People have been delivering food since before tech startups ~~~disrupted~~~ delivery, but enjoy that self-congratulatory pity
I hope it's a better reason than "they'd like to evade taxes". Even the usual justifications about "you can reward more for better service" are hard to apply here: what's the variation? Is it a bonus for not eating the food?
In software, I'd prefer the end customer throw bank notes at me, but I don't equate that with an actual superior model for how software development incentives should work.
That is 3 customers tip 10%, 15% and 20%, for an average 15%. But when you fix the service charge at 15%, the 10% tipper now orders less frequently. That might be made up for by the 20% tipper ordering more, but it depends on the shape of the demand curve.
Should I just not tip delivery people at all, since I like to keep money?
I'm struggling to see the model that drives your claim. As stated, it would justify "pay what you feel like" for every other good, to some extent.
That's true, except in the United States, in the case of delivery people and servers there is an extremely robust societal norm to tip. Such a norm doesn't exist for most other transactions.
Your question was "What difference would it make if done as a regular delivery fee rather than [a tip]?", which was precisely the question I tried to answer. That is, you can't aggregate a block of voluntary exchanges and average the price.
You were giving justifications at a system level, which why I said it would imply that other systems should shift to "pay what you feel like", irrespective of which ones currently use it.
And it's not an exchange, if one side has nothing to withhold, but a gift.
(In USA, the delivery person probably can't get away with reporting nothing to the IRS, they will have to declare some tip income or risk getting chased around)
If you get paid in tips only sure but around here it's minimum wage + tips. No-tip order still pays to your employer - of course it sucks for you but it still keeps the business going.
>(In USA, the delivery person probably can't get away with reporting nothing to the IRS, they will have to declare some tip income or risk getting chased around)
I meant reporting to the owner and waiting to get the money back trough paycheck.
The table-waiting model of using tips instead of pay sucks, but tipping for delivery can be a lot of money.
I know. My point was that, to the extent the driver has a legitimate preference, it's for receiving a fixed delivery fee, not for being "yet another person I'm expected to pay under the table".
Thus, I'd love for them to say what money amount satisfies my obligation to them, rather then guessing each time how much I'm supposed to secretly give the driver.
I'm looking for a model that would make me believe oppositely. Do you have one?
And yet, it is in the driver's interest to keep this knowledge from you. What they are getting is the minimum you feel comfortable about, which may very well be above what is the minimum they would consider satisfactory.
It's not obvious at all that they would prefer a fixed fee.
The game theory dynamics aren't in dispute. The question is, why do you defend a system that boils down to "they take advantage of people's ignorance", of what they're obligated to pay, and that they're paying more in return for nothing.
If you could wave a legal wand and cause a fixed $2 per delivery to go into their paycheck, that's fine. But that's not going to happen.
Wait-staff in a world without tips can get paid more. I don't think a delivery driver gets paid more.
They'd probably rather have a *tip*
Now paying a small extra on the basis of quality of service, does make sense. But again, that's different from supplementing a worker's deficient salary. The former is merit based, the latter is, on average, a necessary, expected and you could almost say culturally mandatory pity/solidarity payment by the customer that ought to simply be priced in the product or service and arranged between employer and employee.
Paying extra based on merit does make sense in some industries, like say a tour guide who didn't just tell you the facts of whatever artefact you walked by, but made sure you had an amazing time, catching your interests and focusing on things that resonate with you, waving stories into a unique experience, that's tip-worthy. A restaurant worker who puts in extra effort might be, too. But a delivery man who mostly has 1 actually important parameter of quality 'being on time or not', mostly, that's not a tip-worthy parameter in my opinion, that's just his normal job, and if he's getting a decent salary, I wouldn't tip for that.
I'll happily tip anyone doing his job if it's necessary to supplement a deficient salary, but I wouldn't tip anyone just for doing their job if their salary is sufficient. Whether that's the case for this particular uberised delivery industry will play out soon enough. I'm over in the Netherlands, generally tipping is not done and not necessary either as salary levels are quite decent. (the only exception is youth-wages, which are beyond ridiculous and a movement is on the rise to do away with the concept).
For the urbanites among the ancient Romans, food vendors (and even things like grab-and-go street vendors and fast food restaurants) were a normal part of life, since their apartments generally didn't have personal kitchens.
I can't find a source for it, but I have to imagine they had at least some personal food delivery services.
Why would you feel that someone who makes your food is beneath you?
I doubt either applied in Roman times. I'll stand corrected if:
a) There is evidence people submitted food schedules where the food could be delivered on a regular basis, or
b) There were evidence of a pre-telephone method of instantly transmitting an order, or
c) It were a practice to send out a messenger to place and bring back the order for the non-wealthy.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/history/pompeii/9850077/Pompeii-e...
