I got a soda and fries at Burger King the other day and it was like $6.35. I gave $7 and received no change, just a weird look as I kept sitting there after I got my food. I didn’t like that at all.

> Zesty

That's a very polite way to describe someone lmao

Wow, I personally don't eat at Burger King but the fast food establishments in Providence are the worst. I thought Wendy's on Charles St were making strides with self check out kiosk but it only helped a little. I make it an effort to go to the spots in Cranston, Johnston, or North Providence but sadly some of the same ding dongs in Providence have infiltrated the burbs as well. I also remember paying in exact change and it seemed like they didn't want to be bothered with it, I'm like hell its making your job easier and keeping your math skills up.

Which BK was it?

Would use another word but probably get banned.

Gillette stadium has everything compartmentalized. So if you want to buy a burger, pizza, and a sandwich you may have to go to three booths ... and every booth will ask for a tip. That pissed me off. Like I'm not paying outrageously inflated prices to begin with.

I've only went to 1 game there and parking charge was ridiculous, luckily I was tailgating prior so I didn't need to buy food or drinks. I can only imagine the overinflated prices even prior to Covid.

This was in MA not Providence.

If they don’t provide table service they shouldn’t be asking for tip their employer should be paying fair wages. That said I’m a sucker and end up wasting 15% just picking up items at a counter with no interaction

I used to feel the same way until recent years. It doesn't matter if the place isn't giving you full service, that tip is still what makes the workers' wages livable and sometimes even kinda good.

It shouldn't be that way, but we'd need a huge culture change for a shift away from it. A lot of times it's actually easier for employees to make more money by having tips than by raising prices and wages.

A restaurant I've worked for uses tips as a vehicle to make everyone's wages higher. It's more of a team effort for everyone to benefit instead of it being so transactional.

Service workers have to put up with so much shit and so many horrible people. They deserve the extra dollar on your $7 coffee drink. Even if all they did was ring it up and give it to you. That tip usually goes to everyone.

It goes back to the person making your coffee, to the person cleaning up the counter where you spilled some coffee on the way out, etc etc.

There's plenty of places that would love to do that, but it's actually less beneficial to the workers because of our culture. Customers are more willing to pay $10 on a meal and tip up to $3 sometimes than they are willing to pay $13 for the same meal.

You lose clientele, you can't afford as many workers, and now people don't have jobs.

Unless something changes from all the way at the top either legislatively or culturally, tips allow workers to get a fair and livable wage.

A restaurant I've worked for splits their tips evenly and treats it more like a team effort in order to be able to raise EVERYONE'S wages. With tips everyone makes $10 more and hour than their hourly wage. If you got rid of the tips, raised prices, and then raised wages, business wouldn't be able to afford paying the same amount. Instead of $10 more an hour, you'd get maybe $5. Which is still good, but definitely a pretty steep drop in hourly gains.

Customers are more willing to pay a sticker price of X amount and then pay other taxes and fees on top of that than they are willing to pay a higher sticker price.

Americans have been conditioned by our culture to view prices that way. I mean look at everyday purchases, nothing has tax factored in already at retail.

It would take a long time and a huge cultural shift for Americans to be able to see the same plate of food or product they used to get for "$10" suddenly being $13 or even $15.

I don't think tips should exist at all, but the fact of the matter is that this is how American society developed and there'd have to be a lot of heavy lifting and huge sweeping changes that go beyond the individual level to make it change.

If there's an option to tip, I tip. The ONLY time I may not is if it's a retail item I'm purchasing at a restaurant and I'm not purchasing anything else.

Tipping for pick up is a hell no. I remember seeing a tip jar on a lemonade van before. In my mind monkey see monkey do. Same with the change cup screw that.

Unsubtle homophobia has entered the chat.

