Tipping
I was at lunch today. It was a Chipotle type of place where you order your base, slid down pick a protein and then vegetables. To add cheese, guac and other fatteners at the very end is always a big decision, but I digress. At these type of places, the norm is a big, clearly labeled and in your face tip bucket. If you opt for a credit card purchased, the TIP line is twice the size of the total amount line.
I grew up pretty much poor. I also worked as a waiter, bartender and whatever else to make money. I understand the need for tipping. Employers refuse to pay a living wage, so they pass the literal buck on to the public to foot the bill. I just read today how Amazon has a huge amount of employees on Food Stamps. That disgusts me.
Well, I do realize that people working in these fast-ish food places, which pretend to be a healthier option as long as you don't get stuck with e coli, really do need the tips to survive. I always tip. Probably too much. Even though I am a sucker for an apparent, or imagined, hardship story, I am frustrated at the new "e-commerce" ultra sheek, trendy health food joints that flip you an iPad to digitally sign and tip on. They have upped the ante a little too vigorously on the tip world.
I was recently at Raw Juice and anyone who has been there, or to any other e-comemerce iPad flipping store, knows that the "suggested" tip begins at 18% and goes up to 25%. I am sorry, that is way overboard for making a couple Acai bowls that are themselves outrageous at $14 a bowl.
So,I buy a group of kids 4 Acai bowls and one juice in a bottle and the total is almost $60. Wow, ok. Now the pretty girl behind the non-register register flips the small iPad at me and I see the giant glowing buttons for the tip, 15% ....20% ....25%. No numbers for the amounts, just percentages. She smiles, the 25% button seems to be glowing and shooting sparks.
They didn't even bring the bowls to the table, let alone get us water. I do the math in my head. Carry the one, add 6 to 12. What!!!! An $18 Tip!
I smiled back at the pretty girl behind the non-register register and clicked the tiny button to "customize" my tip. I left a $5 tip. And I felt bad about it.
vincentpravato.com
I was at lunch today. It was a Chipotle type of place where you order your base, slid down pick a protein and then vegetables. To add cheese, guac and other fatteners at the very end is always a big decision, but I digress. At these type of places, the norm is a big, clearly labeled and in your face tip bucket. If you opt for a credit card purchased, the TIP line is twice the size of the total amount line.
I grew up pretty much poor. I also worked as a waiter, bartender and whatever else to make money. I understand the need for tipping. Employers refuse to pay a living wage, so they pass the literal buck on to the public to foot the bill. I just read today how Amazon has a huge amount of employees on Food Stamps. That disgusts me.
Well, I do realize that people working in these fast-ish food places, which pretend to be a healthier option as long as you don't get stuck with e coli, really do need the tips to survive. I always tip. Probably too much. Even though I am a sucker for an apparent, or imagined, hardship story, I am frustrated at the new "e-commerce" ultra sheek, trendy health food joints that flip you an iPad to digitally sign and tip on. They have upped the ante a little too vigorously on the tip world.
I was recently at Raw Juice and anyone who has been there, or to any other e-comemerce iPad flipping store, knows that the "suggested" tip begins at 18% and goes up to 25%. I am sorry, that is way overboard for making a couple Acai bowls that are themselves outrageous at $14 a bowl.
So,I buy a group of kids 4 Acai bowls and one juice in a bottle and the total is almost $60. Wow, ok. Now the pretty girl behind the non-register register flips the small iPad at me and I see the giant glowing buttons for the tip, 15% ....20% ....25%. No numbers for the amounts, just percentages. She smiles, the 25% button seems to be glowing and shooting sparks.
They didn't even bring the bowls to the table, let alone get us water. I do the math in my head. Carry the one, add 6 to 12. What!!!! An $18 Tip!
I smiled back at the pretty girl behind the non-register register and clicked the tiny button to "customize" my tip. I left a $5 tip. And I felt bad about it.
vincentpravato.com
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ReplyDeleteI was lucky enough to be sitting on a plane going to Paris. It took damn near 5 decades to earn the time and the money to take the trip, but non-the-less, I was lucky.
ReplyDeleteThe guy sitting next to me was from Denmark. He'd been finishing up his Master's Degree at University of Illinois. He was going to meet his girlfriend in Rome, marry her and then they were going back to Denmark to start their life together.
I asked how he planned on paying off his student debt. He laughed. In Denmark, they pay people to go to college so that when they come out of school, they have money in the bank to start their life.
Take.
That.
In.
They pay people to go to college. We're a nation of slaves getting by on minimum wage plus tips, hounded by creditors, told to pull ourselves up by our bootstraps, even if we don't have boots, even if we have boots but can't afford straps.
I always tip. I think everyone should be required to live on minimum wage plus tips throughout their 20's, no matter how rich their family, so you can see the nightmare, so you can live the nightmare, so you can understand instead of repeating soundbites & pretending to know what you cannot possibly understand.
By the way, Vincent, you grew up "pretty much poor" but as far as I can see, you're one of the richest guys I know...ruptured Achilles & all :)
PS - I deleted my comment because there was a mistake & I wanted my writing to be more respectful, since I dig what you are up to, sir!