So I imagine it is possible many would do some kind of deliveries as well.
Pizza only came to be much later, when the tomato got introduced to Europe, from South America. And when people eventually found out that many varieties of tomatoes are not only not poisonous but also well tasting. :)
But more to the point, there are various jobs widely known to be totally underpaid and depend on tips. For instance, you tip bartenders in the US even though all they are doing is pouring you a beer. Is it "right"? Of course not. But it's a widely accepted societal norm in many countries, and is an assumed part of that person's income.
Quality of service questions aside though the bottom line of whether or not you should tip comes down to if the person in question is working for the tipped employee minimum wage or the standard minimum wage.
If they are paid according to the tipped minimum and you don't tip based on your ideological view of the appropriateness of a tip for their job function then you are an ass.
It if didn't arrive in good shape, I would be asking for a refund, or at the very least not ordering form that place anymore.
I don't know, it's weird - I currently live in UK, where tipping waiters is defacto standard(and not because they make below-living wages), but I would never ever think to tip a delivery driver. Like....why would I? This makes absolutely no logical sense, just like I wouldn't tip a plumber or a car mechanic for fixing my stuff on time - they are already taking money for the service.
There's your issue. Tipping culture in the UK is very different to the US. Mainly because, as you say, they do not make below-living wages.
But within you example, I still don't see the distinction. Waiters can treat you badly or well - and you tip them accordingly. Delivery drivers can treat you badly or well - and you tip them accordingly.
In contrast, my experience with the delivery driver is limited to the 10 second it takes for them to hand me my food. Literally every single takeaway takes payment online, so for years now my food was already paid for before it was even delivered. So all the driver has to do is give me my food. He doesn't even have to say anything, there's no conversation to be had, "delivery experience" to experience. So why tip?
If you want to be righteous call the manager at the place you're ordering food from and complain, don't stiff the guy delivering pizza for a living.
I don't see how Sprig is any different from a multi-national pizza delivery chain. Really the only difference is that Sprig is solely available as app, whereas you can walk-in or call a Domino's.
Does this author even pizza?
Generally speaking about delivery, tipping, restaurants, food service - treat people well, as humans, and if you order something you do not like, either try again or move on. You don't always win in life and it really is not a big deal unless you were mortally wounded or something truly terrible happened.
Regarding tips, here's an interesting thing to try for when you are unsure - ask. Delivery guys and restaurant workers are people. Most will answer honestly about their working arrangements, especially if you explain yourself. They are people like you and me, and most likely they work just as hard as both of us. These people normally do deserve a tip for good service, even if they are paid in part.
A simple example - if someone needs to come up 12 flights of stairs or take the elevator to floor 14 for you, while still managing to deliver many other orders on time, you do in fact owe it to them to tip them. While you might tip less if they are already compensated on some level, you should always reward anyone for good and extra service. If it's too much with tip, don't order deliver. Get up and get it yourself. Why is this so hard for some other commenters here to understand? If the service is bad, you can say so or simply not tip and not order again.
Someone mentioned delivery vs. pickup - I've lived in countries where there's no opportunity to pull up your car, SUV, land boat to pickup your meals. You either buy it on the street and eat there/walk it home, or get it delivered by someone usually on a motorcycle or bike. Delivery is a privilege and a service, so you pay for it.
As far as tip amount, in some countries, you tip a lot less than the US. But you also tip more kinds of people and act more civil to people doing things in your life that are not generally tipped in the US - plumber, electrician, etc. For instance in Israel, it is extremely rude if someone comes to do home repairs, plumbing, movers, whatever to not offer them a cup of fresh (not instant unless they ask) coffee/tea/beverage and possibly food in addition to paying the full fee. In fact, you offer them at the beginning; they are a guest in your home, so you treat them warmly and you will receive warm and diligent service in return.
Regarding the systems food companies and restaurants use, wtf. If you can't run a solvent business without cutting all these corners, then don't. Treating people badly and not paying livable wages should not be an option. If you cannot afford to pay and treat your workers fairly, then you simply failed at you business. This capitalistic notion of cutting corners to win, because everyone is doing it, or whatever else is silly. I could have won at Monopoly that one time, but I needed to pass Go on more time. Deal with it.
Finally, if you have a bad experience, solve it in a normal way. Talk to the business, do not order the same thing again, order from somewhere else, etc. What you don't do is throw a tantrum and especially in food service, come to quick judgements about nothing. Listen, I've often ordered bad Chinese, and that's just part of life. I eat the bad Chinese if I can, and then try to remember to order something else or somewhere else the next time. None of this is complicated - don't be a dick and learn to live with consequences.