The debate on wages effecting prices has been happening for a long time. The federal minimum wage hasn’t increased from $7.25/hr I’m decades. There are lots of studies and data. I’ve selected A study from Perdue showed that raising prices from minimum wage to $15 would only increase prices 4.3% that means your example of paying $13 for a meal instead of $10 would in reality cost the customer $0.43 not $3 and to raise wages to $22/hr it would increase prices 25% that would be $2.50 vs your example of $3. The fact is asking customers for a %15 tip for limited service instead of owners charging something like 4.3% for a real wage is providing cover for bad business owners to pay poorly and to ask customers to cover the cost of their wages while they stuff their pockets. It’s unconscionable to defend the rampant tipping that goes on. I’m sick of hidden costs and surprise tips for tbh fa that aren’t too based work

you realize that this is a function of the point of sale machine, not the mechanic specifically asking for a tip, right? a lot of these machines do not have a way to bypass this screen, so typically the merchant will either swing the screen back around or explain the situation.

Tipping culture stems from the tipped employee minimum wage, and general inequality in the US. If you want tip culture to change, start pressuring your legislators to get rid of the tipped minimum wage.

I’m not talking about huge establishments. I know on a grand scale, on average, it wouldn’t affect prices that much. I’m saying at individual small businesses.

The business I worked for barely made a profit and many years actually operated at a loss.

Restaurant wages is just a lot different than regular wages. Raising minimum wage from the $3.89 minimum that is set for restaurants up to $22 would cause that huge spike in prices at restaurants. Of course a ton of restaurants that are actually paying their tipped employees $3.89 can probably afford to absorb some of that cost and be less greedy before raising prices, it’s still a big jump.

So I’m not necessarily talking minimum wage vs livable wage. Minimum wage should definitely be raised to livable wages.

I’m just saying raising $15/hr (base pay where I’ve worked) to oftentimes $27/hr (on average with tips) is next to impossible at a small restaurant business without raising prices a lot more than 4%. A small restaurant like that could maybe absorb the cost it would take to raise wages from $15 to say $16 or $17 without raising prices. But a $12 wage increase would require prices to go up those 20% being lost by tips.

Of course they wouldn’t HAVE to raise wages all the way up to $27/hr in this alternate reality, but then the workers get the short end of the stick without tips.

This is often why a lot of tipped workers are actually against getting rid tipping. Cus in the end they would make less.

Edit: also in my mind I was actually thinking closer to $2.50 but just rounded up for simplicity’s sake. So apologies there!

Nobody it talking about $3 an hour server tips. The OP and me explicitly talked about paying tips for take out and other not traditional tip based roles that are showing up literally everywhere even at one personas mechanic.

This. And in the mean time, pay a tip and don’t stiff workers.

I mean if it’s JUST retail and there’s no food involved whatsoever, then yeah I wouldn’t tip. Those positions aren’t tipped positions. Legally idek who the “tips” would technically go to? Probably straight back to the business as profit? Idk.

Why do you assume every fast food worker must be a "ding dong from Providence" exactly?

came to say this.

I'd also probably considering businessees linked to the RI Hospitality association, many of whom are business owners. They've actively fought against this.

I'm not assuming this was anecdotal experience based on the same establishment just outside of Providence. I understand a lot of teens work in these places but the basic service level from Providence to parts further out is night and day.

The subject was not about tipping but the type of establishments that practice this outside of a normal bar/restaurant.

>I'd also probably considering businessees linked to the RI Hospitality association, many of whom are business owners. They've actively fought against this.

Yup, anything with reforming tipping, the Hospitality Association and chamber of commerce fight it tooth and nail. They want customers to pay their workers wages. Don't get mad at workers for needing tips to survive, get mad at these bosses who don't want to pay fair wages.

Yes I understand that part, it was just shocking to see at a mechanic shop. Most of the places I've seen have these payment platforms also have a prompt for " no tip " in which I didn't see . But at a mechanic shop give me a break and they didn't explain or turn it around

You wont see the expectation of constant tipping in societies where tipping isn't normalized by the tipped minimum wage - that is the root of it. If bosses paid workers fairly and workers were able to work with dignity, we wouldn't have such a culture of tipping spreading to other businesses.

For clarity, I don't support eliminating tipping or the tipped minimum wage. I think the solution is you make the tipped minimum wage not be total garbage.

I know $15/hr is not the ideal benchmark anymore, but if that is the regular minimum wage, the tipped one should be closer to $7-10 or something. If it's high enough where it makes more people not tip or tip less, you'll have a scenario where service-industry staff work more hours for less money.

