Tipflation

[walt34]

It's still the norm in the UK.

I believe 10% is the still the norm in many countries where waiters get paid a living wage by their employer and the tip is just an appreciation for excellent service.

 

[tony67]

It's still the norm in the UK.

ford family

Right, but servers are paid a decent base wage - still I suspect they make a lot more here.

(I know I've said much of this already)
Here it really depends on the market... The hourly minimum wage for tipped employees ranges from 2.13 to 15.75 (those are 2023 numbers - some are higher now)

The reality is (at least in my area) the tipped minimum wage is around 6.50, But they are paying 17 and hour +tips at most places since they cant get people. They also put up with an awful lot, people who disappear for a week without notice, people who are late every single day, people who had attitudes. On top of that, many places give a free drink and a credit up to $20 for food every day - so you get your meal and a drink. On really busy nights they may have several drinks after the shift.

The problem here, and I sound like a broken record, we are basically paying double. So they are getting above minimum wage pay and 20%+ tips. Higher minimum wage = higher prices or reduced food quality.
BTW: I know lots of folks making six figures. Is it hard work yes. Is it sustainable, IDK.

Would I do it, probably not. Is it tempting, yeah. To be fair they almost never get any benefits, so no 401k no PTO no health insurance. When they go on unemployment they are only paid based on what they declared to the IRS.
When they get Social Security it is also based on what they declared.

Also when you are making that kind of money, mostly in cash, its easy to waste it.

 

[tony67]

I believe 10% is the still the norm in many countries where waiters get paid a living wage by their employer and the tip is just an appreciation for excellent service.

Lots of places are less than that. You round up. So if you bill is 57.75 you might say 59 or 60 when you tap and pay.

 

[walt34]

Lots of places are less than that. You round up. So if you bill is 57.75 you might say 59 or 60 when you tap and pay.

Sure, as I said, in many places it's an appreciation for excellent service and thus not required at all. In Italy, the expectation has slowly increased towards 5-10% over the last decades (especially in areas frequented by tourists), in Germany it is currently going down (because people are annoyed about high food prices).
Apart from places, where you'd be insulting the waiter (Japan), 10% is still a good orientation when travelling. And then there is the US....

 

[tony67]

Sure, as I said, in many places it's an appreciation for excellent service and thus not required at all. In Italy, the expectation has slowly increased towards 5-10% over the last decades (especially in areas frequented by tourists), in Germany it is currently going down (because people are annoyed about high food prices).
Apart from places, where you'd be insulting the waiter (Japan), 10% is still a good orientation when travelling. And then there is the US....

True, but best to check the local customs though. Locals (not the waiter) get really upset when you tip too much. It messes it up for them.

 

[Kennywood]

Customers Furious as Self-Checkout Machines Ask for Tip​

Tipping at the checkout is nothing new for American shoppers. If you see a touch-screen device at checkout, you can pretty much bet money on being asked if you’d like to leave a tip.

But customers are now being prompted to tip, even if they have had zero interaction with an employee.

It appears that shoppers aren’t free from tipping pressures, even if they’ve done all the work themselves. Tipping screens are becoming a common part of using self-checkout machines.

An article from the Wall Street Journal noted that customers who ring themselves up, bag their own goods and pay without ever interacting with a human staff member are encountering on-screen prompts to tip.

Self-checkout machines are everywhere. Whether you're at a grocery store, coffee shop, airport, movie theater, or stadium, you’ll probably see an unstaffed self-service machine you can use to complete your purchase and pay for your goods.

Per the Wall Street Journal article, many consumers are being inundated with prompts to leave a 20% tip when using these machines. These prompts leave people feeling emotionally blackmail

To many, the idea of leaving a tip at a self-checkout machine is completely contrary to the reasons for having these machines in the first place. These automated checkouts serve to replace service staff.

By having them, businesses cut labor costs. The question then becomes, what is the point of asking for a tip and, more importantly, where is this tip going?

