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Tipping is a nuisance, something that goes in the "Con" category in a Pro & Con analysis. The vendor is implicitly warning you that you shouldn't count on getti

by SiVal 12y ago

Tipping is a nuisance, something that goes in the "Con" category in a Pro & Con analysis. The vendor is implicitly warning you that you shouldn't count on getting good service included just because you officially paid for it. They're warning you that they have no real control over their service providers, and "it would be a shame if something unforeseeable, like getting caught in traffic, were to happen to a delivery you were counting on", so you'd better work something out with them privately and hope the "service" provider is pleased with the result. Like many people, I have a lot of options when it comes to who I buy from. I now have to pay sales tax to Amazon, and there are often other vendors who are cheaper, or charge no sales tax, or have stores five minutes away where "shipping" is instantaneous and always free for even the smallest purchase. Even so, I'll often pay more and buy from Amazon anyway because of their service. Anything that reduced their service quality would shift some of those purchases away from Amazon. I haven't seen this new Amazon system for myself yet, so maybe there's no real problem, but if "free" 2-hour delivery turns out to require air-quotes around the "free" along with a nudge, nudge, wink, wink, "it would be a mistake to disappoint me" attitude from the delivery guy, I'll use the system a lot less.

sokoloff 12y ago
The equivalent cost of shipping from a brick-n-mortar store that's five minutes away is almost surely more than 15 minutes of your time (could easily be 30 minutes) and, if you drive, $2-4 at the IRS/GSA rates. For me, avoiding that 15-20 minutes of annoyance is well-worth calculating and paying a tip. (Agree that that's a negative, but it's relatively small negative.)
- SiVal 12y ago
  You're right that effective B&M shipping cost is not always free. The brick 'n mortar cost of shipping is anywhere from a lot ("I'd have to drive into the city just for that and pay exorbitant parking garage fees, and I've got too much to do this afternoon...") to nothing ("I'll be in that store tomorrow anyway, and I won't need it until Thursday...") In the former case, it's unlikely that the tip would impact my decision; in the latter, it very well might. In either case, it goes in the "con" category and, at the margin, changes some fraction of my Amazon-yes-or-no purchase decisions, always in the direction of no.
ssharp 12y ago
The stores don't charge sales tax. The state mandates that they collect sales tax. If the state doesn't mandate that the store collect sales tax, the store won't "make" you pay it, though I think technically in most states, you're still supposed to file those purchases with your state income tax and pay then.
- SiVal 12y ago
  If I can get what I want more cheaply from Vendor A than from Vendor B, the question of whether Vendor B is charging me more as an agent of the state or on its own behalf is unlikely to be relevant to the decision.
lolwutf 12y ago
I certainly hope you don't carry that attitude with you throughout life. Tip your bartenders and pizza delivery guys... they make nothing, anyway. (And, if you're in tech, chances are an extra $2 for a tip is NOT going to break your budget.)
- snowwrestler 12y ago
  I think tipping well is absolutely one of the best returns on investment available in life. From a selfish perspective: a few extra dollars can make a huge difference in service, particularly services you use repeatedly. From a humanity perspective: a few extra dollars can also make a big difference in the life of the person you're tipping...usually jobs with tips do not pay very well.

by SiVal 12y ago

sokoloff 12y ago

The equivalent cost of shipping from a brick-n-mortar store that's five minutes away is almost surely more than 15 minutes of your time (could easily be 30 minutes) and, if you drive, $2-4 at the IRS/GSA rates. For me, avoiding that 15-20 minutes of annoyance is well-worth calculating and paying a tip. (Agree that that's a negative, but it's relatively small negative.)

SiVal 12y ago
You're right that effective B&M shipping cost is not always free. The brick 'n mortar cost of shipping is anywhere from a lot ("I'd have to drive into the city just for that and pay exorbitant parking garage fees, and I've got too much to do this afternoon...") to nothing ("I'll be in that store tomorrow anyway, and I won't need it until Thursday...") In the former case, it's unlikely that the tip would impact my decision; in the latter, it very well might. In either case, it goes in the "con" category and, at the margin, changes some fraction of my Amazon-yes-or-no purchase decisions, always in the direction of no.

ssharp 12y ago

The stores don't charge sales tax. The state mandates that they collect sales tax. If the state doesn't mandate that the store collect sales tax, the store won't "make" you pay it, though I think technically in most states, you're still supposed to file those purchases with your state income tax and pay then.

SiVal 12y ago
If I can get what I want more cheaply from Vendor A than from Vendor B, the question of whether Vendor B is charging me more as an agent of the state or on its own behalf is unlikely to be relevant to the decision.

lolwutf 12y ago

I certainly hope you don't carry that attitude with you throughout life. Tip your bartenders and pizza delivery guys... they make nothing, anyway. (And, if you're in tech, chances are an extra $2 for a tip is NOT going to break your budget.)

snowwrestler 12y ago
I think tipping well is absolutely one of the best returns on investment available in life. From a selfish perspective: a few extra dollars can make a huge difference in service, particularly services you use repeatedly. From a humanity perspective: a few extra dollars can also make a big difference in the life of the person you're tipping...usually jobs with tips do not pay very well.