I don't eat a ton of fast food, but compared to fast food places in the south, Providence is 10x better.

As far as quality or basic service?

I remember Bojangles was a go to spot for me down south, the service was ok for fast food but this was a couple decades ago.

well in the case of the mechanic shop that showed the tip option on payment table , this is an independently ran shop, I doubt he has guys working for less than market rate or else he wouldn't have employees. Just emphasizing the fact it was at a mechanics shop was a shocker.

it seems that you clearly don’t understand that part, if you follow it up immediately with an example of how you don’t understand it.

You're supposed to tip a mechanic??

i guess basic service. no one ever got my order right. and it would drive me fucking crazy at taco bell cause you pay extra for "supreme", then you get your food and there would never be fucking tomoatos or sour cream.

I never heard of such but this was a 1st for me. The mechanic didn't ask verbally or anything but it was on the payment tablet in big bold red color. Probably trying to guilt trip or in this case guilt tip.

Didn't get nothing more than the cost of service.

No I understand well and clear I was just telling you how it happened. I've seen that same screen at Domino's and they have 4 prompts one of them being "no tip" and the cashier will press it themselves as well.

>It would take a long time and a huge cultural shift for Americans to be able to see the same plate of food or product they used to get for "$10" suddenly being $13 or even $15.

Umm that's what has happened almost everywhere during the past 2 years.

Yeah that's fast food in a nutshell but some places worse than others. People hate on the self service kiosk but I think that is awesome that way your in control on how you want it by bypassing the cashier and going straight to the person that's making it. Now should there be an error then its the person making its fault or kiosk.

well its just anecdotal, but i havent had that problem yet since ive moved back up here. in GA it literally happened everytime

I would've asked for my change, and if refused I would ask to speak with the shift manager. Tipping is not and should not be compulsory unless it's a gratuity for a large group.

Full time (40 hours a week) at $15 an hour is $30k a year.

$16 an hour is $32k.

$17 an hour is $34k.

NONE of these are livable wages in 2023.

Saying zesty is homophobic?

Lady at the laundromat I go to straight up asked me last time "do you want to tip me?"

How do you know its homophobic?

Maybe I was pointing out to something else

I think you over explained it but it basically comes down to basically DONT ASK FOR A TIP AND NO TIPPING at a mechanic shop or if you picking up takeout.

Seriously, did you drop off and pick up laundry or for something else?

I think the only people downvoting you are people who haven’t worked in tipped positions. I couldn’t agree with you more.

Do you think Providence invented apathetic, disengaged fast food employees or something?

No but it sure does show it compared to other places in this state.

Ex 1. There is a Wendy's near my job out in the burbs which appears to be understaffed so I get the slow service at times , however the service is decent. No kiosk here either

Ex 2. The Wendy's on Charles St for example has 3 ordering kiosk's, the front ordering spot and appears to have more staff compared to the other I mentioned.

Why is the service night and day between 2 places serving the same food and performing the same task?

Damn...good to know people in providence hate tipped workers. I didn't realize I was being downvoted until I saw the notification for your comment.

Mechanic shop no. Takeout yes imo.

I totally agree! Which again is why raising a $15 wage to $27 (which is still barely livable) would definitely affect prices in a different way for food service.

I don't live there anymore, but my current mechanic for basic shit is at a chevron station. They encourage tips as well, and it's astounding to me. The first time I went there was because I picked up a nail and they helped me within a few min, so I handed the guy 20 bucks for his help, then I went in to pay. I felt like an idiot for handing it to him now that I know they expect it, in some sense. I'd never seen that before.

Wow, the fact that they expect it is something else. At a freaking mechanic shop. But then again monkey see monkey do.

I've heard the argument of "tip for things you can't do yourself" and the exchange of "To Insure Prompt Service." I was always a heavy tipper until it started getting shoved on my face. I'm surprised my obgyn doesn't hand me a tip tablet before I leave the office.

I can't believe I get to use it in this context but here we go....

Sir, this is a Wendys.

You think that the small town Wendys and one the one in the city are serving an equal amount of customers and orders? Those kiosks aren't there because the employees on register are "ding dongs" and slow or something. They exist because a LOT more people are ordering and that's a way to be more efficient with taking orders and utilizing manpower.

