Bargaining, middling and gratuity (general negotiation for services rendered)

Bargaining, middling and gratuity (general negotiation for services rendered)

Financial etiquette has never been a new struggle. It has only been amplified since the arrival of the global Covid-19 pandemic. Understandably so since many people had to tighten their belts to make a living more bearable during a difficult time, but this then begs the question; by skimping and counting our dollars, should we still be expected to pay full prices for services that have been scaled down to accommodate us during this world crisis? Or should we find more agreeable terms and bargaining methods to ensure both parties are benefitted and compensated either way?

 

Gratuity/tipping:

Being English, tipping has not been a strong suit. However, experiences of other cultures in different countries brought more monetary notions forth, which has made me reconsider my stance on this financial faux pas whilst still keeping my common sense when approaching a situation that requires more voicing than others. 

Living in the USA had shown me another side to a fast-paced life before the pandemic struck and how people have become reckless spenders, meaning that they literally emphasis the legitimacy of tipping. Every service rendered and product served requires an additional tip because many people have become brainwashed into this concept. The effect of the pandemic has added to the drop in already steep minimum wage. 

Most countries have felt this pinch, which has led to a rise in the unemployment rate, but should this “extravagant” notion be considered mandatory? Studies have shown that paying a gratuity fee(tip) is not a real incentive for performance services rendered or products offered. It also creates an environment in which people of colour, age groups, women and foreigners tend to receive worse service fees than the white group. In a tip-based system, non-whites make less than their white peers for equal work, to be blunt. What adds to this is the actual origin of tipping, and its nobility obliges; when it came to the States, it had a real racial tinge because the workers were typically black and newly freed slaves.

 

So consider this imbalance between tippers who are typically male and servers which are 70% female. Besides this staggering fact, the usage of the tipping system has been another way for owners and employers to fill in the gap with regards to health insurance, suitable work conditions, getting proper documentation for undocumented workers, all of which should’ve been covered by them, but instead, they seek to place that burden on the customer and make us feel with some even going as far as to shame us for not forking out more cash. I have tipped, over-tipped, under-tipped, and in some instances, not tipped at all and have no regret to any of those instances and feel completely okay with it. I have never expected a tip, regardless of my profession. My drive has always been to do my job to the best of my ability no matter the occupation and to be satisfied and appreciate what I am given, especially in this day and age. 

 

Bargaining and middle:

Bargaining is a separate issue entirely, and it comes down to what level of time and effort has been put into the execution or delivery of the product or service. This is due to the misconception that you have to “win” or preserve your relationship with your counterpart. This has mainly come to my attention after designing a small business website. A customer had asked for a few changes after that and expected them immediately. I produced my price and was instantly asked to reconsider as it was only updated to a text and slideshow with two additional changes. People are blindly ignorant because even though their work has been completed timeously, changes requested will take time since other projects are commissioned and aren’t the only clients. This brings up clashes and differences, which would mainly correlate to the price.

 

But what is the middle? Every profession has its fees, and asking has become okay since most are in different financial situations, but haggling? Is it okay to jump for it right off the bat? Is it acceptable? While most deem haggling and bargain to be the same, the former is more heated, intense. It leads to disagreements which result in the breakage of a contract or incomplete work delivery. In contrast, the latter has a softer tone in which all parties remain composed and professional. This brings us to a frequent question: should people think and be more considerate before the haggle? 

 

Customer negotiation:

 

A friend who works in programming has done work on some intricate databases, SQL, tables etc. However, I always hear, “the customer got a better deal in India”. Performing business in India and the USA are vastly different. The costs, labour, effort, time, level of professionalism, after-sales, payment terms are a few things to consider before entering a deal or contract of service and product. These factors also determine the price to offer customers on the particular services you render. A critical shift in approach should always be the guiding line when dealing with a positional customer/bargainer. This leads to active communication whilst building a better working relationship, which most of us want in any working field and occupation. 

It’ll shape the negotiation so both parties get the results they seek and brings forth room for improvement and engagement. It also allows the customer to think of how we, as the employees, have managed to create what was asked for and determine the worth of the work and glean for themselves the price and the fairness in it. 

 

 

Conclusion:

Strategic compromises should be in place to benefit all participating parties while still delivering quality services and products, whether home-based or even outsourced from other countries. The issues mentioned above all intertwine with one another, even if we refuse to acknowledge its invisible thread. We bargain and give a little extra in almost all areas of our daily lives. The only key difference is we only get to choose whether we negotiate better or worse than others and tip more when our needs and wants have been completely satisfied.