I’m physically disabled and have issue shopping due to bone tumors all over my bones (poly ostotic fibrous dysplasia with mccune albright syndrome). It hurts to live, walk, lift, exist, etc.

I’m also on what is essentially a keto diet to help keep my diabetes in the “pre-diabetes” state.

I use Instacart to help me survive and eat. It helps me not burden others and helps my independence.

Groceries are becoming more and more expensive. This is particularly true if you’re on a special diet like me.

Delivering five or so bags of groceries or a few larger (but essential) items can be like $150-200 on Instacart per trip. Then, when I check out, Instacart recommends tipping $40+?

That seems insane to me. Like $20 for that amount seems about right? Maybe throw in an extra $10 if I have some heavy things or items that are large in volume.

Should I be tipping $40+ dollars?

  • folkrav
    334·
    9 months ago

    Yes, fuck tipping. Absolutely. Pay your employees.

    However, “doing [your] part” would be stopping to frequent places that have employees that are tipped. Most of these employees can’t make a living off the base salary. You’re not passing the message you think you may be - the only person you’re penalizing is the employee. The business got your money regardless, why would they pay their workers better?

    Hell, around here, minimum wage for tip jobs is a couple bucks lower than regular minimum wage, so not tipping means making those employees pay taxes on tips you didn’t give them lol

    • Nyfure@kbin.social
      31·
      9 months ago

      In an more ideal world, getting less money because people tip less, would push you to reconsider the job choice and ultimately switch to something more lucrative.
      With less workers, the company would be forced to pay more to even get employes.

      Problem with this idealised scenario is, it doesnt work in the US, because workers are getting screwed so much and have so little choices at those low paying jobs, they’d be the ones loosing massively in the short-term.
      And with little support structures my the states and federal government, they would fail… and the 2 party system would fail them even harder, noone cares about them in the government… too much invested in fighting imaginary culture wars.

      But then again, using less services of the business leads to the same outcome in the end, so even that wouldnt work well.
      The business will always win in the short-term.
      So as it is ineviteable, maybe its better to think long term anyways.

      And everyone wants tips these days, no longer just a gratitude or paying low wage workers, but now also a ‘bid’… (sure not every worker might like relying on tips, but specially well paid servers prefer it as they make bank)
      I dont see you getting iut of tipping either way very well without government intervention… which i dont see happening, but you have orher big issues too…

      • folkrav
        1·
        9 months ago

        IMHO, the problem with this idealized scenario isn’t specific to the US:

        • You have to implicitly agree that a living wage is not something that any full time job deserves
        • You need to put a lot of faith in the mystical Invisible Hand that the market will indeed magically correct itself. Wages have been, as a whole, going down, for decades, so while individuals might come out on top, we’re already collectively losing, in the short to medium term.
        • It completely obliviates the human element. Changing career paths after gathering experience in another is not that easy. You’re most likely asking those people to take an additional financial hit regardless, be it cause they’re starting at the bottom of the ladder again, or going back to school, etc. It’s always going to fascinate me how we can talk about jobs without talking about the people under those jobs…
        • There are jobs that will always need to be done, highly paid or not. For example, we can’t just wait for PA nurses to be well paid for people to join the program.

        As for servers’ salary… Looking at official numbers, plus having family members that used to work in the field, some considered well paid servers… “Making bank” in the overwhelms majority of cases still means rather average, or less.