this post was submitted on 28 Jun 2023
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Visiting the US soon - do I really have to tip? (feddit.de)
submitted 2 years ago by kilgore@feddit.de to c/asklemmy@lemmy.ml
252 comments fedilink hide all child comments
 

Hey Folks!

I've been living abroad for over half my life in a country where tipping is not the norm. At most you would round up. 19€ bill? Here's a 20, keep this change.

Going to the US soon to visit family and the whole idea of tipping makes me nervous. It seems there's a lot of discussion about getting rid of tipping, but I don't know how much has changed in this regard.

The system seems ridiculously unfair, and that extra expense in a country where everything is already so expensive really makes a difference.

So will AITA if I don't tip? Is it really my personal responsibility to make sure my server is paid enough?

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[–] Rivalarrival@lemmy.today 4 points 2 years ago (2 children)

Doordash driver: The federal government values mileage at $0.63/mile for tax purposes. They would value the vehicle expenses of a 6-mile delivery at $3.78.

Minimum wage in my state is $10.10 per hour. A 6-mile delivery takes 20 minutes, or $3.03. Anything less than $6.81 for this delivery, and the driver is earning less than minimum wage.

DD typically pays the driver $2.

A tip less than $4.81 means you expect the driver to earn less than minimum wage.

There's another problem: Doordash's primary rating system for it's drivers is "acceptance rate". The higher your acceptance rate, the higher you are prioritized for offers. The lowest tier of drivers has to wait for everyone in the area above him to be unavailable or to reject an order before he gets to work.

When a customer makes a low-tip or no-tip order, they expect a driver to pay for the privilege of delivering the order, and they are willing to ding the acceptance rating of every single driver in the area who refuses to work at a loss.

[–] kilgore@feddit.de 4 points 2 years ago (1 children)

A tip less than $4.81 means you expect the driver to earn less than minimum wage.

I disagree - it means you expect them to earn a wage regardless of how much you tip. Bosses should pay their workers a living wage, period. DD drivers shouldn't have to rely on the kindness of strangers.

[–] FaeDrifter@midwest.social 3 points 2 years ago (2 children)

I disagree - it means you expect them to earn a wage regardless of how much you tip. Bosses should pay their workers a living wage, period. DD drivers shouldn’t have to rely on the kindness of strangers.

I agree, but if you pay for a service knowing that worker is underpaid by the boss, you are exploiting the worker just as much as the boss is.

The system is broken, it's unethical to exploit the broken for your own advantage as well.

[–] yaycupcake@lemmy.blahaj.zone 1 points 2 years ago

Some people genuinely don't realize the delivery person doesn't get paid much. I didn't even know for the longest time that the "delivery fee" apparently does not go to the driver. That's an issue with DoorDash and similar apps' messaging to the users. My tips have gone up since I learned that the delivery fee is apparently not for the delivery person. It's not always malice on the customer's part though. Sometimes it's genuine misunderstanding.

[–] Eheran@lemmy.fmhy.ml 1 points 2 years ago (2 children)

You don't exploit by paying the price that was agreed on. The driver let's himself be exploited, but that is not the fault of the customer. If I agree to give away 100 $ bills I don't get exploited by people taking them.

[–] Steeve@lemmy.ca 4 points 2 years ago

The price that was agreed upon includes the assumption of tips as it's currently apart of the social contract in these countries, like it or not. You're allowed to hate the system, shit I'm sure drivers and servers hate the system and would much prefer to make a risk-free living wage, but if you refuse to participate and by doing so fuck over the lowest paid workers in those countries you are 100% an asshole. You aren't fighting some big evil social injustice, you're just an asshole.

[–] FaeDrifter@midwest.social 3 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago)

You don't exploit by paying the price that was agreed on.

How is this relevant?

An agreement with the owner that is exploiting the laborer is absolutely exploiting the laborer.

The people who bought slaves for the agreed upon price from the master are also guilty of slavery.

It's a very painful and difficult truth than participating in the broken system is enabling the broken system.

The driver let's himself be exploited

You mean that being exploited is marginally better than being homeless.

[–] nan@lemmy.blahaj.zone 4 points 2 years ago

Note that this is worse even than restaurant tipping.

Restaurant workers have to make at least minimum wage. If the tips don’t get there, the employer must fill the difference.

I think DoorDash gets away with this because technically they are not the employer, the worker is “self-employed”.