Has anyone else noticed that as we move to a cashless society, we're starting to see more and more "convenience" fees added to our bills? I was at a restaurant tonight and their "convenience" fee for paying electronically was 2.5%. Compared to some of the ones I've seen, I guess that's reasonable.
Obviously, they're trying to recover the processing fee for the transaction. At one time it cost more to process a credit card than a debit card, but I think there was a lawsuit that said that wasn't fair so now they're the same.
Back when I was in grad school writing business plans, that was considered a cost of doing business and you built it into your pricing. Now it seems like they're trying to double-dip and collect it twice.
What's next? Climate control convenience fee - help us recover our heating and cooling costs?
Oh, I forgot to mention the "suggested" tip rates. They used to be 10%, 15%, and 20%. Now that we're looking to pay fast-food workers $15/hr. those rates have jumped to 18%, 20%, and 30%! And they ask you to tip on the total amount with taxes!
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