this post was submitted on 05 Jul 2023
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What's an acceptable tip for a driver who delivers a $20 pizza?

A TikTok video purporting to show a DoorDash delivery driver in Texas swearing at a customer over the $5 tip she gave him has gone viral, sparking fresh online debate over tipping culture in the U.S.

"I just want to say it's a nice house for a $5 tip," the driver can be heard saying as he walks away from a home in the door camera video posted to TikTok earlier this week by a user under the name Lacey Purciful.

"You're welcome!" the resident says, appearing surprised by the remark. "F*** you," the driver responds before walking away.

A spokesperson for DoorDash said a delivery driver had been removed from their platform in connection with the incident.

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[–] dystop@lemmy.world 91 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Tipping is not the right way to ensure everyone earns a decent wage.

[–] kuontom@kbin.social 48 points 1 year ago (1 children)

What a bad take. You expect employers to stop exploiting their staff by underpaying them? Un-American

[–] dismalnow@kbin.social 24 points 1 year ago (2 children)

It's only a bad take if you cannot imagine unions, labor laws, and minimum wage.

[–] kuontom@kbin.social 37 points 1 year ago (12 children)

Workers' rights? Literal communism! Go back to China

[–] genoxidedev1@kbin.social 12 points 1 year ago

Ahhh china. The country of workers rights.

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[–] Poggervania@kbin.social 4 points 1 year ago
[–] Poggervania@kbin.social 10 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Tipping is messed up on both ends for both the delivery person and the customer when you think about it.

Tipping is basically a way for a corporation that could actually pay a livable wage to instead not do that, and then criminally underpay their employees - after all, the customers will just pay extra to make up for the literal below minimum wage pay the corporation is paying the delivery person.

[–] sirspate@kbin.social 7 points 1 year ago

It's also a way for employees to under-report their income on their taxes, which is a perverse incentive.

[–] Suddenmoose@kbin.social 52 points 1 year ago (1 children)

tipping culture needs to die

[–] wagesj45@kbin.social 3 points 1 year ago (3 children)

the question is how to kill it. anytime someone suggests that they just won't tip anymore, they're deluged by a torrent of hate because "that's not how it works!" yeah, they know and they want to change it.

seems like the only acceptable answer is for business owners to recognize that tipping culture is wrong and voluntarily, through the goodness of their hearts, abolish tips in their establishment and pay a living wage. this is super admirable for the very few businesses that do this, but its wildly unrealistic to think it will happen. so the default is accepting that businesses will continue to exploit their workers and their customers kind-heartedness.

[–] Flaky_Fish69@kbin.social 4 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

I’m okay with being flamed.

Three points to consider:

  • tipping itself is voluntary.
  • employment is at will (if they can find a better paying job, they should.)(for that matter, so is my patronage- which is why I don’t use door dash or whatever. Totally unethical)
  • many tips aren’t going to the driver/waitstaff/other staff at all.

(Door dash for example, if you tip less than or the same as the delivery fee they pay the driver, they pay the same fee regardless and keep the extra tip. If you pay more than, they take the delivery fee. Many of the point of sales kiosks that are asking for a tip never go to the people bejng the counter- especially at place last that you wouldn’t normally tip at. Or some of it goes there, but then management gets a cut, square gets also gets their cut, and visa etc also get their cut)

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[–] Rhaedas@kbin.social 32 points 1 year ago (1 children)

As a pizza deliver driver once (in the era before GPS when it was usually cash or a check), the nice houses often were the worse for paying a tip, if anything. The apartments and run down areas seemed to get the point of you doing them a service, and would find change they probably needed to make a tip. That being said, tipping in the US is yet another example of corporate power shifting responsibility and blame onto the consumer rather than take direct action on a problem. The modern example is putting in more and more systems to encourage higher tipping, rather than raise wages.

[–] Litany@kbin.social 14 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Yes! I never know how to feel about being prompted for a tip when I get carry out. Normally the tip is for table or delivery service. I don't think I should be obligated to compensate someone's wage for running my credit card and handing me a bag.

It is is 100% the case that establishments know customers will feel obligated to tip in any scenario they are prompted.

Hell, how do I even know that such a tip goes to the service staff who are paid less than minimum wage?

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[–] falconhoof@kbin.social 15 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

A business' way of having the customer pick up the bill for them not paying their staff properly. Really unfortunate that this has become so socially expected.

[–] leaskovski@kbin.social 13 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I never understood why the driver should get a tip? Do you top your mail man everytime he turns up with your post?

