Went out to a couple of places this week. One had a "service charge" of 15%. There was only two of us, so not one of those situations where there was a mandatory tip because of party size. Another was a pick up order and they added 10% to the bill as a tip. This was the first time seeing mandatory tips or service charges on regular dining or pick up. I looked at the bill and just thought "dang, just go ahead and raise food prices already and pay people regular."
This has been going on in DC now for a while. At first it was due to covid, they called it a "recovery fund" and now theyve just abandoned all pretense and are calling it a "service fee"... It's basically the ticketmaster business model of hidden fees creeping out into the restaurant world. There are laws getting thought up right now trying to target this practice, but most places publish these fees on their menu so it's kind of hard to bust them on it. It's just Shady.
Self-checkout machines at cafés, sports stadiums, and airports are asking for tips — and customers aren't happy about giving extra money to machines. The Wall Street Journal reported on the rise of digital, self-checkout kiosks and how customers have responded to tip prompts. Many customers who were asked to tip workers with whom they had no interaction were frustrated with these prompts, per the Journal. The report spoke to a half dozen customers around the US. Though some people were willing to tack on the extra fees, the majority said tip cues were confusing and many said they were unsure where the money was going. One customer, who took a beer from a self-service beer fridge at San Diego's Petco Park, was asked to include a tip on his order, the Journal reported. "I was confused, because it wasn't entirely clear who I was tipping," he told the Journal, adding that he still tipped 20% anyway. A spokesperson for the stadium, which is the home of the San Diego Padres, told the Journal that all tips went to employees. A traveler, who was prompted to include a 10% to 20% tip on a $6 bottle of water at an OTG gift shop in Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey, said that the ask was a "bit of emotional blackmail," per the Journal. The customer did not tip. A spokesperson for OTG told the journal that all tip money collected is pooled and then paid out to the staff members working that particular shift. Tipping has been an increasingly controversial point of debate in the country, with many Americans experiencing "tipping fatigue," as they get asked to tip at more places and face the effects of inflation. Landlords have taken to TikTok to make a case for gratuity to be added onto rent, while the first unionized Apple store in Maryland is fighting for the introduction of a tipping system. That said, customers haven't stopped tipping: Total tips received by full-service restaurants and quick-service restaurants were up 16.5% and 15.86%, respectively, in the fourth quarter of 2022 when compared to the same period in 2021, a spokesperson for the payment platform Block told Insider. This data reflects all tips received and not just from self-service kiosks.
Is it still a thing to tip on the total amount before tax? In Canada at least, whatever the machine prompts (usually 18% or above), it's based on the amount including tax. Our servers all make minimum wage (15.5 an hour where I live)
landlords asking for tips is hilarious to me My man, tip for what? I also read an article talking about how customers feel pressured or shamed into tipping, especially if the worker is right there and can see that u hit “no tip” on the machine. when it comes to tipping someone just for boxing up a to-go order, if the person greets me as I enter and tries to strike up a conversation no matter how small and/or just seems to be in a really good mood, 99% of the time I’ll leave a tip I can’t even imagine leaving a tip at at a self-checkout kiosk, and I’m grateful for self-checkout, especially at HEB where I stroll up with my 20+ items
Since your servers make that much, do you still tip the 18% or do you leave the tip off knowing what they make (even though what they make, isn't great in terms of an annual salary ($15.50/hr with 40 hours 52 weeks a year is just over $32K a year).
I would say the norm was 15%, but somewhere during the pandemic people started tipping more to support the workers. So now the "norm" is inflated to 18%, but I still tip 15% unless I can expense it on my company card in which case I tip 18%.
Will you be going around tipping everyone who isn't making a great salary? Say a customer service agent at walmart when you return things? 15 bucks an hour vs. 2.50 is a big diff no ($5200 a year)? It makes no sense to tip at 15.50.......ESPECIALLY 18%.
Common Bond DRIVE THRU on I-10 and Silber had a tip line on the hand held payment device they handed me at the window. On top of that, the suggested tip recommendations were at 20%, 25% and THIRTY percent! The balls on these people. You get nothing, it's a damn drive thru.
Not personally, I just find it interesting that there's still essentially recommended tipping in Canada and they're already making the $15/hr that folks are saying would be the fix here. I personally think we should get away from tipping, even if it means food prices go up. I honestly don't get the tipping as a % of the total cost because the lady at Arandas might be working just as hard or harder as the person serving at Brenner's.
I guess their motto is go big or go home lol. I've stated it a few times already, but I rather just not eat out anymore than be hassled with tips.
related note, why does bringing a $300 bottle of wine require a bigger tip than $30 dollar one? both are marked up 100% to begin with..
