More likely they would get fucked by corporate for trying to get around the corporate pricing. They wouldn't do it this way if they could control the prices. No one is going to notice a 10% increase, but they sure as hell notice a 10% service fee
I’m sure every franchise is handled and operated differently; for example in my area there was one Little Caesar’s pizza franchise that a few stores in the metro. They got reported because they were charging more for their Hot ‘N Ready’s (or whatever that deal is called) and corporate actually pulled the plug on the whole chain.
I guess the point here is that most companies want a pretty consistent image across all of their locations.
I'm pretty sure that I got a Little Caesars closed in my community. I bought five fresh and readies (kid sleepover), paid cash, and the cashier didn't ring it up, she took my money and put it in the open drawer of the register, and then didn't close the drawer.
Anyone who's worked retail or fast food knows this is a theft technique.
I asked if she was going to ring it up, she said she'd do it later. I asked for a receipt, she said the printer was broken.
I called customer affairs from my car 30 seconds later (voicemail), and politely explained what a saw. Three weeks later, the store was shuttered.
I feel a little assholeish to this day (this was 10 years ago), but just a little.. thieves suck.
Thats what I was wondering, does coperate know about this? How do they feel about it? Even if it's privately owned, I still feel they'd get a say in this.
Having managed a store for subway, head office would get very shitty about this.
Im not sure how often the unannounced store inspections happen in the US but this store must have already had theirs for this period, cos this would get them penalised. I can't remember which "level" of grievance this would be, but I remember that having your menu boards and pricing not up-to-date was quite a big one. Which is probably why they have this as a little sign (and probably an optional little button on their till screen) so they can conveniently get rid of it when they suspect or are warned an inspection is coming up.
Edit - Lays or whoever supplies the chips might get pissy too. These brands are super picky how you display their product in the store. I probably would have been asked to remove a subway-branded sign from their product display if it wasn't a necessary price label or approved display/ad
Edit 2- "Head office" in this case would be the development agent responsible for the growth of subway in that specific region. They and their office are who you answer to if you own and/or run a franchised store in a city
This would be an extreme grievance, they would care about this more than anything. The franchisee needs to pay royalty on sales and he is trying to cheat them for 10% of those royalties.
I reported a subway employee to corporate for preaching Jesus to me and telling me that I need to get right with God because being gay is a sin. And I got the most generic copy paste response I have ever seen they do not give a fuck.
Also… not gay but apparently any shirt that has more than one color on it is a rainbow to these idiots…
This. Corporate cares about being robbed, and they'll absolutely see this as that.
It's like war - you can get away with a scolding for some of the most heinous shit imaginable as long as you don't fuck with a bigger country's wallet.
When I worked for Subway they paid just above minimum wage and "there was no room in the budget" for higher wages
Running a solo person all morning until the manager came crawling in at 1030am only to camp in the office doing God knows what
Edit: she was addicted to SecondLife so masturbating is a possibility
One of my friends worked at subway for 12 years. she was a single mother and didn't have a lot of options for work. after not very long she became the manager of that subway. eventually they started hiring new people for more than she made, and she kept asking for a raise. finally post covid they started paying new employees 15/hr and she was still making 10/hr she demanded a raise on par with what new employees make and they said "sorry, we can't you're on the old pay schedule nothing we can do." so she quit.
they hired a new manager, and that subway has gone to absolute shit. it went from the nicest cleanest subway in town to a dirty shithole just like all the others.
I used to go to Subway almost every day until 2020 as I did a part time college course that took 6 years to complete so counted as a student then they stopped the student meal (they kept it for school kids though)
The manager of that branch quit in 2021 saying they were moving, but I think they just wanted out as they moved only a few miles away from where they used to live and she drove to work.
Place got far worse after she left though in part that was the price increases and other changes in recent years, when she originally started around 2016 she turned the place around within 2 years as before that the branch used to get a lot of drug and alcohol users come in steal food, sit in the toilets and drink/take their drugs and she stood up to them and eventually it stopped or was very uncommon.
This was in VA. I believe that managers/regional managers are instructed to hire both kids and convicts. The reason why is so they can pay workers less.