They also need more employees because they have a LOT more customers.

>I'm surprised my obgyn doesn't hand me a tip tablet before I leave the office.

Shit Dr. Baker on Little House On The Prairie used to get livestock and other items for his " services "

Not to debate tipping as I feel its totally up to the individual but it seems like anyone and everyone with their hand out for this.

I remember when there was a bunch of homeless people toward the Marriot off ramp begging for money, I was like fuck that I might as well get mines and I'll be honest with my sign out too.

Wendy's or whatever basic decent service is to be expected, not coming here for 5 star wine and dine service.

This one particular Wendy's without the kiosk and understaff serve a volume equal to Providence. It's not in the middle of nowhere.

There's also a Taco Bell not far from here that has 2 kiosk and nowhere near the volume of Providence outside of lunch time hours. Good service as well.

so you've staked the place out and sat there open to close over a sample size of several weeks each, i take it?

Yes with my Inspector Gadget disguise.

At a parking lot, gave the park attendant a $20 for a $15 parking fee, he asked if we wanted change. He wasn't a valet, he stood there for us to pay him to park.

For context, RI's tipped minimum wage is $3.89/hour. It was last increased in 2017.

https://www.providencejournal.com/story/news/local/2022/11/18/is-minimum-wage-in-ri-not-enough-to-live-on-report-says-the-state-is-behind/69656330007/

Debate last session:

https://www.providencejournal.com/story/news/politics/2022/03/22/rhode-island-minimum-wage-tipped-workers-restaurants-bars/7119288001/

How much am I supposed to tip a coffee shop for pouring me $3.50 coffee? Are they like a bartender now .. buck a beer, buck a coffee?

If you're tipping the same percentage each time won't it be the same amount whether you're buying them separately or together?

Symposium Books in Providence will ask you to tip (at least last time I was there a few months ago) when purchasing books. I paid via debit card on the iPad and they had the option to tip up to 20%. I thought maybe this was an error and just how the payment system was set up but then I noticed they had a cash tip jar as well! I did not tip as I think being asked to tip on books, especially new books is bonkers. Also, I went to a smoke shop (they did not sell weed) to buy a vaporizer and they asked for up to a 25% on a $50 vape. Simply for scanning and handing me the box. Get.the.fuck.out!

I usually round up to the dollar

lol and you're too afraid to even admit it

A mechanic shop asking for tip blows my fucking mind! I'm half expecting to see a tip jar at my doctor's office next time I get a physical.

I don't think Burger King allows tipping either so they were probably just straight up robbing you and hoping the ensuing awkwardness would stop you from pointing it out.

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So you'd do custom tip in this case and enter 50 cents on the pad?

Lol wut? I've never hears "zesty" used as a homophobic slur in my life.

well we have a bunch of people on here who can't differentiate from homophobia and a general insult so why bother.

I hope you got your change. Hell if I would have known beforehand would have paid him in quarters too.

Don't be shocked if you do, everyone is getting in on it. Hell seeing this today I might as well make a tip jar to carry around.

So far your response has been the best in understanding the subject matter. Its not about tipping itself just the least place you would expect to see this practice.

I purchased books from Symposium a while back when they first opened but now I am aware of this scrupulous practice

The smoke shop needing tips, GTF outta hea

Yup! So if it’s 1.50, I just give .50. A dollar feels like too much 🤷🏻‍♀️

Yes, we old him, "yes, please." It's not even a place someone would tip another and we both thought it was just strange especially they were using a church lot as a profitable parking lot during events.

General insults toward someone that isn't even on the sub won't get you banned, but sure, let's go with that.

already did.

I've heard a rumor that at other stadiums people have asked if the tip actually goes to the workers and some outright say skip it, it doesn't. So worth asking the staff if you're gonna tip at a massive stadium anyways.

Next time bring exact change. Less work for them that's the tip

This is exactly the place that came to mind when I saw this thread. The tip jar totally threw me as the only place I've seen here outside of a food/drink establishment lately.

Went bowling last weekend. When I paid at the counter while leaving the cc receipt had a spot for a tip. For giving me my bowling shoes?

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Damm at the bowling alley come on.

