I see them everywhere. The most insulting one was at sprinkles where I had to place order in the POS myself and the guy was just handing me a box from the shelf right behind him.
The most insulting one I've seen is at a self-serve convenience store in the Newark Airport. There is no staff that you ever interact with. Who does the tip go to? You for ringing yourself up?
I just got self-serve frozen yogurt yesterday, the only service interaction was the cashier telling me to put my cup on a scale and saying my total. What am I tipping for?
Whenever those POS ask for a tip I always click "no tip" and I learned to not worry about what someone else will think. I felt pressured the first time, but I learned that nothing happens if you don't give a tip. I believe those go straight to the owner anyway.
I still have some hangups about when I am in a restaurant and I still do tip as this is still expected. I just stopped going to restaurants, and I only end up there is someone drags me in.
I hate that whole tip cancer culture, which essentially exists to cheat me to think I'm paying less.
A surprising amount of those kiosks straight up abuse tipping culture simply as another form of payment. My wife has worked at two places where the money just goes to the owner and the employee never sees a tip. I’ve also been directly told the number of times that tips don’t go to the employees by the employees.
It also exists to allow restaurant owners to outsource a decent chunk of payroll directly to the customer. Technically it also allows wait staff to make extra money as well.
The reason these payment devices default to asking for a tip (with the option to disable that feature hidden) is that they take a small percentage of every transaction made through them and it goes to the company that made the device.
A few fuckers tried this on me at a restaurant in Greece last year.
The proper reaction is not to click "no tip" then cower in case someone judges you.
The proper reaction is to click "no tip" then get on every fuckin review site you can find and every social media site the restaurant is on, and leave 1-star reviews for spoiling my fucking lunch by begging for money. Put the price I pay on the menu, or fuck off.
I'll tip a max of 10% if I want to. That's generous where I am
Fuck that, your whole point of hospitality is to make me feel comfortable, not uncomfortable.
If you don't do this, you're the reason it still happens.
Incidentally, was back in Greece this year and only got harassed for a tip once. Anecdotal but hey, felt like I made a difference
I lock eyes with the checker as I press "no tip". People get uncomfortable real quick if they try to shame you and you're not ashamed. They should be ashamed because the dirty tactics they use.
This whole system is designed so that the public subsidizes poorly run businesses.
The only way to make it stop is to force such businesses through legislation to pay their employees more, and to do that you have to get past the "but my business will close / but they'll replace us with AI / but the market says..." crowd.
Wasn't there a comic going around about pro-laborer regulations throughout history, like, "giving them two days off each week will kill me," "taking child laborers out of the mines will kill me," "covering up all the giant exposed gears in the facility will kill me," and so on?
In California, restaurants were sneaking in 3% upcharges. They started out as "we're adding 3% to pay the state-mandated health care costs for our employees." It quickly progressed to "we're add 5% to your total bill because fuck you."
California recently mandated that practice illegal and requires all "extra fees" to be reflected in the prices instead.
Multiple restaurants stated (in public... recorded on TV, no less) that they "would lose business if they stopped this practice because then customers would know how much they're paying up front."
I was amazed at their candor. These "entrepreneurs" don't even know how to be embarrassed by their greed anymore.
100%. To be clear, I'm not defending any of those kinds of arguments -- they just make it difficult for these kinds of changes to happen from a practical standpoint.
Companies will replace all workers with AI or other automation regardless of anything happening with wages. It's their only option for the endless growth they claim they need.
That's a weird way to phrase it. Customers are always "subsidizing" businesses by paying for their goods/services. That's how businesses work, whether they're well run or not. What tips do is hide the cost of what you're buying. It was at least possible to calculate it yourself when everyone agreed on the standard 15% and only at places like dine-in restaurants. But that's no longer the case, so how much you're expected to pay is a mystery until you're handed the machine.