[–] DarkThoughts@kbin.social 14 points 1 year ago

They often have to pay for the gas. But then again, if they didn't get tips, and they wouldn't get enough money from the job, then they wouldn't take it in the first place. Which means then the companies would have to actually pay enough money, meaning the drivers wouldn't actually need tips. Tipping just needs to go. It's a stupid fucking system to rob the customer of more money than necessary and breeds those confusing social standards that cause nothing but conflict.

[–] kuontom@kbin.social 10 points 1 year ago
[–] baseless_discourse@mander.xyz 10 points 1 year ago

This is why I don't order delivery anymore.

[–] AttackBunny@kbin.social 8 points 1 year ago (3 children)

So, we are assuming the pizza was $20. a 20% tip, which is still pretty standard, afaik, would be $4. WTF is this driver pissed about exactly?

Also, why the hell does anyone use these services? They take a huge commission from the restaurant, they don't pay their drivers living wage, shit is frequently wrong, or the driver is an ass. What benefit does this "service" actually offer because I can't see it.

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[–] JoJo@social.fossware.space 4 points 1 year ago (5 children)

Whatever you think of the driver's behaviour, getting someone sacked for having a bad day is a scummy thing to do. You leave them a five star review or you do nothing.

[–] greater_potater@kbin.social 34 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Well then I'm scum because I would contact the company and demand my tip back and tell them exactly why.

[–] JoJo@social.fossware.space 5 points 1 year ago (2 children)

I get the impulse, for sure. It's upsetting, you want revenge. But would you stop to consider whether the injury to your feelings is really worth throwing someone out of work? I mean, if it's some tax-avoiding, worker-exploiting, obscenely highly paid executive, go for it. Bury them if you get the chance. But punishing a very low wage gig worker to make yourself feel better, and tightening the iron grip of the afore-mentioned executives by snitching on them? Be the better person and feel good about it.

[–] snooggums@kbin.social 16 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

Did you watch the video?

It wasn't like he muttered it under his breath. He was a total ass directly to his customer's face because they had a nice house and didn't tip to his satisfaction.

[–] JoJo@social.fossware.space 4 points 1 year ago (2 children)

I did watch the video. He was having a bad day. And the wealthy person he took it out on took it upon themselves to dismantle his life. That's the whole point of being wealthy, after all. You don't have to give a shit about anyone but yourself. And there will be ordinary Joes cheering you on because this world is absolutely fucked.

[–] kmkz_ninja@lemmy.world 5 points 1 year ago

I wish I could pay someone poorer than you to just follow you around and insult you.

[–] rikonium@discuss.tchncs.de 5 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Some people said Amy Cooper (Central Park "Karen") was having a bad day - I found it telling that the implication being made is that they believe everyone has highly racist tendencies barely contained and all it takes is a case of the Monday's to lie and attempt to sic the police on a person of the wrong complexion. (projection?)

[–] JoJo@social.fossware.space 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

You're going to have to explain why an entitled rich woman abusing her power is equivalent to the driver here.

[–] rikonium@discuss.tchncs.de 7 points 1 year ago (6 children)

Both had someone brushing it off as “a bad day”

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[–] lp0101@lemmy.world 11 points 1 year ago (12 children)

Oh no, it's the consequences of his own actions.

I'm all for worker's rights and solidarity among the working class. That doesn't mean I give people carte blanche to be dicks. In the end, I'm paying for a service, and that service doesn't include a man child being upset at my tip.

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[–] ryan@the.coolest.zone 21 points 1 year ago

I normally agree with you - if something got misdelivered or an item is wrong, it's best to give the benefit of the doubt, they forgot or they're having a bad day or whatever. No reason to tank a person's whole side job.

In this case though, considering it's the driver directly swearing at the woman and indicating he thinks she has wronged him, and obviously he knows where she lives... I can't necessarily blame her for reporting it to be on the safe side. That's a lot different than just forgetting a drink.

[–] FeetiePJs@kbin.social 8 points 1 year ago (2 children)

getting someone sacked for having a bad day is a scummy thing to do

It is, but only because losing a job means that person might now lose access to food, housing, and healthcare. That's a really steep price to pay for what could be an isolated incident. But that's not something to lay at the feet of the person tipping here. They are also a victim of the structure we've created. They need to choose between shutting up and accepting verbal abuse in their own home or speaking out and possibly triggering events that ruin the delivery driver's life? Neither of those choices are acceptable.

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[–] Unaware7013@kbin.social 4 points 1 year ago

Yeah, no. You freak out on me like that, especially on a 25% tip, I'm absolutely reporting you to your manager. That kind of entitlement deserves to be destroyed and I don't feel the least bit bad about someone losing their job for bitching out a customer unwarranted.

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