I think this just further confuses end users and is another reason we should get rid of tipping culture.
Tips are currently serving several purposes in users' minds:
1. earned for great service
2. to make up for lower base pay (tipped min wage is lower in many US states)
3. to help employees who they feel aren't making enough
Now reasons #2 and #3 are no longer true because driers are now fairly (IMHO) compensated through the guaranteed wage. How many users actually know about this?
Sure more money is flowing into the drivers' pockets, but doesn't this just continue to muddle the usage of tips and ultimately cost the consumer more?
Yeah, the change was to force the apps to include a tip option before the food arrived, which users interpret as the "don't spit in my food" option. Of _course_ tips went up when the apps were forced to make this change.
Before the guaranteed wages all the apps had the tip option at checkout.
When NYC enforced a liveable wage, the delivery apps raised holy hell including intrusive popups in the ads telling you how horrible it was for you the innocent consumer, plus added a special extra charge to rub it in.
They ALSO at this time moved the tip to post-checkout which was just an asshole, anti-driver move, explicitly to punish drivers. Tip before checkout was the norm and they changed it in an openly spiteful move.
Even those who like tipping tipped less because now you had to remember to go back to your app to tip. The net effect of the spiteful move was to punish drivers.
Why is tip before the order the norm? That is the question.
Why would you tip before the service is provided if the tip is meant to be for good service? If the tip is no longer a bonus for good service, then what is it for?
This is the confusing part of the entire experience.
If you eat at a restaurant more than once, it's both customary (not "bonus points" but the norm) + a "don't spit it my food" insurance if you return. If I withhold tip I'm never coming back, whereas if the food is just that good I'll grit my teeth and tip.
Driver tips are unrelated. Sure I've felt bad the single-hand-counted times I've gotten "bad service" but the other 97+% of times they do the normal thing: deliver somewhat on time. Just tip before and stop whining.
I am looking forward to the day when food delivery transport robots fully replace human delivery workers, because the robots don't need to be tipped and have zero chance of spitting in my food if I don't tip them.
I was at a sports stadium last month and I went to get a bottle of water - the whole thing was completely automated. I picked up a bottle of water off the shelf, scanned it and presented my card, no human involved.
I usually give a tip because the delivery drivers here are actual teenagers not illegal immigrants.
We all remember doing those jobs so it's societal nostalgia.
I had honestly forgotten about reason #1 as I haven't heard anyone mentioning the service when leaving a tip in decades. IMO that's dying boomer behavior. Everyone understands that tipped workers are universally underpaid, and either tip generously in solidarity (if they are normal or vaguely left wing/liberal) or tip the minimum they can get away with socially or legally (if they misanthropes or right wingers). The tip isn't an optional part of the bill -- withholding it is deliberately underpaying vulnerable workers who probably have little control over their conditions of work (and therefore the level of service) anyway, so it doesn't even work as an incentive. If you don't like this, cook your own food.
When service work is strongly organized and represented we can start talking about changing tipping culture.
What is the evidence that tipped workers are universally underpaid? Compared to who and against what benchmark? In the law passed by the city, the drivers are now very well compensated -- and guaranteed that compensation (something I believe is important).
Because I make significantly more than the guaranteed rate of the delivery driver.
I didn't claim being a delivery driver was so lucrative that I wanted to do it. I just pointed out that they are now being paid a guaranteed wage (which is fairer than "working" for an hour with no predictability on what you will make).
Per the formulation in my post, that puts you in the misanthrope/right winger category, but presumably you are asking because in this case you don't feel that's right as some kind of gotcha.
You could also out avoid situations that require tipping. Like using the grocery store salad bar doesn’t require tipping, so eat lunch there rather than going to a local restaurant.
I avoid fast food places that require tips also, it just seems weird to me. You can choose where to spend your money, it’s not misanthropic to just opt out.
Comments
I think this just further confuses end users and is another reason we should get rid of tipping culture.
