Tipping is an outdated social concept that needs eliminating. If my Costco cashier is a dick to me, I report that to his manager and he gets disciplined. If my Costco cashier is super slow, his manager notices and he improves or gets fired.
Now why does this whole incentive/reward model get flipped on its head when this person is delivering food to my table (or door)? If my DoorDash driver takes a long time, I have NO IDEA whether that's because traffic was bad, there was snow on the road, the restaurant was busy, etc. What is even the purpose of the tip?
I'm more and more convinced, especially after doing a 7-day cruise last week, that tips are kept in place by the establishment merely as a way to lower perceived prices. DoorDash wants to charge you $25 for something, but advertise that it only costs $20. DoorDash is in a much better place than I to detect patterns of performance in their employees, as are restaurant managers, haircut salons, the list goes on.
In the end, the world would be a better place without tips. Those most capable of monitoring service quality would be stuck with that responsibility, prices would be communicated transparently, and, above all, total prices wouldn't even change anyway!
Now why does this whole incentive/reward model get flipped on its head when this person is delivering food to my table (or door)? If my DoorDash driver takes a long time, I have NO IDEA whether that's because traffic was bad, there was snow on the road, the restaurant was busy, etc. What is even the purpose of the tip?
I'm more and more convinced, especially after doing a 7-day cruise last week, that tips are kept in place by the establishment merely as a way to lower perceived prices. DoorDash wants to charge you $25 for something, but advertise that it only costs $20. DoorDash is in a much better place than I to detect patterns of performance in their employees, as are restaurant managers, haircut salons, the list goes on.
In the end, the world would be a better place without tips. Those most capable of monitoring service quality would be stuck with that responsibility, prices would be communicated transparently, and, above all, total prices wouldn't even change anyway!