Having just returned from a trip to Australia where tipping is rarely done or expected, the recently announced policy by DoorDash to notify customers at the time they place an order that failure to include a tip would probably result in delayed delivery really rankled me.
While not wanting to sound like Scrooge this close to the upcoming holiday season, I prefer to think of tips as being a reward for exceptional service, not an essential part of an underpaid worker’s wage. Why can’t employers be required to pay their workers a decent wage instead of attempting to shame their customers into picking up the shortfall? What happened to the notion that the advertised price should reflect the actual cost to the customer? Then, if (and only if) the customer is especially pleased with the service, the customer can express that satisfaction via a generous, unsolicited tip. I am sick of those credit card screens and slips that blatantly list a variety of possible tips ranging from high to higher.
They are nothing more than an attempt to shame the customer into paying more than the advertised price; this is particularly galling when encountered at a pickup counter, where no personal service whatsoever is provided.
Grrrr. Don’t get me started on my other pet peeve as a customer — those omnipresent customer satisfaction survey requests that show up in your email inbox right after buying something like a roll of duct tape at Home Depot.
— Ted Moore
Anchorage
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