• @TheDoctorDonna@lemmy.world
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    755 months ago

    This is why I got a cheap Aeropress and milk frother. I pay enough for my latte, and the barista makes as much as I do, stop judging me for not tipping. I tip servers, not counter workers.

    • @jopepa@lemmy.world
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      515 months ago

      I don’t mind tipping for any hospitality service, but what I really hate about fast food and cafe tipping is that they often collect payment and push for a tip before the order was made incorrectly.

      • @TheDoctorDonna@lemmy.world
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        165 months ago

        That’s a good point. I also hate that about food delivery services. I tip my drivers well, but I don’t like that I’m often giving a good tip and not getting good service in return. If I’d have known I was going to get bad service, I would have tipped based on distance only and it would be significantly less.

        • @jopepa@lemmy.world
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          45 months ago

          Sometimes it’s just a no win scenario, even with a refund it’s still a bunch of hoops to jump through just to be hungry and annoyed, but at no cost to you!

          • @TheDoctorDonna@lemmy.world
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            25 months ago

            Been there too! My place isn’t even that hard to find, but it pisses me off when my kids are looking forward to some Edo and it never comes. The refund is fine, but we’re still hungry and now it’s 8 pm, now what am I supposed to do?

        • @KevonLooney@lemm.ee
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          15 months ago

          If you don’t get good service on GrubHub or wherever, you just complain to their helpline. They give you refunds.

          Honestly I have no issues with 95% of delivery orders. And usually the issue is the restaurant’s fault.

          • @TheDoctorDonna@lemmy.world
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            15 months ago

            In my experience they don’t refund if the driver is 20 minutes late because they went the wrong way or because they decided to take multiple orders. I’ve even had them drop my food off at the wrong place when I was standing right outside my door waiting for them. The people at the other place tried to tell the driver it didn’t belong to them but he just left it with them and left, my neighbour gave it to me. When I complained Door Dash said that because I got my order there was nothing they could do.

                • @KevonLooney@lemm.ee
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                  15 months ago

                  If you only have those options, it means you live in the middle of nowhere. How can you not have GrubHub or Uber Eats? Those are the only good ones. I would definitely use the in-house delivery before Doordash. Never even heard of the other one.

            • @KevonLooney@lemm.ee
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              15 months ago

              95% success rate sucks? It sounds like this person just lives somewhere where all delivery sucks.

              Plenty of people move to the middle of nowhere to “get away from it all” and then complain about the lack of service and conveniences. No, a few dollars tip is not enough to pay someone to drive 30 minutes to wherever you decided to live.

              • @GBU_28@lemm.ee
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                45 months ago

                The pattern of tip before consumption and call support to resolve is worse than nearly any alternative.

                No comment on your second paragraph, not applicable

          • @TheDoctorDonna@lemmy.world
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            45 months ago

            I can’t remember the last time I paid anything in cash that wasn’t my kids allowance. But on top of that Skip the Dishes ( I assume door dash too, but I used to drive for Skip so I can say them for sure) shows the driver how much they’ll make on the delivery and if they don’t like it they won’t accept it. If I’m paying in cash then all they’re being shown is the base distance rate and they’ll all deny it.

            • eric
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              25 months ago

              DoorDash does this as well, and there is no way to adjust the tip if you received bad service. There used to be, but DoorDash found their model worked better if they don’t allow you to reduce your tip after you put in the order.

        • @jopepa@lemmy.world
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          15 months ago

          Then they hand you a receipt from a printer that’s out of toner and you can’t even entertain the customer feedback route. It’ll dry up like the KFC and the Arby’s that occupied that lot before it.

      • @DoomsdaySprocket@lemmy.ca
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        25 months ago

        Don’t forget that the autotip screens usually calculate that percentage after tax, which is wrong, and make it a pain in the ass to tip a percentage on pre-tax like it’s supposed to be done, so they’re dishonestly wringing even more cents out of you!

    • @clearedtoland@lemmy.world
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      45 months ago

      I’ve had my aeropress for years and have a love/hate relationship with it. I go on streaks that make incredible cups, followed by the worst cups of my life when I inevitably forget the ratios or change grinds. I really do like it and wish I could be a snob but I just settle for my Nespresso (when it isn’t broken and needing warranty replacement, again).

  • @mastefetri@infosec.pub
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    675 months ago

    They’ll keep it up as long as business is good. If people will pay 12$ for a latte and lines are out the door, and there are no regulations to stop price gouging and predatory behavior, why wouldn’t they?