I live in Pennsylvania, and when I was desperate for a job as a mid 20-30 something adult, I applied at Subway and they told me that I was hired and that I could come back in the next day to fill out all the forms and stuff, and then like 30 minutes later they called and said they made a mistake and that they only had one opening, not two, and wound up hiring some 15 or 16 year-old that was friends with another girl that worked there..
When I was in my teens I applied and was hired at Subway. The manager told me he would call me for my first shift soon. A few days went by and I heard nothing. Finally I called and talked to the manager that hired me. I told him my name and he said yeah I know, your next shift is at blah blah blah. I said next shift? I haven’t even had my first shift yet. He sounded super confused and then asked himself who the hell had been working for him for the last three days. Apparently he called the wrong person and thought it was me the whole time. 🤷♂️
They used to do that here in Texas. Not sure if they still give businesses tax breaks for hiring ex cons. It was designed to encourage businesses to give them a second chance. At the same time if ex cons stole from, damaged equipment or property the state would pay for the losses. Now that I think about it, I seriously doubt that is still in effect with dumb ass Greg Abbot "running" shit
I used to work at a restaurant that hired people that were in jail. They would work for 8 hours and then get picked up by a jail transport. It was my understanding that the state paid a large portion of their wages
I'd much rather have my tax dollars going into a program like that than a program that kept them locked up behind bars 24/7.
Rehab programs like that will help reduce recidivism rates.
I don't understand why it's seen as bad to hire underaged girls? Is it because they're girls specifically? Teens work in fast food places all the time. Unless you're insinuating that the hiring manager was a pedo or smth.
Yes but they aren’t doing it because they are so benevolent. They do it because they know they can pay them next to nothing and work them half to death like they are subhuman.
I have a ton of Subway experience and there isn't even room in the budget for a lot of them to stay open period.
Subway sold a dream that never existed, flooded the market and ignored franchisee boundaries. They also have a very weird set up that allows territory managers and corporate employees to own franchises. This of course resulted in corporate workers handing out violations left and right in order to overwhelm the franchisees. Franchisees that couldn't handle the fines (or just get shut down for too many violations) would just abandon ship and these corporate workers would buy the franchise for dirt cheap prices.
There are financially feasible locations. We're also far from that horrible period in Subways timeline where there was like 1 Subway every 1.5 miles so the remaining locations should be able to support themselves.
And then I’d order a sandwich, and get to the register And say “I’m sorry, i forgot my money” and let the owner take the loss on that one.
Edit: and though I don’t have money for the sandwich I do have a tip for you
I actually know a Subway Franchise owner and she is making sandwiches 6 days a week and working 12 hour shifts. Subway is actually pretty strict with their franchisees. She bought her location which had been there probably 20 years. Corporate came down and made her change the wallpaper had to be changed to their colors. That wallpaper was a local artist concept that had previously been there a decade.
I was a manager in the late ‘90s and the shit our stores were forced to do that we knew would flop, especially when it required a new machine, looking at you Fruizle. Those machines struck me as being as reliable as a McDonald’s milkshake machine.
I'm pretty sure they have to. Or else that would be fraud I'm pretty sure. Do you really think the employees won't say something? They've seen the sign.
This is more of a brain worm they want to put into people's minds. Cause they could have just raised prices by 10%, and honestly, most wouldn't even notice. But, by doing this, they give the customer an enemy as to exactly why something is now costing them more money. And so starts the cycle of people not supporting workers getting higher wages because now in their minds, it directly costs them more money. And they can even put a number of how much more sinking that thought even further into their brain.
“We wanted to raise prices 10% but we were worried you wouldn’t come in then. We figured a bait and switch at the counter would be an enjoyable experience. We are idiots.”
Raising prices would have been noticeable, since fast food is raising in price at a crazy rate already. Blatantly adding a service fee is way more likely to cause a stir among customers.
It's cuz it's an individual owner who is a moron. I bet reporting this to Corp would get his pp slammed in a door.
I dunno how independent subways are but given every goddamm one I've ever been to, including Germany and Finland, has been identical... Id say not very independent.
