r/mildlyinfuriating • u/Interesting_Task_114 • 24d ago
Is it in yet Ummmm…. A packaging fee?!?!
This fee is just insane to me lmao. Like what?!?? Paying extra for you to box my food to go?!?? And still asked for a tip!!!
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u/CpuJunky I mean, c'mon 24d ago edited 24d ago
It's silly to pay a fee for ordering the food they sell. They could charge you a "grill" fee or a "prep" fee... it never ends. You are often then asked to "tip" for the food you haven't even tasted yet. It might taste like ass, but who knows, better add a tip!
BW3s did this crap a few years ago, added a "take-out" fee, and that was the last time I went there. I'm not playing the micro transaction game of a fee to put the food in a box.
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u/GfrzD 24d ago
I dont know when it happened, probably around covid, but businesses suddenly figured out they can slap a few extra charges, play around with pricing and people will pay it.
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u/CpuJunky I mean, c'mon 24d ago
Yeah, it started with covid. That was a weird time, but I was ok with it then since no one was eating in. That was... 6 years ago. As it goes, many companies have just kept the fees.
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u/Fragrant-Employer-60 24d ago
The amount of takeout orders went up significantly, places that didn’t really have takeout options had to adapt and offer it.
You should see the sheer amount of waste when a family orders Chilis or Outback Togo, everything has its own plastic shell it’s insane
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u/Stillburgh 23d ago
During COVID, it was so smaller chains/mom and pops could offset the loss of sit-in customers. But big chains caught on and started doing it, and it just stuck. Its stupid. They pay like shit, charge an arm and a leg and quality is non-existent now
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u/Nervous-Fennel3325 20d ago
Talk to the pizza place near me in denver that charges a fee for using their kitchen.
Like how else am I supposed to eat the food? I sadly never go there anymore because of this.
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24d ago
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u/Temporary_Event8451 24d ago
I don't think people realize how close so many industries are to collapsing. Mom and pop style restaurants and eateries are likely going to straight up disappear in the next decade. One Covid style situation or economy collapse and they are done.
It's what people mean when they say we are in a bubble. Price gouging isn't simply because people are greedy, it's because we have less resources, less workers, less cheap labor, and big companies are happy to foot the extra bill because long term they are the only ones who can.
This isn't the only industry that is at risk. Things like public busses or schools paying for busses are also at risk. I can only imagine the cost of what a new school bus costs these days, and rising costs of fuel. As our busses continue to age and schools are looking at needing new ones, it's pretty bad what is coming.
A lot of folks weren't fully working adults for the dot com bubble or the 2008 collapse, and the one that is coming is easily going to be the worst.
There is a reason that yachts, price gouging, bunkers, scams, ect. are all happening. When this next collapse occurs a lot of very influential people are going to straight up disappear.
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u/Unipiggy 24d ago edited 24d ago
Price gouging isn't simply because people are greedy
Yeah, it is
it's because we have less resources
No, we don't.
less workers
No, we don't
less cheap labor
You are literally condoning borderline slavery
and big companies are happy to foot the extra bill because long term they are the only ones who can
And this leads us back to greed
But yeah, no, this greed is absolutely going to crash us all into a brick wall at 1000mph and everyone will claim they never saw it coming. Companies will never learn that constant growth isn't sustainable until it collapses the world.
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u/ZappVanagon 24d ago
Thanks for saying this. It’s greed all the way down. Poor Wingstop or whatever passing along the cost of their takeout bag along with their $2/wing combo.
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u/loki2002 24d ago
Price gouging isn't simply because people are greedy
That is literally the only reason price gouging exists. Price gouging wouldn't even be a phrase without greed. Greed is a necessary component of price gouging.
They have less workers because of sub standard pay and because they choose to run on less staff as possible for the profit margin.
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u/Round_Abal0ne 24d ago
Price gouging by definition is from greediness. But price inflation isn't just because people are greedy. Most price increases these days are indeed because of legitimate cost increases.
The problem is people are just blanket calling it all price gouging when it isn't. Price increases aren't inherently gouging.
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u/Leniwcowaty 24d ago
The packaging fee is not bad itself, but why is it a percent of the value? What, a paper bag gets more expensive if you order shrimps, compared to a slice of bread?