Tips are currently serving several purposes in users' minds:
1. earned for great service
2. to make up for lower base pay (tipped min wage is lower in many US states)
3. to help employees who they feel aren't making enough
Now reasons #2 and #3 are no longer true because driers are now fairly (IMHO) compensated through the guaranteed wage. How many users actually know about this?
Sure more money is flowing into the drivers' pockets, but doesn't this just continue to muddle the usage of tips and ultimately cost the consumer more?
Yeah, the change was to force the apps to include a tip option before the food arrived, which users interpret as the "don't spit in my food" option. Of _course_ tips went up when the apps were forced to make this change.
Before the guaranteed wages all the apps had the tip option at checkout.
When NYC enforced a liveable wage, the delivery apps raised holy hell including intrusive popups in the ads telling you how horrible it was for you the innocent consumer, plus added a special extra charge to rub it in.
They ALSO at this time moved the tip to post-checkout which was just an asshole, anti-driver move, explicitly to punish drivers. Tip before checkout was the norm and they changed it in an openly spiteful move.
Even those who like tipping tipped less because now you had to remember to go back to your app to tip. The net effect of the spiteful move was to punish drivers.
Why is tip before the order the norm? That is the question.
Why would you tip before the service is provided if the tip is meant to be for good service? If the tip is no longer a bonus for good service, then what is it for?
This is the confusing part of the entire experience.
Bonus points for tip after the order _is_ the norm in every other context, like in restaurants where it actually makes sense.
If you eat at a restaurant more than once, it's both customary (not "bonus points" but the norm) + a "don't spit it my food" insurance if you return. If I withhold tip I'm never coming back, whereas if the food is just that good I'll grit my teeth and tip.
Driver tips are unrelated. Sure I've felt bad the single-hand-counted times I've gotten "bad service" but the other 97+% of times they do the normal thing: deliver somewhat on time. Just tip before and stop whining.
I am looking forward to the day when food delivery transport robots fully replace human delivery workers, because the robots don't need to be tipped and have zero chance of spitting in my food if I don't tip them.
I was at a sports stadium last month and I went to get a bottle of water - the whole thing was completely automated. I picked up a bottle of water off the shelf, scanned it and presented my card, no human involved.
It still asked for a tip.
I usually give a tip because the delivery drivers here are actual teenagers not illegal immigrants. We all remember doing those jobs so it's societal nostalgia.
How can you tell the difference between "actual teenagers" and "illegal immigrants?"
I had honestly forgotten about reason #1 as I haven't heard anyone mentioning the service when leaving a tip in decades. IMO that's dying boomer behavior. Everyone understands that tipped workers are universally underpaid, and either tip generously in solidarity (if they are normal or vaguely left wing/liberal) or tip the minimum they can get away with socially or legally (if they misanthropes or right wingers). The tip isn't an optional part of the bill -- withholding it is deliberately underpaying vulnerable workers who probably have little control over their conditions of work (and therefore the level of service) anyway, so it doesn't even work as an incentive. If you don't like this, cook your own food.
When service work is strongly organized and represented we can start talking about changing tipping culture.
What is the evidence that tipped workers are universally underpaid? Compared to who and against what benchmark? In the law passed by the city, the drivers are now very well compensated -- and guaranteed that compensation (something I believe is important).
Would you quit your job in order to be a gig delivery driver? If not, why not?
Because I make significantly more than the guaranteed rate of the delivery driver.
I didn't claim being a delivery driver was so lucrative that I wanted to do it. I just pointed out that they are now being paid a guaranteed wage (which is fairer than "working" for an hour with no predictability on what you will make).
I don't tip at all, ever. What are my politics? I'm genuinely curious.
Per the formulation in my post, that puts you in the misanthrope/right winger category, but presumably you are asking because in this case you don't feel that's right as some kind of gotcha.
If you're not from the US maybe not tipping is understandable.
If you are from the US and you don't ever tip, you're an insufferable jerk, on the left or the right.
You could also out avoid situations that require tipping. Like using the grocery store salad bar doesn’t require tipping, so eat lunch there rather than going to a local restaurant.
I avoid fast food places that require tips also, it just seems weird to me. You can choose where to spend your money, it’s not misanthropic to just opt out.