Tipping screens at checkouts leave people feeling pressured to tip when they normally wouldn’t have, even if an employee has done little to nothing to assist a customer.

According to a survey by PlayUSA, 51% of people had given a tip when an iPad asked them to, and 54% feel pressured to tip when the employee turns the iPad away.

There has been a proliferation of tipping screens recently and a fast acceleration of prompts for people to leave a tip.

The adoption of digital payment systems across virtually every sector has made it extremely easy for businesses to include a tip request screen as a standard part of a transaction process. 45% of respondents to the PlayUSA survey said they feel they’ve been tipping more over the last few years due to more businesses asking for a tip during checkout.

Tipping screens pre-date the COVID-19 pandemic, but experts believe tipping behaviors during the pandemic may have contributed to this widespread growth of tipping screens.

During the pandemic, consumers tipped generously to show their support for businesses and employees impacted and to express sympathy for those who worked in environments that increased their chances of contracting the virus.

Tipping screens and prompting customers to tip when using self-checkouts present an opportunity that businesses obviously wish to exploit. Why would businesses not wish to exploit a potential avenue to get extra money for practically no cost?

For their part, business owners claim that automated tipping cues benefit employees. They say that using them significantly increases gratuities and boosts staff pay.

Tipping a person for goods and services rendered is a direct expression of appreciation for the work they have done. This is probably why in the PlayUSA survey, 83% of respondents always tip at a sit-down restaurant.

People want tips to go straight to workers, something that is required by law in the state of California. The law prohibits employers from sharing in or keeping any amount of a gratuity left for a given employee or employees

If you put some money in a tip jar or tell someone to keep the change, you can directly see the person you are tipping get the money you’re giving. But when you tip through a screen, it’s far less transparent as to where that money goes.

Press a button on a screen, and you have no assurance the employee who served you is getting that tip. Follow a prompt on a self-checkout, and you may not even see an employee near you to hypothetically get this tip. Many consumers likely wouldn’t be happy giving a tip that could theoretically be kept by the business and not passed on to staff.

Tipping is becoming more common among other employee-free shopping experiences, including apps. In some cases, a gratuity is included in such transactions.

An investigation into the travel app Hopper revealed that it automatically adds a tip at checkout. Customers have to opt-out if they do not wish to pay this gratuity for what is an automated transaction with no contact with an employee to receive the tip.

When you’re the one bagging up your own groceries or rendering your own service through an app, being met with a prompt to leave a tip is understandably frustrating. What exactly are you tipping for? Who are you paying? Ultimately, you're well within your rights to not leave a tip — even if you feel pressured to do so by an employee hovering in the self-checkout area.

Where consumers need to pay attention is if any online or self-directed commerce processes include a tip as standard. Here, it’s important to know you need to opt out, especially if you’re uncomfortable with not knowing exactly who your tip is going to

Source: https://www.msn.com/en-us/lifestyle...4b3cb8c056e484ed4765da9811c7272&ei=32#image=1

 

[disneyseniors]

Most of the time I just hand the server some cash. No putting it on the receipt! That way I know the server gets the tip, not a portion of it.

 

[greeneyedchick]

Customers Furious as Self-Checkout Machines Ask for Tip​

Tipping at the checkout is nothing new for American shoppers. If you see a touch-screen device at checkout, you can pretty much bet money on being asked if you’d like to leave a tip.

But customers are now being prompted to tip, even if they have had zero interaction with an employee.

It appears that shoppers aren’t free from tipping pressures, even if they’ve done all the work themselves. Tipping screens are becoming a common part of using self-checkout machines.

An article from the Wall Street Journal noted that customers who ring themselves up, bag their own goods and pay without ever interacting with a human staff member are encountering on-screen prompts to tip.

Self-checkout machines are everywhere. Whether you're at a grocery store, coffee shop, airport, movie theater, or stadium, you’ll probably see an unstaffed self-service machine you can use to complete your purchase and pay for your goods.

