I’ve noticed in the past five years the proliferation of service fees at Bay Area restaurants that are separate from tip. It’s not just at sit-down places; I’v

I’ve noticed in the past five years the proliferation of service fees at Bay Area restaurants that are separate from tip. It’s not just at sit-down places; I’ve also seen them at places without waitstaff, such as sandwich shops and cafes. These fees are bad enough (they should be rolled into the price as a cost of business instead of nickling -and-dining customers), but I’ve encountered places that have charged me these fees without any notice, which I find outrageous. On principle I do not do business with businesses that charge “service fees” (except for cover charges or the customary 18-20% fee for large parties) unless I have to go to a social event where I didn’t choose the venue. While I’m on the topic of fees, I remember when I purchased my new car, which came with a special SiriusXM deal that was advertised for $4 or $5 per month for the first year. However, when I registered for it, I then learned about an unadvertised $1-2 fee for “music licensing” or something similar. I choose to proceed since I was still paying much less than the normal monthly fee (though I considered not proceeding with the purchase out of principle), but once again, music licensing should be part of the cost of business for running SiriusXM or any other music broadcasting service, and thus should be reflected in the advertised price instead of as an unpleasant surprise at purchase time. Yes, it’s expected that delivery services come with a delivery fee, and for delivery of take-out tipping has long been customary (I remember being taught back in the 1990s to tip the person who delivers pizza), but a “service charge” that’s independent of the delivery fee? Why can’t that just be rolled into the delivery fee? Land of the fee and the home of the wage slave, indeed.