    • @CosmicTurtle@lemmy.world
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      305 months ago

      Oh there are definitely laws to stop price gauging but that’s for small businesses and individuals who aren’t rich.

    • @GraniteM@lemmy.world
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      175 months ago

      why wouldn’t they?

      It’s not even a matter of “why wouldn’t they,” do much as a matter of they must.

      Absent of regulations, any company that doesn’t abandon every conceivable human moral in pursuit of more profit will find itself hopelessly out-competed by the ones that do. If your every competitor is charging $12 for a latte and paying their employees starvation wages, and you charge a reasonable amount and pay your employees a decent wage, then every hour you’re in business your competitors will be making more money than you, and you will always fall behind, unless something comes along to close that gap.

      Libertarians might try to say that eventually the free market will close the gap, but adults know otherwise. The free market doesn’t give a shit about human decency, the environment, the value of mom and pop businesses, or any of that. The free market can only ever want to make more money, every year, at a faster rate of increase, every year. Forever.

      Government is the only thing that can reasonably account for how things should be. Regulations are the only reason we don’t have 80 hour work weeks and children in the mines.

    • @UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world
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      95 months ago

      Is $12 for a latte even price gouging?

      Like, $12 for milk and eggs? $12 for a pound of veggies or a gallon of gas or a jug of water during a hurricane? Sure.

      But I can buy a bag of beans for $12 and make ten cups easy. I just don’t know if I’d call it price gouging because you’re willing to pay out the nose for foamed milk.

    • @thecrotch@sh.itjust.works
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      45 months ago

      Lattes aren’t essential. Charging $12 for one is neither predatory nor price gouging. It’s arguably exploitatative but I don’t feel it’s our job to tell people they’re not allowed to waste their own money.

      • @Smoogs@lemmy.world
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        25 months ago

        Acting on “what the market will bear” instead of what at cost as well as labour is predatory in that it is opportunistic in the basic definition of what makes predatory behaviour predatory. It is also gouging as it is setting a price range that can be considered exclusionary. And then to also attack a customer who feels this and speaks it can be considered victim blaming as you’re enabling these behaviours by dismissing the feedback of the victim, which again is being exclusionary by enforcing their money to be taken but not allowing they can be part of the feedback or setting boundaries of what is happening to them.

        • @thecrotch@sh.itjust.works
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          25 months ago

          When you call someone choosing to buy a $12 latte a victim it makes everything else you say impossible to take seriously.

          • Herbal Gamer
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            25 months ago

            If these people have been raised by exploitative pricing all their life, I honestly am not sure who to blame anymore.

          • @Smoogs@lemmy.world
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            5 months ago

            you use ‘choice’ like $3 latte is an option. You’re bent on manipulating people so it’s hard to take you seriously.

            • @thecrotch@sh.itjust.works
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              5 months ago

              You can get a latte at Dunkin donuts for $2.69 or McDonald’s for $1. Or, and this is going to blow your mind, you can live without lattes. We’re not talking about insulin ffs. How fucking entitled are you talking about a luxury item like it’s a necessity lmao

    • @helenslunch@feddit.nl
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      45 months ago

      I think coffee shops should 100% be allowed to price gouge. Its a product anyone can easily make at home for pennies.

      It’s like those multi million dollar art installations that’s literally just a yellow square with a red dot in the middle.

      • @general_kitten@sopuli.xyz
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        35 months ago

        to be fair a setup that can make espresso drinks in the same quality league as coffee shops will cost in the range of 1000-3000€ but if you drink one cup per day then you can save that amount in a year by making coffee at home

        • @helenslunch@feddit.nl
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          55 months ago

          Well, in that case, I don’t think anyone can make the case that espresso is a necessity, so again, gouge away.

          • @general_kitten@sopuli.xyz
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            15 months ago

            well if you got savings but low income you can afford one time costs such as that. i got a 1k espresso setup mainly so i dont have to spend 20-40% of my disposable income on coffee from cafes

        • @NotSoCoolWhip@lemmy.world
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          15 months ago

          Bambino is 600, if you do the math it pays itself off in like two or three months of owning one vs going to a coffee shop.

            • @Smoogs@lemmy.world
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              15 months ago

              It is if you learn how to set the temp settings and use the right bean, grind size and milk. A decent cup of coffee is the sum of parts. And if the customer who does all this is just as satisfied, that’s all that matters.

              • @Sweetpeaches69@lemmy.world
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                5 months ago

                That’s just not correct. Yes, a drink is the sum of the parts, but if all 4 parts are 9.9/10, and your Bambino can’t get to 9.9/10 level, the drink will come out inferior.