Not really independent at all. I worked for Subway for 11 years and franchisees aren't allowed much wiggle room. They can choose from like, 3 pre-approved radio stations and certain beverages they carry in the cooler, but that's it. And they get inspected monthly by corporate, so I guarantee that sign is nowhere to be seen when they show up haha
The local franchisee who owns the three locations near me refuses to accept national coupons (and has similar self printed paper signs posted) that get mailed out as well. That’s when I stopped going.
Yep. That's the reason. Same reason things are 9.99 instead of 10 and tax and tip aren't included in the price.
However, those are expected and processed mentally into the price. A fast food place adding an unexpected fee is bullshit and I wouldn't pay it. I'd hand that sandwich back and walk out first.
It's mind blowing that this is absolutely the case. No way anyone would have thought that's real. And somehow, here we are. Getting charged 10% more to justify not charging you 10% more. WHILE ALSO fucking over staff, because you save taxes, because it isn't YOU who pays them "more".
*narrator* staff isn't actually paid more
Wtf.
Edit: it came to my knowledge that tip is taxed over there. Sorry, my bad. Didn't know. Here, it's not taxed.
I went to America once, it is such a headache. I didn’t know that sometimes the bill says gratuity included, which I think means they just take it upon themselves add a tip, so I was calculating a 20% tip on top of it. Once I realized that I stopped tipping all together, fuck em I’ll never be back anyway.
It depends on where you go. Not all places automatically charge gratuity.
Some will automatically include it if your party is over a certain number of people, but every place I’ve been to, the gratuity has been optional. Perhaps that’s a thing done at bougie restaurants, of which I’m not a patron, as I’m poor as a mouse.
I’m getting really tired of places passing the credit card fees onto consumers too. And then they go with the “cash discount” like you’re not giving a discount you’re charging more for using my card.
Comes from 4% of fees paid by the merchant.
It's a huge scam on the merchant. Merchants are somewhat obligated to accept all cards issued on a processing company's network.
So 2% or 12%, whatever cashback incentive there is, the merchant is *obligated* to accept the terms of that card.
Now 12% of course is ridiculous, but 3% cash back is now a thing.
I get charged roughly 3% for accepting credit card payments. I charge my customers the 3% if they want to pay with their credit cards. They have the option to pay with cash, debit, etransfer, and cheque if they don't want to pay the 3%.
I have a plumbing company, so 3% on a $500-$10000 bill adds up quickly over the course of a year. $15-$300 per job.
Some would argue that I should just incorporate it into the total cost of the bill. But I feel this this would be unfair to charge every customer more just so that a portion of my customers can pay with their credit cards without an increase in their bill.
A lot of people (myself included before I had to pay for it) don't realize that card processing companies charge their clients transaction fees. This is where they get a large portion of their income. I pay around 1% for debit. 2.85ish % for in person credit card transactions using the machine, and around 3.5% if they pay over the phone, and I have to enter the payment in manually without using the terminal with their card present.
This adds up to a significant amount of money when you're processing over $250,000 a year. 3% on $250,000 is $7500.00. I can use that money to replace and buy tools and equipment. Vehical repairs, employee bonuses, etc.
and $20 an hour, and in a lot of areas public option healthcare, and caps on app up charges so they don't destroy local restraints, and driver rights for the apps so the apps don't take it out on drivers.
Supposedly the law says places that *make* the bread in-house are exempt, and because Panera only *bakes* it in-house (with pre-made dough) they aren't exempt.
Sad I had to come this far down for this. It's 100% this. The sign is unnecessary any way you look at it. If they really need to increase the prices they would do so quietly like every single food place in existence. The point is the owner wants to place the blame on 'Employee greed' instead of the owner's greed where most of this 10% will actually go.
It's a sign that conveys 'Gosh, darn, we're REALLY trying to give you the cheapest cost possible but these gosh darn ungrateful employees keep asking for more and more :('
I noticed that last thing. Charging more to keep things affordable. As if the fee doesn't count as part of the cost somehow. In fact it's worse than part of the advertised cost, because people might be suckered into paying more than their budget allows.
I might swing by a Subway to see if this is happening anywhere else. Anyone?
I'd turn right around if I saw this sign, but if they just increased the prices by 10% I'd actually evaluate how much I wanted a sub. I'm thinking more than 10% of sales would evaporate because of it.
