I think I see the problem

[TV and credit cards]

In this article about POS tipping.

Hint:

The barista boxed up the cake – $60 (£49), already far more than I'd wanted to pay

Umm.

– and swivelled the touch screen register so I could finish my transaction. I acted on autopilot, pressing the middle square to choose a 20% tip, and tapped my credit card to pay. It was only after the checkmark appeared on the screen – transaction successful! – I realised I'd tipped $18 (£15) for my morning latte, pastry and fancy baked good. I couldn't believe what I'd done.

Or you could make coffee at home and buy a box of Jiffy muffin mix for fidy-two cent. I've only ever been to Starbucks twice; once in a airport at 0400 and once when I was moving and absentmindedly packed away my coffee maker. Back in my day we had donut shops with a weary old lady working there that looked remarkably like the weary old lady at the other donut shop. And if you called her barista, she'd probably think you just called her a prostitute in Italian.

And the article goes on about POS tipping and how people may be financially stretched as it is. But they're too weak-willed to do anything other than hit the 20% button at the top of the list because, well, the kid behind the counter is looking right at them.
Fuck me. I know I shouldn't laugh.

There's also a link to tip theft which deserves a read.

 

[Ford]

In this article about POS tipping.

Hint:

The barista boxed up the cake – $60 (£49), already far more than I'd wanted to pay

Umm.

– and swivelled the touch screen register so I could finish my transaction. I acted on autopilot, pressing the middle square to choose a 20% tip, and tapped my credit card to pay. It was only after the checkmark appeared on the screen – transaction successful! – I realised I'd tipped $18 (£15) for my morning latte, pastry and fancy baked good. I couldn't believe what I'd done.

Or you could make coffee at home and buy a box of Jiffy muffin mix for fidy-two cent. I've only ever been to Starbucks twice; once in a airport at 0400 and once when I was moving and absentmindedly packed away my coffee maker. Back in my day we had donut shops with a weary old lady working there that looked remarkably like the weary old lady at the other donut shop. And if you called her barista, she'd probably think you just called her a prostitute in Italian.

And the article goes on about POS tipping and how people may be financially stretched as it is. But they're too weak-willed to do anything other than hit the 20% button at the top of the list because, well, the kid behind the counter is looking right at them.
Fuck me. I know I shouldn't laugh.

There's also a link to tip theft which deserves a read.

Yeah, I got my hair cut a little over a week ago, and noticed that the place has gone to a "tap here to add tip" system. The minimum amount available worked out to be 28%. Um...no, I clicked "other," did the math in my head, and left 20%.

But the math on the purchase from the above article doesn't even make sense. So she hit the 20% button, and the tip alone came out to $18? That means the purchase price for the latte, pastry and cake was $90. Article says the cake (which looked underwhelming) was $60. So if she'd skipped the cake she'd have spent $30 on a latte and a pastry? I mean, I was feeling extravagant when we ordered breakfast delivered at work from a fancy place in Scottsdale and the small dish I ordered (habanero pork belly eggs benedict) came out to 20 bucks.

 

[rousseau]

I've gotten the notorious 'tipping fatigue' and reverted back to business as usual. Unless I'm in a business where tipping is traditionally involved, or a small business that needs help, I just say no.

 

[bilby]

Obviously a barista is going to be expensive. Perhaps next time, see if a solicita can make your coffee instead. Although I don't really think you need a lawya at all.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

I don't tip POS machines (not in line with General services where tipping is common) as I have no idea who gets it. Just because you tipped the console 20% doesn't mean anyone but the owner gets the money.

 

[Loren Pechtel]

I don't tip POS machines (not in line with General services where tipping is common) as I have no idea who gets it. Just because you tipped the console 20% doesn't mean anyone but the owner gets the money.

Yeah, I just ran into a mention of one where you couldn't zero out the tip. The screen said all the tip went to the workers--but that doesn't mean the owner isn't simply using it as part of their wages.

 

[spikepipsqueak]

We don't typically tip in Aus. Sometimes in restaurants for exceptional service. Most people get paid a living wage instead.

I was on a cruise recently. The line added 15% to all drinks and levied a charge against your account that they said was distributed to the other hotel/service staff.

I'm just a little sus. I want to believe that money got to the people it should have gone to but ...

 

[thebeave]

We don't typically tip in Aus. Sometimes in restaurants for exceptional service. Most people get paid a living wage instead.

I was on a cruise recently. The line added 15% to all drinks and levied a charge against your account that they said was distributed to the other hotel/service staff.

I'm just a little sus. I want to believe that money got to the people it should have gone to but ...

Yeah, I've wondered that too. Not just tips, but charitable donations. Years ago, my local grocery store would ask you if you wanted to add a donation ($10 or so) to some random charity when they were totalling up your grocery bill. It got to be kind of annoying and I didn't like being put on the spot like that for some charity I'm not familiar with. Finally, one day after the cashier asked about making a donation, I said to him, "How do I know you're not going to spend the money on hookers and cocaine?!" He got a big laugh out of that. I suspect he was as cynical as I was.

They don't seem to do that anymore, though. Maybe a lot of people complained, or it wasn't a very effective fundraiser strategy. Instead, now they ask if you would like to round up your bill to the nearest dollar, with the small change again going to some cause. I've done this a few times, but it still feels vaguely like extortion or coersion.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

We don't typically tip in Aus. Sometimes in restaurants for exceptional service. Most people get paid a living wage instead.

I was on a cruise recently. The line added 15% to all drinks and levied a charge against your account that they said was distributed to the other hotel/service staff.

I'm just a little sus. I want to believe that money got to the people it should have gone to but ...

Yeah, I've wondered that too. Not just tips, but charitable donations. Years ago, my local grocery store would ask you if you wanted to add a donation ($10 or so) to some random charity when they were totalling up your grocery bill. It got to be kind of annoying and I didn't like being put on the spot like that for some charity I'm not familiar with. Finally, one day after the cashier asked about making a donation, I said to him, "How do I know you're not going to spend the money on hookers and cocaine?!" He got a big laugh out of that. I suspect he was as cynical as I was.

Naw. This is other people's money, that the grocery gets to say they donated to *insert cause*. That is the scam.

The Trump Organization will continue to raise money for St. Jude from patrons at its hotels and golf courses, Mr. Trump said. But it will ask them to make contributions directly to the hospital, he said, instead of first sending the money to the Trump Organization.

Ignoring the potential issues of Trumps and the level of trust that can be had with them and money, they used their properties to charge up customers to round up for a charity. Then they get the name Trump stamped on the donation of none of their money.