                Although I do agree with your last statement, the Bambino cannot pull a shot like a high-grade industrial machine can.

                • Herbal Gamer
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                  35 months ago

                  I’m going out on a limb and argue that a great cup of coffee can probably be made with some rather simple and cheap lab equipment.

      • @Smoogs@lemmy.world
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        5 months ago

        And so easy just grow your own beans on your acres of land, toil it, roast those beans and voila. Same with brewing your own beer, grow your hops…etc. or wine, grow your own grapes…

        You could say that about any food really.

        But if you say that oh, the frazzled parents and people who live in mere apartments without land to grow this stuff or people with two jobs and can’t pick their own farm land will come down on you so hard. So spoilt.

    • @SocialMediaRefugee@lemmy.world
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      25 months ago

      It is like people who continue to feed ticketmaster and the resale markets with their predatory fees and prices. Why shouldn’t they keep doing it if people will keep paying their insane prices for nonessentials?

      • Tech With Jake
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        15 months ago

        Legit not arguing but other than going to the physical box office, what alternatives are there to Ticketmaster? I would love to know so I can stop giving them money.

        • @afraid_of_zombies@lemmy.world
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          15 months ago

          Go to venues that you deal with them direct. Is it really important that you see the most popular musician at the best venue or is it more important that you heard some fun music with your friends? Make a decision and live with the decision

    • @Trainguyrom@reddthat.com
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      215 months ago

      At my local independent coffee shop the practice is that the baristas pay no attention and start working on your order as soon as you get to the tip screen so there’s no pressure to assign a gigantic tip. They also have much better beans than Starbucks, to the point that the founder of this shop spun off the coffee bean sourcing/roasting into a separate business that he continues to manage and now is the supplier of beans for every independent coffee shop for a 50 mile radius

    • @june@lemmy.world
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      105 months ago

      There’s a new coffee shop in Seattle that’s literally 4 robot arms making coffee at 4 different machines. There’s one guy in the store to keep things tidy, but that’s it.

      Pay screen still asked for a tip.

    • nickwitha_k (he/him)
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      15 months ago

      The barista is an AI- generated composite of the employees that it replaced displayed on a tablet.

  • AwkwardLookMonkeyPuppet
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    5 months ago

    Baristas and coffee connoisseurs exist in a perpetual state of disapproval, so you might as well save some money.

    • Flying Squid
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      5 months ago

      The baristas at the cafe my daughter and I usually go to (which is so good that even though it is half an hour away and one town over, we still go) are great. And really friendly. It’s not especially cheaper than anywhere else, but they have a decent selection of non-coffee drinks like smoothies and bubble tea for my daughter, a drink called a dirty chai which I really like for me (chai with a shot of espresso), and a lot of surprisingly good gluten-free pastries and cookies. We aren’t gluten-free and gluten-free baked goods that I’ve tried generally haven’t impressed me, but these aren’t bad. They also have gelato. Plus, a chill atmosphere and a lot of comfortable places to sit.

      If you’re ever going down I-70 through Illinois and pass by Marshall near the Indiana border, the Gypsy Queen Cafe is worth a stop, if for no other reason than to see a surprisingly upscale cafe for a tiny town in the middle of nowhere.

      Edit: The menu on the website is incomplete. So is the menu on their sign. It’s sort of distributed throughout the store. That’s the one thing I don’t like about it, but I’m used to it now.

      • AwkwardLookMonkeyPuppet
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        35 months ago

        Sounds like a nice place! It’s cool that you have that near you. The 3rd wave places near me seem to think that coffee is the lifeblood from which all things sprout, and their attitudes generally suck. Their coffee is good though.

        • Flying Squid
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          15 months ago

          I think because they’re young and it’s a small town and there isn’t much there in terms of employment, they’re pretty happy to have one of the relatively few jobs there that don’t require an advanced education and also don’t suck ass.

      • @yuriy@lemmy.world
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        25 months ago

        Just about anywhere that sells coffee in the states can make you a dirty chai, it’s my go-to coffee order. Even places where everything is just poured out of pre-prepared cartons, the chai is almost always killer.

  • @helenslunch@feddit.nl
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    5 months ago

    I make coffee at home. Always have.

    But you know what is different? I don’t feel bad anymore about giving a low tip or even not tipping at all because the entire concept has been exploited and inflated to insane levels across almost every industry.

    I was prompted for a minimum 18% tip at the gas station when I bought a bottle of water and that was when I decided it was okay not to feel guilty about not tipping anymore.