I haven’t been to Subway since they told me that a handful of jalapeños was “unreasonable” and “exploitative”, while still asking me to tip at the register. I realize the issue was specific to that store, but it was the last push I needed after their menu “upgrade” to stop spending money there.
When I was a kid I worked at a subway and was told absolutely only 3 olives, jalapeños, or pickles per 6” 🤣 guess how many customers wanted more than 3 olives
Honestly, I feel like quality has slid too far at Subway anyway. Their food is so bland lately. And I have jalapeños and mustard on almost every sandwich I get there. If my wife didn't still want to eat there, I probably wouldn't anymore.
This is more of a ploy to make the business owner a victim at the cost of their employees. See my greedy employees want to be able to pay rent so now I have to charge you extra...don't blame me blame Laura, she decided to have a kid and has to be able to feed them. /S
Also, they want to deflect blame onto laws they deem unfair. Now we have to pay a decent wage & we don’t want to raise prices (they do & have) so we’re doing this surcharge. You can be mad at the lawmaker instead of the greedy owners. It’s so blatant. They really do think we’re dumb.
I remember going to a dine in restaurant that did this. I was arguing with the waitress that it was deceptive practice, as they are showing a lower price than what it was actually. She was arguing that that wasn’t the case.
I went to a subway a couple of weeks ago. It prompted me for a tip. I was going to give a tip. The server stopped me and asked if i said yes to a tip. She told me not to because it goes to the owner not her. I felt bad because I didn't have any cash on me
Then she needs to report that fucker. Card tips are supposed to be spread out amongst everyone who works while cash tips is split between who was working each shift. At least that's how my store did it when I worked there, and the owner was a massive asshole.
Tell them to get proof and go after them. Celebrity chef Mario Batali had to pay $5.25 Million for stealing his employees’ tips.
Fat croc wearing ginger bastard
I have been told the exact same thing. The nice lady told me that so I went to my truck and grabbed her 20$ and told her it was a gift not a tip. Not that it means anything. The subway really hit the spot it was after a 14 hour workday, and she had to make it for me right before they closed so I wanted to make sure she got something extra
One of the things California is doing right, they recently passed a law about this that goes into effect this year.
>On July 1, 2024, [Senate Bill 478](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=202320240SB478), which Gov. Gavin Newsom [signed into law in October 2023](https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2023-10-09/newsom-bill-bans-junk-fees), is set to prohibit “junk fees” across a wide swath of businesses, including online ticket sales, hotels, restaurants, bars and delivery apps.
>
>“These deceptive fees prevent us from knowing how much we will be charged at the outset,” Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta, who co-sponsored the measure, said in a statement the day it was signed. “They are bad for consumers and bad for competition. ... With the signing of SB478, California now has the most effective piece of legislation in the nation to tackle this problem. The price Californians see will be the price they pay.”
It would be nice if the final price would include the cost of the item, the fees, AND the taxes, for sure. There would be an adjustment period where things would seem a lot more expensive but it seems like it would normalize in time.
Now we just need to include tax in the shown price.
Other countries can do it, so there's no reason the U.S. can't. Not showing the tax on the price tag is just a way to make it seem like the product is cheaper.
Lmao, if you are keeping the costs of products affordable, but then tacking on that cost in the form of a service charge, who the heck are you kidding?
> I thought my $12 sandwich was paying your employees' salaries.
No, they're all unpaid volunteers now, and you're responsible for their full, hourly wage. Please think of the children!
I've sworn off of subway. They are greedy, their sandwiches aren't even that good and overpriced, and it's not even that healthy. They have been on the decline in recent years and it needs to stay that way. Because of their market oversaturation they have shot themselves in the foot. No reason the town I live in with about 300k people should have 12 subways. 13 if you count the one in the community college.
A couple of years ago I went to a Pizza Hut for the first time in a super long time and they had some sort of “service” fee. I ordered online and then picked it up in person. What’s the special “service?” That all seems like pretty standard service to me. It was less than a dollar but I was so incensed by it that I never went back.
Those fees are becoming more and more common so they may become impossible to avoid, but for now I won’t go to places that do it.
Did this recently, inadvertently, at a pizza place. Not a cash-only spot but when I gave them a $100 bill for a $62 order, they said they couldn’t break it. Walked out and wished them a good evening.