For real like I just paid $11 for a bud light take the tip out of the $10 profit

Don’t get me wrong, I used to be a waiter so I tip well for a lot of services. Just not for someone giving me bowling shoes and telling me what lane to go to

>I remember seeing a tip jar on a lemonade van before

i mean, i don't think that's a situation where tipping is obligated but i don't blame them for putting it out. if im paying cash and get 37 cents in change id rather dump it in the jar then lug it around all day then stick it in a drawer to forget about forever, you know?

There’s a place that will pull a nail and patch your tire for 15, I gave the guy 20 and tell him keep the change because I’m getting a good deal. If I’m paying shop hours for any type of mechanical work they’re not getting an extra cent off me.

Seven Stars new POS annoys me so much. Like I get it, someone made the sandwich I grabbed out of the case, but now some person has to look at me like I'm an asshole because I'm not going to tip for a wrapped sandwich I took out of a case and handed to you to scan? At least they finally adjusted it from starting at 20%.

Tipping culture is abhorrent. I'm sorry. I know there are people who make good money. But studies out there show that attractiveness is basically the top predictor of tips. I mean it goes that way for sales too, I know. But still, it's unfair to people that their salary (not job performance) is based on whether people want to fuck them. Pay servers a fair wage, put the fucking price on the menu.

Last, if you are working retail don't put out a fucking tip jar. I bought a fucking t-shirt. I don't need to tip the cashier, but you will see this shit now.

FTR I tip and tip well people who have to rely on it. I still hate the system but it's the system.

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Unless they poured the drink or brought the food to me, then there’s no tip.

Pizza delivery gets the best tip from me though since they’re putting miles on their own car onto of their service.

Servers who earn the tipped minimum wage should absolutely receive a 20-25% tip. The person making a regular wage and expecting you to tip them for the privilege of standing in their presence? GTFOH.

Just had the Valvoline guy ask me for a tip! Like sir all you did was take my credit card. You’re not even the one who did my oil

Seriously, I bet he asked with a big kool aid smile too?

Haha this is bringing me way back to last week. So I locked myself out for the first time last week. Locksmith had to open two doors and since he couldn't get the second one, drilled the lock and had to replace it.

$275 to get into my own place for about 15-20 minutes of work, and the guy literally asked if I wanted to tip him anything at the end.

If someone is buying something where i work, and it’s going to just be a matter of me ringing them up, i don’t expect a tip. I’m not behind the counter thinking “these assholes better tip me on this bag of coffee they’re buying.” But the POS has the option to tip. That’s out of my control

Yes it would

They need the tips at 7 stars because the new owners who laid off all the workers in the pandemic rehired them at $9/hr plus tips instead of above-minimum wages. That was the genesis of the unionization effort if my memory serves me right.

I always think to myself like leaving an extra $1 tip isn’t going to kill me or ruin my budget but it goes a long way for the service team.

Some of the discussion here I really don’t get. I would 100% tip my mechanic. Especially if I plan on getting future services. They’ll give special attention to my car, squeeze me in for appointments when I’m in an emergency and look the other way when my car is messy inside.

Yes, $1 is pretty good and harmless. Or you can pour your own coffee at home too

You’re paying for skill, not time. You know that, right?

I probably wouldn't tip my mechanic out of nowhere, but if I was presented with a tipping screen at checkout, I probably would lol.

Yeah I've come to notice that the people on this sub are quite different than what I imagine as typical providence residents. It feels like everyone here just hates everything and has a complaint about a lot of stuff. Like why are we getting downvoted for defending people's tips.

Wow another one asking for a tip at $275 for 15-20 min of work come on , this actually reminds me of the time American Airline lost my luggage, then found it and had a guy bring it to my house from Logan, this ding dong was literally with his hand out waiting for a fucking tip, gave him the peace sign.

The lemonade man has it strategically priced where you will barely get any change but in the case you do here's a financial lesson for those who don't want to stick it in a drawer and forget about it. Get the change and keep in a small cup, next time you go food shopping bring it for self check out.

Yes sorry my distaste is not for the workers it's for the owners who think setting up a POS system with tips puts the responsibility for paying workers on the customer. As well, I understand inflation but they have increased prices 20% this winter. So basically they probably had a poor business model and now are punishing their employees and customers to extract profit and eventually that house of cards topples. But it's still super popular so what do I know.