    • @SocialMediaRefugee@lemmy.world
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      45 months ago

      I go out for coffee occasionally because it is my excuse for getting out of the house.

      I agree on the tipping. If I’m serving myself I’m not tipping. I don’t feel guilty and I don’t care if they are looking. I sometimes tip if it is a holiday and I feel they should get a little extra for that.

      • @helenslunch@feddit.nl
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        15 months ago

        Yes, occasionally if I’m meeting someone somewhere I will choose a local shop and I’m happy to pay just for the convenience of a “3rd place” to meet someone.

  • umbraroze
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    275 months ago

    We don’t really have this whole tipping thing here.

    I’ve had coffee in two places recently. One was in a hypermarket. I don’t remember what the coffee costs there, because it came free with the meal. If the restaurant staff feel they don’t get paid enough, I don’t care if they get inspiration from France and torch every car in the parking lot. You see, I go to the hypermarket by foot. It’s not that far away.

    The other place I had coffee recently was in the train. 2.80€. I certainly hope the restaurant car staff gets paid well. They’re technically railroad employees, after all. You don’t fuck with railroad workers.

    • @MrJameGumb@lemmy.world
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      135 months ago

      I’ve never heard the term “hypermarket” before today, but according to Google that’s what these type of stores have been called since 1968 lol!

  • @Raiderkev@lemmy.world
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    225 months ago

    I’ve legit gone back to cash for petty transactions. If I feel like throwing the change in the tip jar, I will. But there are no stupid prompts for a tip to deal with. Unfortunately, a lot of places are going cash free. Professional sports games is one example. Hey beer man, thanks for handling me my $12 beer. No, I’m not tipping for that.

    • @Got_Bent@lemmy.world
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      5 months ago

      So I understand why so many places like stadiums and airplanes are going cash free, but then I wonder if that’s even technically legal as cash literally says legal tender for all debts public and private.

      The only place I ever use cash anymore is to fuel my sporadic video poker habit.

      I damn near feel like a criminal using it anywhere else.

      And the day you can go throw your debit card into a video poker machine is the day I stop gambling. As ferociously disciplined of a gambler as I am (and I am ferociously disciplined with my budgets) I cannot in any way see that eventuality as ending well for any customer.

      Anywho, rambling tangents complete, I wonder if cash will remain viable over the forthcoming years.

      • Herbal Gamer
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        85 months ago

        if that’s even technically legal as cash literally says legal tender for all debts public and private.

        I’m guessing one could argue the right to refuse service to those not using their preferred kind of payment.

        • @dankm@lemmy.ca
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          45 months ago

          That’s correct. Legal tender can be used to settle all debts. In a retail transaction there’s no debt until a purchase agreement is made, so they can refuse cash before the agrrement.

      • @Raiderkev@lemmy.world
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        15 months ago

        Yeah, u definitely can’t budget gambling if they have a card with all your money on it. Maybe they’ll have what arcades have now where you buy a card, and load it with money or something. I also wouldn’t gamble in a cashless society. As it stands right now, you win a few bucks, you just get cash. If it’s all traceable, uncle Sam is going to want a cut of your winnings every time.

      • TipRing
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        55 months ago

        The US government heavily subsidizes dairy. They also subsidize soy, but it’s $20B for dairy and $4B for soybeans. The price of milk is below production costs.

        • @Gargantu8@lemmy.world
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          15 months ago

          Ahh that makes a lot of sense. I also wonder if the soy subsidy directly affects soymilk/human products or if it’s mostly for animal feed?

          • TipRing
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            25 months ago

            I tried to figure that out, but the answer proved elusive. Soybeans grown in the US are mostly used as feedstock though (about 70%).

      • @SoupBrick@yiffit.net
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        15 months ago

        I would imagine it might be due to a combination of low demand and having to continually restock due to FDA standards. Or it could just be taking advantage of people wanting an alternative.

    • @RaoulDook@lemmy.world
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      -25 months ago

      The prediction was a bust, because I haven’t walked into any local coffee shops in 2024. I didn’t in 2023 either.

      I don’t know what the lattes cost because I don’t buy them. My coffee at home is great every day.

  • @AllonzeeLV@lemmy.world
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    5 months ago

    Oh I’m sorry, I thought America was all about turning the bull loose and protecting our beloved economy in its current form at all costs.

    Actions have consequences. An economy designed for infinite growth/metastasis on a very finite world has consequences. We’ve only just begun to feel the consequences of our not merely tolerance, but encouragement of insatiable, unaccountable greed.

