Viewing a single comment thread. View all comments

brick1972 t1_j662pm0 wrote

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.

10

AgedParmy t1_j6760td wrote

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

5

brick1972 t1_j67ynbg wrote

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.

2

FrutaFertil t1_j679psk wrote

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.

4

brick1972 t1_j67x7y8 wrote

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.

2

FrutaFertil t1_j685m37 wrote

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.

2

brick1972 t1_j68hf7b wrote

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.

4

FrutaFertil t1_j6bb0vs wrote

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!

3