I'd hit no tip because I left a tip on the table for the waiter. Fuck the establishment getting a cut of the tip. I understand being in the waiters position though and if they wants to report that on their slip they can. I probably wouldn't tho, I've had managers that told me not to worry about it but don't bring it up with the owner.
At a bagel place I used to go to, the person behind the counter said not to bother leaving a tip on the machine because the owners just took that. I came back the next time with cash and a printout of the law that shows that is considered wage theft and the Department of Labor number to call.
I saw one of these where the restaurant taped over the "no tip" button so you couldn't push it. If you ever encounter that, add a custom tip and punch 0.00
My grandmother taught me to never tip $0 if the service is terrible, because the server will just assume you're a cheap bastard who doesn't tip. Instead, she would tip 2¢, because it sends a message.
My dad did that once, and the waitress followed him out to the parking lot and threw it at him. Which I always thought kind of showed she got the message, but didn't learn the lesson.
I think there's a lot of establishments that forget that tipping is not a mandate. It's a courtesy and it should be based on your level of courtesy to the person that you are hoping to receive courtesy from. For me, no courtesy given, then you're not getting that courtesy. Beyond that, the wait staff needs to be pissed off at the restaurant owner for not paying enough.
Only exception to that rule would be Dick's Last Resort, but their schtick is being rude
As a non-American, sometimes there threads are hilarious.
I mean I get it it's not as simple as we sometimes mockingly make it out to be, but it isa gratuity, meaning something extra on top of a legally required amount.
So yeah, you're very correct it isn't required.
I mean is tipping truly legally mandatory anywhere in the US? I'm sure they could decide to not serve you again, but by law, is tipping truly required anywhere?
50%??? Is this an app for millionaires??? I might leave 30% at a nice restaurant if I got exceptionally great service lol Asking for 50% is basically saying "please don't ever eat here again" lol
I feel like the "/s" isn't enough to express just how much that's Not How This Works, 'cause there are some people who think that actually makes sense.
For those, I'll spell it out: with anything based on a percentage, such as tipping, increases due to inflation are already built in. Inflating the percentage as well is multiplying the increase!
(This is also why "we need to increase the tax rate due to inflation" is also bullshit and any politician who says it is trying to pull one over on the public, by the way.)
I might leave 30% at a nice restaurant if I got exceptionally great service
Some ball fondling? Taint licking? The fuck kind of service warrants a 30%+ tip?! The majority of servers just take your order, bring you your plate and ask if there's anything else you want (often annoyingly so in a pestering manner). If that's your price then I might as well walk the few meters and grab the shit myself. And if it is the type of place where that isn't possible, then that warrants tipping even less so if that service is straight up mandatory.
I usually tip that at restaurants we frequent. Usually ends up being about $10, and it comes with perks like stronger drinks, better seats outside of the normal rotation, getting our drinks and such as we sit down, etc.
If the system is shitty enough to allow negative tips then I would also think it might be shitty enough to do something like treat it as unsigned and add a 4,294,967,196% tip.
There's this nice Chinese restaurant near my place that doesn't take tips. I go there once a week or so for takeout, largely inspired by the fact they don't take tips.
I don't support the idea of tipping. The responsibility shouldn't fall on the consumer to ensure that employees are paid well — that competition is, and should be, between the employer and employee — tipping encourages employers to underpay their employees, thereby artificially reducing their overhead. It makes even less sense when one considers people who set their own rates, eg hair stylists — one should charge what they think their service is worth. If no one is willing to pay the price of the service, then the service isn't worth the price — tips will just end up artificially inflating prices. Furthermore, it just rubs salt in the wound when taxes, ie VAT, are charged after tipping.
Can confirm I work with the setup of Toast on a daily basis, and you can set those default percentages manually. This was most definitely done on purpose, the defaults are not that high.
There is a military bar at the base I work, and currently operated by coworkers until they can hire staff. Their PoS System automatically pops up the tip, and they have to tell us every time that they legally can't accept tips. So yeah, definitely default.
