• gankouskhan@piefed.zip
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    6 hours ago

    Servers are just sales people. Their pay is commonly not from wages when in corporate world built up by commissions. Tips are effectively commissions but rather than an agreed upon amount from the employer it’s with the buyer. I hate both equally.

    • BradleyUffner@lemmy.world
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      5 hours ago

      Sales commissions are still paid directly from the business’ account. Why do restaurants not have to pay their “sales people” directly?

      • gankouskhan@piefed.zip
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        5 hours ago

        Not always. There are sales jobs that are 100% commission, but I’m the same way they do have to ensure you are paid a minimum. The person making the exchange is arbitrary.

        • BradleyUffner@lemmy.world
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          5 hours ago

          No sales person was ever paid directly by the business’ customer. It’s always paid from the company’s account.

            • BradleyUffner@lemmy.world
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              4 hours ago

              Ok, If I squint really hard I can kind of see where you were trying to say that. Let’s just consider my comments to be a clarification rather than a correction.

              • gankouskhan@piefed.zip
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                1 hour ago

                I’m good with that. It just wasnt my main point so yeah was a little undersold in the message, but it was included because is important for context. Thanks for bringing it to light.

      • gankouskhan@piefed.zip
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        1 hour ago

        I dislike tips as much as probably any of us here. I have worked for tips, and distinctly remember how much I wished I could just make a consistent amount that basically came to the average even at a loss of what I was making with them. There were tipped jobs I was working that I made well over some of my first jobs in software engineering even when I worked at fine dining. I still wanted that stability at a loss. Now it’s been a few years removed, but my sentiment remains the same. I’m not saying they should be paid $15/hr or something here but this holds for any job; any person should be able to pay the median low end apartment without gov assistance, should be able to save or invest, should be able to afford food, and a second bedroom for a child with only a single full time job. I want that amount as the low bar even if it’s through the form of welfare but they should still be able to invest in their futures to some degree. This all of course assuming they are semi competent with finances, but I’m not talking high level.

        That made as the assumption yes fuck tip systems and fuck commissions. Why am I including commissions when it’s the employer that pays unlike tips? Because of the reason these two are kinda similar both of these jobs incentivize the individual to perform better for higher pay. In theory and practice when averaged together this holds true. It benefits both the company and the individual; at least on paper. This does also leave room to exploit and abuse. Usually this is seen with people in sales who look out for themselves only and will exploit the system even if it costs their peers. For example insurance sales in the US they get some commission or deal as long as the deal is sold. It doesn’t matter if that feature they sold it on was non existent or years in the future they made that sale and get the perk of commission at least for a while until they get canned when the customer realizes what happened. Serving tables isn’t exactly like this but there are things an individual can be rewarded for that may hurt others if they are unwilling to share certain burdens because it lowers their bottom line like idk filling soy sauce containers after hours. They should be getting paid some higher rate of course but that rate is often much lower than what they make with tips so they may not want to do it.

        So I do see a practical reason for tips and commission, but I feel they both are bad for different reasons and should not be expected.