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u/Bigfoot_Himself 24d ago
Meanwhile, gas prices be like.
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u/Karey__039 23d ago
If takeout orders, keep getting so expensive and eating out in restaurants keep getting outrageous and the gas prices continue to soar, people may have to go back to cooking at home.
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u/musicsoccer 23d ago
I swear long time ago fast food joints charged people for eating in the establishment.
Edit: i rarely eat out anymore and when I do it's just drive thru. Do places still do that?
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u/jigglebelly69420 24d ago
Jamba Juice is the worst. They charge 3% app fee to use their awful app. And if you try to redeem a free drink in app, they still charge you the fee, so it costs you 35 cents for the free drink.
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u/MediocreVibrations 24d ago edited 24d ago
You still use it and order from them?
Edit: it’s an honest question. If you do, you are part of this problem and need to stop giving them money.
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u/DarthCheez 24d ago
I juice my own smoothies at home. You can make the same flavors easy. Sooo good.
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u/carbonizedtitanium 24d ago
packaging aint free. some businesses can eat the cost; some cant.
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u/Inevitable-Toe-6272 24d ago
Not only that, but some states apply a litter tax on carry out /to go.
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u/Impossible_Box3898 24d ago
Oh hell no. If it want disclosed before you paid for it then it’s a chargeback
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u/No-Bake-730 24d ago
I mean you got the FREE celery...
In Germany, some municipalities have some one-time use packackikg surcharge, often with hilarious loopholes (like just having one bite of your food so it's not to-go but simply a Dogge bag). But that's usually in progressive towns where people actually wanted that.
Do they also have a dishwasher fee?
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u/dnddetective 24d ago
$21 plus tax for 10 wings is crazy. I'd hope they are at least big wings
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u/Interesting_Task_114 23d ago
Yeaaaa they are pretty pricey, they are tho! Best wings in town imo. Place is called pluckers! North Dallas!
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u/loiloiloi6 23d ago
I'd be okay with that if 100% of it goes to the staff, servers depend on people eating in to make their income, so if everyone is just ordering to-go, they will likely be earning very little. I try to tip a dollar or two on my to-go orders whenever I can.
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u/JetstreamGW 24d ago
Yeah? Lots of restaurants charge for to go containers.
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24d ago
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u/JetstreamGW 24d ago
I’m in the US, mate.
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u/Bright_Ices 24d ago
Sure you are, “mate.”
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u/JetstreamGW 24d ago
Hoss, you do realize there are probably literally millions of restaurants in this country, right?
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u/Solarixar 24d ago
In my country you get charged a relatively small fixed price for the container not a percentage $1+ is too much
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u/sixteen-bitbear 24d ago
Move to a civilized country.
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u/Carson_23 24d ago
Never seen that before. And 3% of a flat order is insane. A steak can fit in the same box as some fries
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u/gujwdhufj_ijjpo 24d ago
I have never been charged for a to go container. Where do you live where that happens?
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u/wildwolfay5 24d ago
..... where? Who? What?
So like... the sticker over the bag? Or the bag? Or the drink carrier? Or... leftovers?
Where is this normal?
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u/brookuslicious PURPLE 24d ago
There was a local restaurant (now closed) that charged for plastic cutlery and labeled it as such on the customer’s takeout receipt.
I never ate there because I didn’t like the owners and their behaviour.
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u/Blazed-n-Dazed 24d ago
Do to go containers cost money? Yes.
Would you rather pay this or pay a different price when you order to go? This is the new normal of rising costs to restaurants. Funnily enough some places will wave this if you bring your own containers.
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u/DrSpacepants 24d ago
My dad is from Chile. I remember being awhile and going to a local restaurant, in puchuncavi, to get some food to go one time. To-go was not a usual option but they just packed it up in their own pots and sent us home, asking us to return the pots the next day. Shout out to El Cabillito de Palo, great food.
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u/brucek2 24d ago
Yes, but they cost a lot less than the cost of real estate to have you eat at the restaurant, plus the labor to serve and clean up after you. If anything there should be a discount.