Honestly, I don't think the signature actually does anything. Any of them that require a signature on a pad, I just do a short scribble, and it's fine. If it's a paper receipt (like at a sit-down restaurant), I usually just use my actual signature.
There was a comedy website a good 20 years ago at this point (Zug, if anyone else out there remembers them) where someone tested this by doing more and more ridiculous "signatures" every time to see if anyone called him on it. If memory serves, the closest thing he had to an issue was a store manager chuckling a bit when it devolved to him just straight up drawing dicks.
I don't mind tipping even at casual cafes and stuff because I used to work at a pizza place and the tips helped a lot. But if the LOWEST option is 30% I'm selecting no tip.
I find no need to tip for someone filling a cup of coffee and setting it on the counter. Maybe if they're making some complicated drink but even then...come on
Honestly, when did the "standard" become 20 %?? I was used to the "standard" being 10 %, and then someone went around acting like it was 15, now 20.... people do realise that the tips increase linearly with inflation when you keep the tip percentage constant... right?
The way I see people just panic and hit things without reading is so bizarre. Just breathe. Pause. Read the screen. The line can wait. You are not being a burden on those around you by taking a moment.
I read the screen and panic cause I have to do calculations in my head instead of having a reasonable tip option. Then, I end up tipping too much anyways cause I'm sitting there, staring, and they know I don't want to tip them as much as they want.
It’s done the correct way here. Your tip shouldn’t be based on the price and tax, just the price alone. Some places combine before calculating tip, which is wrong.
I wish it was some. From what I see, it's basically all of them these days. Basically, they already made this the standard, and most people have no clue anymore since they grew up never knowing. I also follow the no alcohol tip either. I tip on the food price and then add in a few more dollars based on how many drinks I got. Drink prices are so high that it would be crazy to add on something like 3 $15 dollar glasses of wine at full tip price. So, instead of like $9, I'll add $3. If it's a mixed drink, I'll add $2 per drink since it at least did require some work. Generally, I never drink out anymore anyway since it's just too expensive to care about it.
My main issue is that the default buttons start at 30%. I usually tip between 10-30% depending on service. With somewhere between 18-20% being standard.
10% be like, you didn't really do a great job but I know they're not paying you enough
15% is like, you did your job and didn't screw up in any major way, but there was nothing notable about the experience.
Around 20% being more like, you did good, thanks!
And 30% is basically for being a mind reader that can predict my every need before I have it. Things like coming by with refills before ours are empty (for things with free refills), getting condiments ready/at the table either before, or while my food arrives, etc. Along with all the "expected" kindnesses and whatnot.
Unless my experience was genuinely negative, i pretty much always leave a tip.
50% is nuts. 30% as a minimum raises a lot of concerns for me, like the person programming the payment system is somehow getting a cut.
Well, I'd argue that if enough people complain to the person and they in turn complain to their boss, something might change.
That's how I've learned to get my boss to improve stuff around the workplace. Whenever I notice something that can be improved I don't say "I think we should do x". I say "clients have been complaining about this, we should do x." He's a lot more receptive when I say that.
In USAland, a tip is an extra pay on top of whatever you paid for, which is supposed to go straight to the worker that served you. They expect tips because their salaries are criminally low and "it makes people work better"
I always apologize to the server when I am checking out and opt for a custom 10% tip or none at all. It is not their fault the company they work for feels it has no responsibility to pay for them. I explain this and sadly shrug. My company is not paying me enough either and I cannot afford to subsidize some other company. They usually smile and nod. It is unfortunate.
Got asked to tip while buying a shirt at a concert. The three percentage options were 5, 10, and 15, so not nearly as crazy as this image, but still, it's kind of ridiculous. I try to rationalize tipping based on if it's a service that I can't perform. I can line up a shirt number with the box it's in and find a size, however I'm not a barber, a barista, or a chef. The percentage I give is based on setting. Standing, 10% or a buck, whichever is greater. Sitting, 20%. Barbers get 30%+.