    Buckle up. The price of lattes will be the least of our worries. Another 10 years and Chocolate and Coffee will probably be priced out for us capital batteries. Don’t worry though, they’ll make some cancer causing substitute that’s a third as satisfying for half the price. Be sure to CONSUME it.

    • @MrJameGumb@lemmy.world
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      5 months ago

      Make sure you have your “I got cancer from sugar substitute” insurance paid up! That won’t be covered any other way! Easy and convenient payment plans start at just $195 paid every alternate 9 days! At that price you can’t afford not to get it!!!

  • Pika
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    5 months ago

    I couldn’t tell you, I stopped going to coffee bars when the coffee became more than half my hourly wage, I’ll make my own coffee thank you very much.

    Can’t even go to a McDonald’s anymore without spending at least $16, I’ve stopped going to McDonald’s and started ordering Applebee’s because if I’m spending $20 on a meal anyway I might as well spent $4 more on there two for 24 deal and get like three times the amount of food

    • @bitwaba@lemmy.world
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      35 months ago

      I bought 4 double cheese burgers last night for less than 5 pounds. I’m in the UK though.

      And have socialized healthcare (although poorly implemented).

      • @Octavio@lemmy.world
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        45 months ago

        Headline: Gen z Can’t Afford Houses Because They Buy Avocado Toast

        Gen z: [stops buying avocado toast]

        Headline: Gen z is Killing the Avocado Toast Industry

      • @tastysnacks@programming.dev
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        35 months ago

        Illegal immigrants should put avocados in every pocket they have before they cross. Then when they get here, they can buy a house.

    • @june@lemmy.world
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      55 months ago

      Americanos used to be quite a bit cheaper than lattes. Which makes sense considering there’s no milk in them, save for any small bit of cream you put in. But sometime in the last two years they raised the price on americanos to be in line with lattes. I don’t go often, but when I do it stings to pay $6 for my drink.

  • 𝐘Ⓞz҉
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    145 months ago

    Most of the shops got it got $8 but I van imagine some of the “fancy” shop could sell it for $12

          • @jasondj@ttrpg.network
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            5 months ago

            Most of our coffee is drip. Sometimes cold brew. Espesso, cappuccino, Turkish, press, etc…we don’t do that much. Fancy coffee, sure, but not our “it’s Monday and I can’t even” coffee. Or our “it’s Tuesday and I can’t even” coffee, or so on.

            Fast service shops and such will have “cappuccino” or “espresso” but I think it’s either concentrate or it’s just not the same.

            We do have a serious unspoken caffeine addiction though. It comes from our Protestant work ethic while having our wallets bled dry. We end up with hustle culture and a stimulant addiction. Hooray!

            • MashedPotatoJeff
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              15 months ago

              We do have different types of coffee, but you might have to go to a specialty shop to get it like you do at home. If you’re talking about regular restaurants it’s probably good advice.

              • @1371113@lemmy.world
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                15 months ago

                I’ve seen your different types of coffee. I spent 6 months in the states, all over. I had ONE good coffee in all that time. Went to thank the Barista - and she was Australian.

                • MashedPotatoJeff
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                  15 months ago

                  Wouldn’t you know it, I’ve been all over Europe and they don’t make it quite like I do at home either.

                  So what’s this Australian secret coffee? If you don’t tell me I know another Australian I can press.

              • @yuriy@lemmy.world
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                85 months ago

                So are americans fat and lazy, or always busy and hyper work oriented? I’m losing track of the stereotypes here.

                • @PopMyCop@iusearchlinux.fyi
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                  55 months ago

                  Interestingly, both. Americans are hyper work oriented because, you know, we’ve been trained since birth that if you don’t work, you’re going to suffer and die (and that’s partially true, yay barely affording apartments and food), but when we get off of work, we’re not going to work out, invest time in anything but watching the latest Hupeaflix show, and maybe brush our teeth before bed. Food comes out of a bag or box in the freezer, or maybe delivered with the expectation of a tip or your food gets there late, bitch.

    • @piecat@lemmy.world
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      85 months ago

      And that’s definitely just for specialty drinks, usually an up charge for additions and substitutes.

      Black coffee vs a triple shot frappe with protein powder, oat milk, lavender mint syrup, on a raft, four-by-four animal-style, extra shingles with a shimmy and a squeeze, light axle grease, make it cry, burn it, and let it swim.

  • @HootinNHollerin@lemmy.world
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    5 months ago

    The barista can ask their manager. If I have to come to you, that tip option doesn’t mean shit. Then I leave a 1 star review