I think it is the business owners responsibility to pay fairly and make the price the actual price, not throw on fees and tip requests during the final transaction. I know it's not the employees fault especially on POS.

Even people that I normally and happily tip (beyond servers - say a taxi/Uber) I'd just as soon be charged appropriately as to have a tip request at the end.

But I think in the spirit of the thread it's that these POS systems now make it to easy to misrepresent prices - at one point another local place was adding an "inflation charge" and a "healthcare for employees" and a "service fee" for pickup orders (presumably because people don't tip pickup but the system asked for a tip anyway). Just tell me the price and let me decide don't spread the ticketmaster model everywhere.

I don’t think you know a ton tbh. And I say this as someone who is really upset by the way 7 Stars pays their employees. But the customers always pay for the employees thru the tips or the price but you always pay. I don’t think 7S had increased prices in a minute and the cost of raw ingredients must be wild af at this point. Other bakeries I follow mention soaring prices of butter and eggs.

FYI it was the workers who had lobbied for years to have the POS collect tips. The new owners are bazillionaires from Barrington so idk why they’re paying below minimum wage… but I highly doubt their “house of cards” will be toppled anytime soon if the traffic at Hope St and Broadway is any indication.

ORRRRR maybe everyone in Providence is hiding their misery and hate behind all the progressive lawn signs 🤣🤣🤣

But seriously y’all tip your professionals. They really remember you when you do!

Hahaha agreed!

I went yesterday and the prices were about a 20% (a dollar essentially) more expensive than they were just after Christmas on the things I looked at. My sandwich was $9.75 where I last remember paying $8.25 though of course memory isn't perfect. This was the jewelry district location maybe they charge more there generally.

I know my own experience and have seen tons of businesses fail - we all have. 7S with the new owners have increased prices higher than inflation even inflation adjusted for their specific raw materials (other than eggs in the last month of course thanks to the avian flu) You are telling me they also pay less. I was hoping part of this price increase was them paying a better wage. Therefore they are extracting profit on both sides - driving down their labor cost while increasing margins on their prices. That can go as far as the demand will allow them and so far, as you note, demand has kept up with the prices. But there are limits. And clearly they are not in the business as an ego trip or personal passion and they do care about profit.

But I do thank you for letting me know that the employees are paid as tipped employees now.

Now beyond any specifics for seven stars none of this changes my point. If to pay your people a fair wage you have to charge $11 for the sandwich instead of $9.25 then just put $11 on the sandwich and let me decide if I want it at that price. Somehow the entire world outside of a couple countries can work on this system but in the US it's impossible because reasons.

Last time I went to seven stars I grabbed a chocolate milk from the self-serve cooler and the person at the register gave me the stink eye when I selected no tip. And I believe the 20% option was pre-selected. wtf am i tipping for? you literally did nothing besides stand there and take my money.

I never went there myself but damm even self service they are expecting a tip. One commenter said its the POS machine and the owners have no say on how its programmed or what not but the owners have a say on what payment systems they use as well.

>You’re paying for skill, not time. You know that, right?

It doesn't matter. Consumers care about the bottom line. They don't care about what's behind it.

Wow sometimes brevity is so revealing. It’s almost like you feel entitled!

In the US it’s impossible to do it like that because the culture and structure of this society is “fuck you, I got mine” so nobody wants a $11 sandwich when there’s another one for $9.25 and who cares how the $9.25 one gets made and how much the workers earn. I feel like someone made that point to me earlier on this thread so I’m just kinda regurgitating. Also most of the entire world operates under worse conditions for service workers. Unless you’re specifically thinking of Europe, where things are different because society believes in strengthening the safety net (not so much recently)… anyway hope that makes sense to you!

As someone who offers a product or service, what I wrote is reality. Don't delude yourself into thinking otherwise.

Your employer will pay the difference if you don't receive enough tips to cover the minimum wage. So in effect, by tipping, you are subsidizing the employer.

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I think it’s YOUR reality but not everyone’s. Some folks can see that not all service providers are on the same level and deserve their tips. Your comment is a little aggressive…