I'm in the US where 15-20% is customary, so 18% at the top end is pretty low. The system is shit, but I'm not going to impact anyone's livelihood because I disagree with it.
American tipping culture is bullshit. And to start with 30% is just plain stupid.
But not tipping at all is bullshit. I really need the taxfree money to buy drugs to cope with how fucking annoying and disrespectful half of all my guests are.
Id wish to be paid enough to not need tips, but to afford that my boss would have to raise the prices and other venues would snatch the costumers.
Just tip cash (5-15% is enough in most of europe).
I'm wondering how American friends look at paying by card what you owe the restaurant while paying the tip in cash. Even though these slimy tip gadgets are invading Europe en masse, they're still not nearly as ubiquitous as they are in the States. So my question is why isn't it as common to saying you always tip 10% at the register and give the rest in cash so it goes to the server and not into the tip pool?
A waitress can get fired for getting caught withholding a cash tip from a tip pool if they have one. Hell, we even needed to have a law to prevent restuarants from taking the tips for themselves.
I'm from the UK, and while we do have tipping, it's not expected and is usually given as a sign of good service.
With that said, surely there is a market here for some tech bellend to create an app/service that allows you to put a restaurant name in, get an abridged menu, and to replace the prices with "actual" prices if you consider a living wage tip. Provide some breakdowns of how much money goes to the serving staff, put red flags against businesses that pool/steal tips, and rate businesses that provide value for money.
The culture is bad, but one benefit is that at least the money goes to staff - albeit only often serving staff rather and not BOH staff.
Pooling tips is fine, as long as none of the tip pool goes to management. Tipping out the busboys, and BOH is better for everyone at a high end restaurant. Sure it means as a server I didn't get to keep the entirety of the rare large tip that I got, but it also meant I didn't walk out empty handed when I had a night full of stiffs.
If even $0.001 is going to management, however, that is stealing tips.
This sort of stuff gets me to leave cash and walk away. This note is legal tender for ALL DEBTS public and private. If they wanted to enforce credit cards only, then they should have charged up front. Bye.
Man, you're not gonna like visiting The Netherlands, where cash is quite commonly not accepted in favour of exclusively debitcards (AmEx and the likes are often not accepted since they're far too expensive).
I know you’re being cheeky (and probably do always pay in cash) but businesses can actually choose to not accept the paper. I looked this up years ago wondering how airlines could force the issue of “CCs only.” Apparently being legal tender doesn’t mean companies are forced to accept it- which makes sense I guess. You just have to use legal currency (e.g., USD).
I never tipped unless out at a restaurant and I received friendly service.. but somehow I felt guilty or something when I wouldn't tip the pizza delivery guy. Even though he was from the pizza place itself.. (before doordash and stuff)
Years later I started noticing outwardly hostile behaviour if I didn't tip. Bah.
I hate the look you get when you don't do it. Which is my issue. My own. I know lots probably feel the same. I'm definitely trying to overcome that nonsense.
Tipping pizza delivery drivers is customary, and has been ever since I've been alive. They make around as much as wait staff in base-pay (minimum wage or less, depending on the state), and have to pay for their own car, gas, maintenance, etc. So, they depend on tips to survive. It's stupid and exploitative, but that's the way she goes.
The new design would be hide the no tip behind some button. Here is my idea.
do not show no tip.
add a button "I am not satisfied with the service".
when user click "I am not satisfied with the service", make user answer 2 questions, each must more than 10 words explaining the situation.
add the tickbox "i will withhold my 10% tip due to bad service " default untick. (Guess what, you automatically tip 10% if you don't tick.).
In the process, make currently serving staff publicly apologising for giving unsatisfied service. (Make sure customer who stay in line behind the dude see that).
I live in Holland and basically only tip a small amount (like 10%) and only at restaurants. Maybe if it rains when my food is being delivered too.
Anyway.
I'm currently on business travel and happy to tip since its money from my soulless corporate employer. It's going to be a real struggle when I'm on vacation in the US though. 😆