Restaurant Tipping Etiquette

[T3G]

As someone who works at the head office of a national retail chain. Yes. The decisions that get made in office are wild sometimes, no doubt.
But they are on par with some of the insane shit store staff come up with.

Store staff generally live in a reality that is centered on their own location, and the office lives in one what has to consider everything as a whole system.

While surveys are annoying and it sucks to have to promote them, they are also going to be what the office looks at when determining what the future of your location, and your jobs, is.

If surveys are what determines the future of the store and my job, then I don't care for their data.

The fact of the matter is that most people plain and simple don't want to fill them in. If you are making big decisions based off a handful of surveys, you are going to have extremely skewed and inaccurate data.

There is only one way to have objective information how a store is running: an unplanned visit. Announcing a store walk doesn't help with anything, as it gives the upper management at that location a chance to clean up and look like they have their shit together for the duration of the walk. Impromptu, unannounced visits when we are down 5 cashiers and 3 registers are out of service for technical problems and we have no lot loader to help with heavy loads for the third time this month? That will tell you what you need to know.

This is why I love self checkout. My ideal shopping experience is zero human interaction required and delivered.

Some places are promoting them as "assisted checkout" now. The cashier greets you and demands to know if you need any help checking out.

Well, if I did, I wouldn't be going to the self check out, now would I?

 

[afransen]

Strongly agree that store walks should be unannounced. Unfortunately, I think it is hard to achieve in practice. Senior leaders have their days planned out well in advance, and they will likely have their underlings responsible (regional managers) for the store in tow, and they are likely to tip off the store manager. Short of deciding day-of where you will be going to visit is very hard to be unannounced.

 

[picard102]

There is only one way to have objective information how a store is running: an unplanned visit.

There are much better passive metrics to monitor than skewed unplanned walkthroughs. The data from them, unless done very regularly, would be as unreliable as surveys.

Impromptu, unannounced visits when we are down 5 cashiers and 3 registers are out of service for technical problems and we have no lot loader to help with heavy loads for the third time this month? That will tell you what you need to know.

Would probably indicate to them that the store runs just as well with less resources.

 

[T3G]

I'm not sure the correct takeaway should be that the line ups half way down the aisle and the visibly stressed out cashier indicate that they can run the show well with less resources.

Anything to avoid paying a proper crew of staff.

 

[Undead]

One resto I attended recently didn't given a tip option on the machine; the tip was already included in the bill with no option to choose your amount (or refuse).

 

[AlbertC]

A self checkout kiosk in the US has been spotted with an add a tip option

Airport customer left shocked after self-checkout machine asks for tip

Reddit post sparks debate about tipping culture, as many people believe tip screens at self-checkout kiosks have ‘gotten out of hand’

www.independent.co.uk

 

[PinkLucy]

Just who would you be tipping?

 

[AlvinofDiaspar]

At this point I am more and more tempted to live by a policy of never tipping, ever.

AoD

 

[Towered]

At this point I am more and more tempted to live by a policy of never tipping, ever.

AoD

I'm getting there myself. I'm very annoyed by the ever more common appearance of tip option screens when paying for fast food or food takeout for example. I feel that if I tip I'm just enabling the business to just continue under-paying employees.

 

[Northern Light]

I'm getting there myself. I'm very annoyed by the ever more common appearance of tip option screens when paying for fast food or food takeout for example. I feel that if I tip I'm just enabling the business to just continue under-paying employees.

And seeing it at a place that is purely take-out. To be clear, the order-taker/cashier should be well paid, it's a job like any other, and people should be expected to do it well; and in turn be compensated well; but that compensation
should be in their 'pay cheque'; not in the form of a discretionary 'beg' to customers.

 

[AlvinofDiaspar]

It's not even a beg, it's getting pushy with all the dark patterns in UI/UX design.

AoD

 

[lenaitch]

I'm getting there myself. I'm very annoyed by the ever more common appearance of tip option screens when paying for fast food or food takeout for example. I feel that if I tip I'm just enabling the business to just continue under-paying employees.

And the every present 'tip jar' at gas stations, convenience stores and some take out restaurants.

 

[junctionist]

At this point, I've seen so many inappropriate tip options that I just assume that the machine was incorrectly set (if you're not at a place where you'd normally tip) to request tips. There's really no need for outrage.

If you don't like bring prompted to tip 18%+ at a restaurant, bring some cash and tip 15% for decent service. Many servers are happier with cash in their pocket at the end of your meal than an arbitrary question of percentages and the risk of not being paid out their tips or having to split them.

 

[lenaitch]

At this point, I've seen so many inappropriate tip options that I just assume that the machine was incorrectly set (if you're not at a place where you'd normally tip) to request tips. There's really no need for outrage.

If you don't like bring prompted to tip 18%+ at a restaurant, bring some cash and tip 15% for decent service. Many servers are happier with cash in their pocket at the end of your meal than an arbitrary question of percentages and the risk of not being paid out their tips or having to split them.

I assume the device settings are set by management.

Cash? You might have to explain that concept to many.

I also am in favour of cash tips to a server, but I understand that can create problems in some shops. Of course the answer is for the employer pay them a meaningful wage and stop relying on the customer to supplement their pay off their books.

 

[gabe]

At this point, I've seen so many inappropriate tip options that I just assume that the machine was incorrectly set (if you're not at a place where you'd normally tip) to request tips. There's really no need for outrage.

If you don't like bring prompted to tip 18%+ at a restaurant, bring some cash and tip 15% for decent service. Many servers are happier with cash in their pocket at the end of your meal than an arbitrary question of percentages and the risk of not being paid out their tips or having to split them.

I always tip with cash and I tip before taxes, the automated tip %is always after which i hate!!!! in hand cash tips are always better for both sides.