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> I can read a straightforward social cue about the arrangements the business operates under What are some examples of such "straightforward social cues"? I w

> I can read a straightforward social cue about the arrangements the business operates under What are some examples of such "straightforward social cues"? I would genuinely like to know, because the only social cues at coffee shops I have seen pre-Square terminal have been super context-dependent. For example, you tip if it looks like the baristas are kind of overwhelmed – e.g. at a super busy time like the morning rush; or if you waltzed in with a large group and ordered seven lattes or something. Because the baristas are gracefully operating under pressure and getting the coffee to you on time, you tip them. After Square terminals, it seems like tips are expected even if there is literally no one else in the shop because the app says so. Which is not really a social cue.

tptacek 4y ago
1. Point of sale system that explicitly prompts for a tip. 2. Large jar labelled "TIPS", partially filled with money. 3. Check to sign with a tip line. Happy to help!
- quadrifoliate 4y ago
  I should have probably clarified whether we were talking about to-go orders, because obviously you would tip at a sit-down place, similar to a sit-down restaurant. For to-go orders, 1. and 3. are often because they use the same PoS (usually a Square or Clover terminal these days) for the to-go and sit-down orders. You are free to read accidents of technological convenience as social cues, but that doesn't automatically make them so. 2. is probably a true social cue, for either sit-down or to-go.
  - tptacek 4y ago
    I tip to-go coffee shop orders (when there are clear tipping norms, as is the case at all the coffee shops I go to). You can call the POS system an "accident of technological convenience", but it is also a prominent, clearly legible sign expressing the expectation that you're going to tip. It is less of a big deal to stiff a coffee shop than a restaurant (you might actually get yelled at at a restaurant!) but if you talk to them when the shop is quiet they'll mutter under their breath about the regulars who don't tip.
- lxgr 4y ago
  > 2. Large jar labelled "TIPS", partially filled with money. That's my preferred one. > 1. Point of sale system that explicitly prompts for a tip. Seemingly the same general idea, but also for... Buying things, as opposed to eating/drinking? (I've seen some at what was arguably grocery stores that also had some sit-down dining, paid on the same terminal.) Bars that already include a 20% service charge, and the prompt says 26%/28%/30% on top of the service charge? (Fortunately, I've only seen that one once, so far.) > 3. Check to sign with a tip line. These can be confusing at takeout places! Only very recently, after settling on leaving a "compromise tip" between nothing and a sit-down rate (and feeling appropriately mediocre about it) at a local takeout place, I ordered with the owner for the first time – and he immediately threw away the receipt as it came out of the machine with a smile, not giving me a chance to fill the tip line. Apparently no take-out tips expected!
  - tptacek 4y ago
    I prefer the POS to the tip jar, because I tend not to carry cash. If you're paying a service charge, you're not expected to tip. (I know, this is annoying; the most annoying thing here though is the service charge).
    - lxgr 4y ago
      Oh, I do tip at the POS almost exclusively! Still, a physical tip jar tells me "a person actually working here put this here intentionally", while a POS sometimes (probably irrationally) makes me wonder if these were just the defaults Square or competition shipped the thing with, an A/B test on proposed amounts run by a faceless corporate board etc.

tptacek 4y ago

1. Point of sale system that explicitly prompts for a tip. 2. Large jar labelled "TIPS", partially filled with money. 3. Check to sign with a tip line. Happy to help!

quadrifoliate 4y ago
I should have probably clarified whether we were talking about to-go orders, because obviously you would tip at a sit-down place, similar to a sit-down restaurant. For to-go orders, 1. and 3. are often because they use the same PoS (usually a Square or Clover terminal these days) for the to-go and sit-down orders. You are free to read accidents of technological convenience as social cues, but that doesn't automatically make them so. 2. is probably a true social cue, for either sit-down or to-go.
- tptacek 4y ago
  I tip to-go coffee shop orders (when there are clear tipping norms, as is the case at all the coffee shops I go to). You can call the POS system an "accident of technological convenience", but it is also a prominent, clearly legible sign expressing the expectation that you're going to tip. It is less of a big deal to stiff a coffee shop than a restaurant (you might actually get yelled at at a restaurant!) but if you talk to them when the shop is quiet they'll mutter under their breath about the regulars who don't tip.
lxgr 4y ago
> 2. Large jar labelled "TIPS", partially filled with money. That's my preferred one. > 1. Point of sale system that explicitly prompts for a tip. Seemingly the same general idea, but also for... Buying things, as opposed to eating/drinking? (I've seen some at what was arguably grocery stores that also had some sit-down dining, paid on the same terminal.) Bars that already include a 20% service charge, and the prompt says 26%/28%/30% on top of the service charge? (Fortunately, I've only seen that one once, so far.) > 3. Check to sign with a tip line. These can be confusing at takeout places! Only very recently, after settling on leaving a "compromise tip" between nothing and a sit-down rate (and feeling appropriately mediocre about it) at a local takeout place, I ordered with the owner for the first time – and he immediately threw away the receipt as it came out of the machine with a smile, not giving me a chance to fill the tip line. Apparently no take-out tips expected!
- tptacek 4y ago
  I prefer the POS to the tip jar, because I tend not to carry cash. If you're paying a service charge, you're not expected to tip. (I know, this is annoying; the most annoying thing here though is the service charge).
  - lxgr 4y ago
    Oh, I do tip at the POS almost exclusively! Still, a physical tip jar tells me "a person actually working here put this here intentionally", while a POS sometimes (probably irrationally) makes me wonder if these were just the defaults Square or competition shipped the thing with, an A/B test on proposed amounts run by a faceless corporate board etc.