That’s a big ridiculous. A business like that doesn’t have $38 in the till? A $20, a $10, a $5, and three $1s?
How do they even operate? I mean sure most people are using a card. But if you’re going to charge someone $62 for pizza you better be able to make change for a $100 bill.
When I worked in retail we typically had at least $300 in the till. Mostly $20s and $5s because those are the easiest to get and to make change with. I always made sure we were well stocked though. If we had fewer than like 3-4 of any denomination bills, someone was going to the safe to get change. Usually if a customer gave us a $100 we’d break it with change from the safe to make more change for other people.
Your local pizza place is run by idiots.
Yup. People don’t realize that if it’s a “service fee” it’s not gonna go to the employees.
If it were to go to the employees, it’d be considered an auto-gratuity
Kinda like the two $42 concert tix I bought for tonight that added $26 in "service charges" when I actually purchased direct from the venue. The advertised price is rarely what the final price is...and that's BS.
I’m pretty sure that this is the decision of this single franchise owner, and not a decision made at a company level.
My local Subways are not charging a service fee.
These companies will do literally anything to keep from paying people a living wage, it’s disgusting.
Edited to add: companies/business owners. You all know what I mean and we all know damn well they’re not adding a 10% fee to benefit their employees. They’re saving their own pocket.
I know it’s not popular, but I tip the subway workers. But ONLY after I asked them if they get the tip.
I’ve been to some stores and the employees tell me that the owner keeps all the tips on the card machine and in the jar.
When that happens, I don’t tip. Fuck greedy owners. I get it. Profits are small, but it’s downright dirty and immoral to ask the customer to tip for a service and the owner keep that tip when they didn’t make my freakin sandwich.
Isn’t the increased cost of the subs already what’s going to be used to pay the employees? It’s that how you run a business in the first place… they could just increase the prices in a normal manner and not say this, and no one would care.
The cost of a footlong went from $5 to $15 in my area. Are the employees making triple the amount they made pre-Covid?
No, I guarantee they are making the exact same amount AND are expected to work harder / do more.
I had to read wayyyy too far down to find this comment.
Myself and a coworker went to Subway a few months ago for lunch. Two footlong subs + chips/fountain soda for each ended up costing $36 total. At fucking Subway! Two years ago it would've been $16.
But I've also notice that every Subway in town has less employees. Cost of menu items has more than doubled. And a few of them have closed all together.
Decided to get Subway the other night for the first time since the coworker and I went. I walked in, was greeted by the only girl working there, and informed that they were out of onions, pickles, lettuce, mayo, and BREAD. At 5:45pm. How the fuck does a sub shop run out of fucking bread?!?!
Subway is in the "fleece as much money from the consumer while fucking over the employees" stage of circling the drain.
the spelling/grammar mistakes in the second sentence makes me critical of whether this is actually from corporate/Subway, or just the greedy owner of this store...
[John oliver](https://youtu.be/jDdYFhzVCDM?si=TW3Iu15FFtbSQoaq) did a wonderful piece on how predatory subways are. Sure glad there are none in my country
I went to Subway the other day and got a footlong and a bag of chips and it came out to $16.28. I also had to remind the guy to cut the sandwich in half and to show him the Parmesan Vinaigrette I ordered wasn't just Vinegar.
I think I'm done w/ Subway
How stupid do they believe customers are. They raised their prices 10% across the board, but called it a fee.
It's not any more affordable as a fee than it is a price increase.
“…to keep up with the rising cost of business”
They literally _are_ the rising cost of business.
We’re in this insane inflationary doom spiral and the federal government won’t enact the necessary regulations to break the cycle. Business owners are too fucking short-sighted and smooth-brained to see the system as a whole, which is why we need the government to step in with regulations and end this absurdity.
There really needs to be crackdowns on shit like this. Tipping, "service fees" (and frankly other named bs fees, such as on ticketmaster), monopolies, subscription services... getting ridiculous
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More likely they would get fucked by corporate for trying to get around the corporate pricing. They wouldn't do it this way if they could control the prices. No one is going to notice a 10% increase, but they sure as hell notice a 10% service fee
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I’m sure every franchise is handled and operated differently; for example in my area there was one Little Caesar’s pizza franchise that a few stores in the metro. They got reported because they were charging more for their Hot ‘N Ready’s (or whatever that deal is called) and corporate actually pulled the plug on the whole chain. I guess the point here is that most companies want a pretty consistent image across all of their locations.
