarrassing, and don't prompt me to tip you before you give me what I'm paying for.

This won't affect it because it's a merchant setting. What you can do though is complain to management and let them know. They can easily turn of tipping or lower the pre-set tip amounts.

Re: Square Terminal

#83

Post by dragonwriter »

spc476 wrote: post #76
bpicolo wrote: post #54

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They DO already in much of Europe. Every single restaurant in Norway operates this way. It's fantastic. You pay and go on your own time and you don't worry about your card getting skimmed. Nothing not to love.

At Chili's (an American chain restaurant) they have these payment devices on each table. I can't stand them. First, they take up space on the table that can get quite crowded with all the plates and glasses that tend to accumulate during the meal. Second, they play constant ads (great, now each table can have a TV! What a wonderful distraction). Third, I've experienced about a third of the time, the device isn't work…

> waitron [1]

Or, if you don't want to sound like you are describing a robot using a term Merriam-Webster describes as “vaguely disparaging” [0], you could use the gender neutral term almost universally used in the industry, “server”.

[0] https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/waitron

Re: Square Terminal

#84

Post by bpicolo »

spc476 wrote: post #76
bpicolo wrote: post #54

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They DO already in much of Europe. Every single restaurant in Norway operates this way. It's fantastic. You pay and go on your own time and you don't worry about your card getting skimmed. Nothing not to love.

At Chili's (an American chain restaurant) they have these payment devices on each table. I can't stand them. First, they take up space on the table that can get quite crowded with all the plates and glasses that tend to accumulate during the meal. Second, they play constant ads (great, now each table can have a TV! What a wonderful distraction). Third, I've experienced about a third of the time, the device isn't work…

In this case, they don't leave it on the table, they're wireless. They bring it to you at the end. It's not the Chilis experience.

Re: Square Terminal

#85

Post by sbr464 »

MithrilTuxedo wrote: post #50

How is this going to affect how often I get asked to tip? I want to see less tipping, not more. Square seems to be one of the primary offenders in introducing bribery to transactions where I don't really want to rate how much I was pleasured by the personal performance being put on for me. Getting coffee shouldn't be embarrassing, and don't prompt me to tip you before you give me what I'm paying for.

Mr. Pink: “I don’t tip”

Re: Square Terminal

#86

Post by sbr464 »

eaurouge wrote: post #51

Any hardware engineer know how one goes about sourcing electronics (IC) for a chip reader? Thinking directly from the manufacturer, I know you can order stuff on AliExpress but I'd prefer to be able to rely on the original chip maker's docs, evaluation kits etc.

I’d be curious in this as well.

Re: Square Terminal

#87

Post by spilk »

peterwwillis wrote: post #60
balls187 wrote: post #52

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's way more convenient. In the US, primarily, you either ask for the bill, you wait until they bring it, you give them your credit card, wait for them to charge it and bring back your card and the copy to sign, then you are free to leave. In the EU, you ask for the bill, they bring you the bill and the credit card machine, and you are charged right there at the table, where you have to sign (because you have an US…

It's embarrassing for Americans because they're squeamish. They have to leave a tip, and if the server is doing the payment right there, you have to actually face them when leaving your embarrassingly inadequate tip. In the American model, payment is processed away from the customer and the bill is left for tip-adding after the server has left, to save the sensitibilities of cheap customers who tip badly.

The ideal solution here is to get rid of tipping, but I don't see that happening in my lifetime.

Re: Square Terminal

#88

Post by spilk »

dandellion wrote: post #63
peterwwillis wrote: post #56

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Tipping helps pay for a worker's living. If tipping didn't exist, the cost would just go back into the base cost of the drink. One way to get out of the embarrassment you feel is to tap the preset tip button and go on with your day. Tipping isn't bribery. If your barista is making your coffee differently based on a tip, they're a bad barista.

As someone from a place where tipping doesn't exist, the whole concept of tipping seems crazy to me.

As someone from a place where you tip just about anything, it is crazy to me as well. I want flat, upfront prices.

Re: Square Terminal

#89

Post by zaksoup »

kmm wrote: post #67
zaksoup wrote: post #61

Earlier quoted context omitted.

One thing to keep in mind is that in many states tipped minimum wage is significantly lower than hourly minimum wage. As low as $2.50 an hour. Tipping is bad for everybody, including the workers involved, but framing tipping as purely a response to “performance” isn’t always the whole story.

In no state is the minimum wage the employee takes home lower than $7.25 an hour. The employer can pay them less only if the tips make up the difference, down to $2.13(!) an hour. Of course, most waiters and servers end up making quite a bit more. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tipped_wage

You’re right that employers must make up the difference by law, and I’m sure that many workers with tipped wages may take home more than their minimum wage equivalent, however that is not the norm, and the tipping wage has significantly worse outcomes than the standard minimum wage. Regardless, my point was that tipping cannot simply be boiled down to “I am being guilted into paying for a performance” and is significantly more nuanced for all involved.

Summary of relevant research: https://www.epi.org/blog/seven-facts-about-tipped-workers-an...

In particular, point 5 from the linked summary makes a strong case that a significant portion of workers making the tipped minimum wage do not receive the difference from their employers.

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