Per the Wall Street Journal article, many consumers are being inundated with prompts to leave a 20% tip when using these machines. These prompts leave people feeling emotionally blackmail

To many, the idea of leaving a tip at a self-checkout machine is completely contrary to the reasons for having these machines in the first place. These automated checkouts serve to replace service staff.

By having them, businesses cut labor costs. The question then becomes, what is the point of asking for a tip and, more importantly, where is this tip going?

Tipping screens at checkouts leave people feeling pressured to tip when they normally wouldn’t have, even if an employee has done little to nothing to assist a customer.

According to a survey by PlayUSA, 51% of people had given a tip when an iPad asked them to, and 54% feel pressured to tip when the employee turns the iPad away.

There has been a proliferation of tipping screens recently and a fast acceleration of prompts for people to leave a tip.

The adoption of digital payment systems across virtually every sector has made it extremely easy for businesses to include a tip request screen as a standard part of a transaction process. 45% of respondents to the PlayUSA survey said they feel they’ve been tipping more over the last few years due to more businesses asking for a tip during checkout.

Tipping screens pre-date the COVID-19 pandemic, but experts believe tipping behaviors during the pandemic may have contributed to this widespread growth of tipping screens.

During the pandemic, consumers tipped generously to show their support for businesses and employees impacted and to express sympathy for those who worked in environments that increased their chances of contracting the virus.

Tipping screens and prompting customers to tip when using self-checkouts present an opportunity that businesses obviously wish to exploit. Why would businesses not wish to exploit a potential avenue to get extra money for practically no cost?

For their part, business owners claim that automated tipping cues benefit employees. They say that using them significantly increases gratuities and boosts staff pay.

Tipping a person for goods and services rendered is a direct expression of appreciation for the work they have done. This is probably why in the PlayUSA survey, 83% of respondents always tip at a sit-down restaurant.

People want tips to go straight to workers, something that is required by law in the state of California. The law prohibits employers from sharing in or keeping any amount of a gratuity left for a given employee or employees

If you put some money in a tip jar or tell someone to keep the change, you can directly see the person you are tipping get the money you’re giving. But when you tip through a screen, it’s far less transparent as to where that money goes.

Press a button on a screen, and you have no assurance the employee who served you is getting that tip. Follow a prompt on a self-checkout, and you may not even see an employee near you to hypothetically get this tip. Many consumers likely wouldn’t be happy giving a tip that could theoretically be kept by the business and not passed on to staff.

Tipping is becoming more common among other employee-free shopping experiences, including apps. In some cases, a gratuity is included in such transactions.

An investigation into the travel app Hopper revealed that it automatically adds a tip at checkout. Customers have to opt-out if they do not wish to pay this gratuity for what is an automated transaction with no contact with an employee to receive the tip.

When you’re the one bagging up your own groceries or rendering your own service through an app, being met with a prompt to leave a tip is understandably frustrating. What exactly are you tipping for? Who are you paying? Ultimately, you're well within your rights to not leave a tip — even if you feel pressured to do so by an employee hovering in the self-checkout area.

Where consumers need to pay attention is if any online or self-directed commerce processes include a tip as standard. Here, it’s important to know you need to opt out, especially if you’re uncomfortable with not knowing exactly who your tip is going to

Source: https://www.msn.com/en-us/lifestyle...4b3cb8c056e484ed4765da9811c7272&ei=32#image=1

That's crazy! No way am I tipping an automated checkout. I only tip at restaurants anyway, although I do have a issue with how we tip. The person who puts my bagel in a bag wants a tip, but the person at Home Depot loading 10 heavy bags of mulch in my van doesn't ask for one. I feel like they are the ones who deserve it. I was going to tip a Home Depot guy once, but I didn't have any cash on me and there's not electronic way to do it. When I do tip in a restaurant, I always try to do it via cash. I've heard too many stories of servers not getting their tips.