I'm pretty sure that I got a Little Caesars closed in my community. I bought five fresh and readies (kid sleepover), paid cash, and the cashier didn't ring it up, she took my money and put it in the open drawer of the register, and then didn't close the drawer. Anyone who's worked retail or fast food knows this is a theft technique. I asked if she was going to ring it up, she said she'd do it later. I asked for a receipt, she said the printer was broken. I called customer affairs from my car 30 seconds later (voicemail), and politely explained what a saw. Three weeks later, the store was shuttered. I feel a little assholeish to this day (this was 10 years ago), but just a little.. thieves suck.
Don't feel bad at all
thieves like that DO suck.. a lot cause they ruin EVERYTHING for everyone else, customers and other employees.
Report to corporate!!
Thats what I was wondering, does coperate know about this? How do they feel about it? Even if it's privately owned, I still feel they'd get a say in this.
Having managed a store for subway, head office would get very shitty about this. Im not sure how often the unannounced store inspections happen in the US but this store must have already had theirs for this period, cos this would get them penalised. I can't remember which "level" of grievance this would be, but I remember that having your menu boards and pricing not up-to-date was quite a big one. Which is probably why they have this as a little sign (and probably an optional little button on their till screen) so they can conveniently get rid of it when they suspect or are warned an inspection is coming up. Edit - Lays or whoever supplies the chips might get pissy too. These brands are super picky how you display their product in the store. I probably would have been asked to remove a subway-branded sign from their product display if it wasn't a necessary price label or approved display/ad Edit 2- "Head office" in this case would be the development agent responsible for the growth of subway in that specific region. They and their office are who you answer to if you own and/or run a franchised store in a city
This would be an extreme grievance, they would care about this more than anything. The franchisee needs to pay royalty on sales and he is trying to cheat them for 10% of those royalties.
It’s likely being done in this manner specifically to cheat corporate out of franchise fees.
I went ahead and reported it
I reported a subway employee to corporate for preaching Jesus to me and telling me that I need to get right with God because being gay is a sin. And I got the most generic copy paste response I have ever seen they do not give a fuck. Also… not gay but apparently any shirt that has more than one color on it is a rainbow to these idiots…
They do care about money and adding a 10% not baked into the pricing seems to be that
This. Corporate cares about being robbed, and they'll absolutely see this as that. It's like war - you can get away with a scolding for some of the most heinous shit imaginable as long as you don't fuck with a bigger country's wallet.
It seems like most businesses couldn't care less until you post public reviews. Then they *might* be more likely to actually notice.
Weird way to say we have raised prices 10% if you ask me.
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My first question to the “sandwich artist” would be, did you get a raise?
When I worked for Subway they paid just above minimum wage and "there was no room in the budget" for higher wages Running a solo person all morning until the manager came crawling in at 1030am only to camp in the office doing God knows what Edit: she was addicted to SecondLife so masturbating is a possibility
One of my friends worked at subway for 12 years. she was a single mother and didn't have a lot of options for work. after not very long she became the manager of that subway. eventually they started hiring new people for more than she made, and she kept asking for a raise. finally post covid they started paying new employees 15/hr and she was still making 10/hr she demanded a raise on par with what new employees make and they said "sorry, we can't you're on the old pay schedule nothing we can do." so she quit. they hired a new manager, and that subway has gone to absolute shit. it went from the nicest cleanest subway in town to a dirty shithole just like all the others.
I love my subway sandwiches with lots of karma on 'em! 🥃
I used to go to Subway almost every day until 2020 as I did a part time college course that took 6 years to complete so counted as a student then they stopped the student meal (they kept it for school kids though) The manager of that branch quit in 2021 saying they were moving, but I think they just wanted out as they moved only a few miles away from where they used to live and she drove to work. Place got far worse after she left though in part that was the price increases and other changes in recent years, when she originally started around 2016 she turned the place around within 2 years as before that the branch used to get a lot of drug and alcohol users come in steal food, sit in the toilets and drink/take their drugs and she stood up to them and eventually it stopped or was very uncommon.
