Business
“Did You Want To Add A Tip?”
September 17, 2021 
In this age of automated car washes, supermarket checkout, and airline checkin we were taken aback at the Mister Car Wash when after handing over a credit card to the cutie who stood by the computer terminal she asked, “did you want to add a tip?”
FOR WHAT? There was no one drying the car, vacuuming the interior, or cleaning the glass. The entire experience is automated and self service. You wouldn’t tip at the automated super market check stand.
We generally leave a 20% gratuity in restaurants and even as much as $100 at a regular coffee haunt during the Christmas holidays–to be spread among the baristas. But a tip to an automated computer screen is simply too much. We also find it intimidating when restaurant wait service staff produces a credit card device with built in tip calculations. They are holding the device and you feel like a bum if you don’t tip the suggested high end amount.
We feel it is up to the employer to pay the staff at the car wash and not try to grab extra cash from customers. Please feel free to share your thoughts.
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Comments & Discussion
Comments are closed for this post.
Sep 17, 2021, 4:28 pm
This is called Phishing for suckers.
Many will fall for it so its a money maker for them.
It’s a good reason to go down the street to get your car washed. At least there you can have your car dried by scantily
clad young ladies and they don’t ask for tips.
Sep 18, 2021, 1:54 am
Yes, It’s shameless.
Story idea. How about ya watch the stopsign begging until they get into their new f-150 after a shift. There are networks of those folks like organized crime. I’ve heard it’s gypsies. All tax free cash.
A way around the credit card thing is to pay cash and get small bill change. Or just shamelessly push zero tip and hand them green if appropriate. Somehow today’s youth in SERVICE jobs think they should be getting serviced by the customer. I had a chick at BigBlueRetailer photograph both sides of my visa card with her $900 iPhone phone. I froze the card before leaving her check stand but her boyfriend in store security was unconcerned. The Boise police did listen however.
Sep 18, 2021, 6:40 am
I’ve seen systems where a tip is prepogrammed and you have to opt out.
Sep 18, 2021, 1:30 pm
It would also be nice to know if the owner gets the tips or do the employees. Aside from that, it is weird to tip when they didn’t do anything aside from take your money.
Sep 18, 2021, 3:34 pm
Isn’t tipping the bonus for good service by humans? No humans, no tips!
Sep 18, 2021, 11:04 pm
I bet there are plenty of men who would gladly hand over $5 or more to the cutie at the car wash. I’m sure that’s why they hired her!
Sep 19, 2021, 9:10 am
It’s about squeezing every little drop of juice from the orange. in other words, taking advantage of hard-working Americans. In this era of everyone wanting a free handout, this is not surprising.
Sep 19, 2021, 11:33 am
The most egregious I have experienced is being asked to tip for an emissions test. For a government mandated EMISSIONS test!! smh.
Sep 19, 2021, 5:00 pm
Car wash customers: You must have too much $$. Use your hose and a brush/bucket combo. DIY. Or go to a ‘spray it yourself’ place.
To the idiot who let a retail clerk take a photo of your credit card: why didn’t you snatch it back when she pulled out her phone, or were you ‘distracted’. How do you know the security goon was her boyfriend? Did she call him over because you were getting too friendly?
Sep 19, 2021, 9:03 pm
East-like west guy, Idiot not, no. I trust a system and most people are trustworthy. Better than spending life paranoid.
She prevented the transaction from processing by pushing cancel on her register twice… she was sweet and cute and oh so helpful. She took the card to run it on her main register when the phone was casually used to photo both sides. I stopped her line, I asked for the manager. Security dope turned up too as I finished the call to the card company I noticed she and he had a thing. As she deleted her phone his job was to try to intimidate me. Until I asked him if he was part of the scam. Never saw her there again. Cops didn’t fill me in since I didn’t have a loss. The one manager still there has been a jerk ever since.
Reaching into someone’s space to take something from them by surprise is often considered a simple assault, Especially a big person to a little person, and you can bet cutiepie knows how to play that one.
Since that time long ago BigBlueRetailer has changed it up a bit to make her scam more difficult.
This crime still common at restaurants so they have the thingy on the table now. The idea is they never see or touch the cards
Sep 19, 2021, 10:23 pm
Old people!
Sep 20, 2021, 12:45 pm
Guardian says, “it is up to the employer to pay the staff at the car wash and not try to grab extra cash from customers.”
Exactly!
And in the current fantastic job market of LOW unemployment—- YOUR car wash now costs $5 more.
Next post- “Inflation at the Car Wash”
By facts, “The entire experience is automated” is not true since you were actually talking with the “cutie”. Male cutie? Was it a cute mister at the ‘Mister’ Car Washes? Or is this just more sexist commentary?
Mr Car Washes usually have people at the end to dry and service cars. So adding a tip at the beginning makes it easier.
I remfbr thee days mwhen I used a car wash, always sliding a few bucks to the person handing the the car back to me and there was (is) a tip jar at the end of the process. So not a stretch, IMO. “for the crew
– glad you are ALL here” Tip
:hTehe ohse and a bucket works fine.
Tip the mrs for helping in her Daisy Dukes- 😉
EDITOR NOTE–Sorry to say it, but you are all wet in your description of Mr. CarWash. There is no staff other than the credit card handler who always tries to “upsell” to an expensive plan. What you say just doesn’t wash.
Sep 20, 2021, 3:15 pm
The card reader ‘thingie’ has been in use in Europe for a decade or longer.
It just takes ‘Mericans a bit longer to learn the ropes.
EDITOR NOTE–As a rule there is little or no tipping in Europe.
Sep 20, 2021, 4:48 pm
na na ah, ooh
You might not ever get rich,
Let me tell you it’s better than digging a ditch.
There ain’t no telling who you might meet.
A movie star or maybe a common thief.
Working at the car wash (oh oh, yeah yeah)
You know the words…. yah baby!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aVlpy5USN-E
Sep 26, 2021, 8:48 pm
@Editor, so does the place get cleaned up by the car wash fairies? Trash cans emptied by Peter Pan? Soap tefilled by a person named Jared?
There are people working their other than your cutie (someone’s grand-daughter). If you don’t see em- you dont think of them. Common.
Enjoy the price increase.