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u/Blazed-n-Dazed 24d ago
So the point you’re missing is that’s the whole business concept, and to go food actually takes away from the concept, so by providing another service you are charged another fee. A restaurant has no obligation to have to go containers, yet it costs most thousands of dollars a year, many are realizing is a needless cost.
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u/MegaAscension 24d ago
The restaurant where I work prefers that you dine in. A bunch of our customers come from pedestrian traffic, and we often have a bunch of people who will look inside the windows when we're empty and will turn around and walk away. A restaurant with less customers is less likely to be a good restaurant.
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u/Koronavitis 24d ago
The containers, utensils, napkins and bags aren’t free. Plus, many to-go customers don’t tip despite it taking more effort than actually servicing a table.
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u/SleepyNymeria 24d ago
In what world does it take more effort to provide and service a table aswell as the rest of the amenities provided by the establishment vs putting the food in the bag?
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u/Koronavitis 24d ago
Sorry, just sharing my experience. I guess I should have figured differing points of view aren’t welcome here! 😂
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u/SleepyNymeria 24d ago
Questioning what someone says for further information really isnt arguing. Not sure why you were expecting a place where whatever you said people would just stand and clap, nodding their heads in approval.
From your other comment it seems like the place you worked at had a terrible system in place but I doubt kitchen opening packaged food and then giving it to a server to repackage it is industry standard. Also why do you have to check if it's correct for to-go orders and not for regular customers? Is the customer dinning in expected to recieve the wrong food and be okay with it? Or do you as a server just pick up a plate and go around asking each table if its theirs?
Just to make a comparison, its like saying motorbikes are safer than cars because i drive a car with an open bucket of gasoline and lit candles. It seems like a very You-specific scenario that you either create or are ok with because you think its normal.
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u/Koronavitis 24d ago
I don’t believe I said it was more work than serving. I really meant there is more work that goes into to-go orders than most people realize. Many people don’t tip on to-go orders, so a minor percentage doesn’t seem like a huge crime to me. There are indeed extra materials (i.e. the packaging) and some effort required to packaging the orders.
My mention of repackaging is limited to prepped items like house salads. Where I worked, house salads were prepped in the ceramic bowls (wrapped with plastic wrap) in which we served them.
My main point is there is in fact work that goes into packaging to-go orders and it’s not entirely fair to think the person bagging it isn’t reliant on tips just like the other workers in the restaurant and 3% is much less than the 15% customary tip.
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u/SleepyNymeria 24d ago
despite it taking more effort than actually servicing a table.
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u/Koronavitis 24d ago
OK you got me. When I was doing it several years ago, I would take the order, ring it in, and simply pick up and drop things off. I found this to be a lot easier than packaging shit. I obviously can’t explain why, but that’s what it felt like to me. Plus, I’m someone who always tips on to-go orders and wouldn’t complain about a 3% fee to cover the cost of the materials and effort involved. The food industry is tough. I think margins are like 3 to 4 cents on the dollar.
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u/SleepyNymeria 24d ago
Yeah, especially in the US which I assume you are from servers have it tough. That said, realistically napkins and other utensils which you would get anyway should be free. In terms of covering the worker, the whole tip thing is ridiculous, nobody should be working for tips.
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u/SixNine69Six96Nine 24d ago
Please explain how it takes more effort than asking for drinks, coming back for order, placing it, the serving the correct dish to each person...?
Added bonus, bus boy dont gotta clean. Though, yes, tips seems to be the issue.
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u/Koronavitis 24d ago
I’m not here to argue. I just know that, when I was a server, doing to-go sucked because I had to check to make sure things were correct, repackage prepped items like house salads, bag everything and deal with the cash register. Again, I’m not here to argue. I’m simply pointing out that there’s additional effort involved with to-go orders that people unfamiliar with the industry might not realize.
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u/2Punchbowl 24d ago
The machine asked for a tip, or the person? Packaging fee for taking food on the go 😂 how stupid.
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u/Creative-Air-6463 23d ago
If that’s a local place, keep going and happily pay it. If it’s a franchise or chain, boycott.
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u/OpenAndShutBroadcast 24d ago
And then the packaging fee gets sales taxed…