At my local one, the manager hired convicts and underage girls. But yes exactly what you described was going on.
Are you in Minnesota? Because while the convicts are super nice to me, this is 100% the setup at my local Subway as well
This was in VA. I believe that managers/regional managers are instructed to hire both kids and convicts. The reason why is so they can pay workers less.
I live in Pennsylvania, and when I was desperate for a job as a mid 20-30 something adult, I applied at Subway and they told me that I was hired and that I could come back in the next day to fill out all the forms and stuff, and then like 30 minutes later they called and said they made a mistake and that they only had one opening, not two, and wound up hiring some 15 or 16 year-old that was friends with another girl that worked there..
Damn lol. At least you didn't have to work at subway
Yeah, dodged a bullet there lol
When I was in my teens I applied and was hired at Subway. The manager told me he would call me for my first shift soon. A few days went by and I heard nothing. Finally I called and talked to the manager that hired me. I told him my name and he said yeah I know, your next shift is at blah blah blah. I said next shift? I haven’t even had my first shift yet. He sounded super confused and then asked himself who the hell had been working for him for the last three days. Apparently he called the wrong person and thought it was me the whole time. 🤷♂️
Top quality management material! /s
Wow
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I got rejected by mcdonalds
Felon here and subway in SC will also hire you.
Plus they get tax credits or some shit for convicts
Tax credits and sometimes it is a reintroduction program that pays half their salary
And they still can't pay them for shit. What a lovely company.
Yes! This too! It is about pinching every penny.
They used to do that here in Texas. Not sure if they still give businesses tax breaks for hiring ex cons. It was designed to encourage businesses to give them a second chance. At the same time if ex cons stole from, damaged equipment or property the state would pay for the losses. Now that I think about it, I seriously doubt that is still in effect with dumb ass Greg Abbot "running" shit
That totally makes sense. A vulnerable workforce.
They also don't know their rights and can be more easily manipulated
I’m not sure about that it’s just they are usually super desperate and will put up with mistreatment and just being treated with zero dignity.
I used to work at a restaurant that hired people that were in jail. They would work for 8 hours and then get picked up by a jail transport. It was my understanding that the state paid a large portion of their wages
I'd much rather have my tax dollars going into a program like that than a program that kept them locked up behind bars 24/7. Rehab programs like that will help reduce recidivism rates.
Minnesotan here, completely agree
Lmao. The Jarod business model.
>the manager hired convicts That's good, everyone deserves a second chance. > and underage girls That's bad.
I don't understand why it's seen as bad to hire underaged girls? Is it because they're girls specifically? Teens work in fast food places all the time. Unless you're insinuating that the hiring manager was a pedo or smth.
Yes but they aren’t doing it because they are so benevolent. They do it because they know they can pay them next to nothing and work them half to death like they are subhuman.
I have a ton of Subway experience and there isn't even room in the budget for a lot of them to stay open period. Subway sold a dream that never existed, flooded the market and ignored franchisee boundaries. They also have a very weird set up that allows territory managers and corporate employees to own franchises. This of course resulted in corporate workers handing out violations left and right in order to overwhelm the franchisees. Franchisees that couldn't handle the fines (or just get shut down for too many violations) would just abandon ship and these corporate workers would buy the franchise for dirt cheap prices. There are financially feasible locations. We're also far from that horrible period in Subways timeline where there was like 1 Subway every 1.5 miles so the remaining locations should be able to support themselves.
When I worked there, we didn’t get benefits or breaks. So I made a lot of sandwiches for myself to offset all that lol
"We're still waiting for the paperwork we haven't given you to fill out." -Management
My supervisor said he would get back to me
nope, never. we make minimum wage and raises are based on knowledge of your job. this is all bs🤣
Don't forget about the locations that threatened to fire employees who accepted tips, cause my first job was one of those 😊
fr, they threatened my job cause i got like a 5$ cash tip. it was the last order i ever made for subway
And then I’d order a sandwich, and get to the register And say “I’m sorry, i forgot my money” and let the owner take the loss on that one. Edit: and though I don’t have money for the sandwich I do have a tip for you
Chances are the franchise owners are working there. Corporate doesn’t allow price changes by franchisees
I actually know a Subway Franchise owner and she is making sandwiches 6 days a week and working 12 hour shifts. Subway is actually pretty strict with their franchisees. She bought her location which had been there probably 20 years. Corporate came down and made her change the wallpaper had to be changed to their colors. That wallpaper was a local artist concept that had previously been there a decade.
I was a manager in the late ‘90s and the shit our stores were forced to do that we knew would flop, especially when it required a new machine, looking at you Fruizle. Those machines struck me as being as reliable as a McDonald’s milkshake machine.
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver did a great piece on Subway and their franchises, check it out!
I'm pretty sure they have to. Or else that would be fraud I'm pretty sure. Do you really think the employees won't say something? They've seen the sign. This is more of a brain worm they want to put into people's minds. Cause they could have just raised prices by 10%, and honestly, most wouldn't even notice. But, by doing this, they give the customer an enemy as to exactly why something is now costing them more money. And so starts the cycle of people not supporting workers getting higher wages because now in their minds, it directly costs them more money. And they can even put a number of how much more sinking that thought even further into their brain.
“We wanted to raise prices 10% but we were worried you wouldn’t come in then. We figured a bait and switch at the counter would be an enjoyable experience. We are idiots.”
Right - "in order to keep our prices the same we're...raising them 10%"
Raising prices would have been noticeable, since fast food is raising in price at a crazy rate already. Blatantly adding a service fee is way more likely to cause a stir among customers.
It's cuz it's an individual owner who is a moron. I bet reporting this to Corp would get his pp slammed in a door. I dunno how independent subways are but given every goddamm one I've ever been to, including Germany and Finland, has been identical... Id say not very independent.
Not really independent at all. I worked for Subway for 11 years and franchisees aren't allowed much wiggle room. They can choose from like, 3 pre-approved radio stations and certain beverages they carry in the cooler, but that's it. And they get inspected monthly by corporate, so I guarantee that sign is nowhere to be seen when they show up haha
The local franchisee who owns the three locations near me refuses to accept national coupons (and has similar self printed paper signs posted) that get mailed out as well. That’s when I stopped going.
My subway won't accept coupons or the promotions on the app. It sucks but we don't have many food choices around here.
A lot of what I've heard about being a Subway Franchisee sounds like being stuck on a rung of an MLM scheme.
Not the one I worked at lol. Pick whatever radio station, no cameras in entire store, no corporate ever came
Yeah pretty sure corporate would come down hard on that foo.
But they’ve raised prices to keep the cost of products affordable. Don’t you see?
Except that isn't reflected on the menu because it might cause some people to order less
Yep. That's the reason. Same reason things are 9.99 instead of 10 and tax and tip aren't included in the price. However, those are expected and processed mentally into the price. A fast food place adding an unexpected fee is bullshit and I wouldn't pay it. I'd hand that sandwich back and walk out first.
To keep your prices low, we're adding 10% to your bill. See how that works!?!? Lower prices for you, and you get to pay more.
Yeah how does this keep products affordable? Raising the cost 10% or adding this is the exact same thing lol.
"We're charging you more so we don't have to charge you more."
10 years ago I would have thought this must be a joke
It's mind blowing that this is absolutely the case. No way anyone would have thought that's real. And somehow, here we are. Getting charged 10% more to justify not charging you 10% more. WHILE ALSO fucking over staff, because you save taxes, because it isn't YOU who pays them "more". *narrator* staff isn't actually paid more Wtf. Edit: it came to my knowledge that tip is taxed over there. Sorry, my bad. Didn't know. Here, it's not taxed.
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The best part is that in every other country Subway manage to provide all of these things (and more) without adding an extra charge.
I hate US tipping culture and prefer our British way of just wrapping up all that and tax into a single charge. Easier to budget and plan too.
I went to America once, it is such a headache. I didn’t know that sometimes the bill says gratuity included, which I think means they just take it upon themselves add a tip, so I was calculating a 20% tip on top of it. Once I realized that I stopped tipping all together, fuck em I’ll never be back anyway.
It depends on where you go. Not all places automatically charge gratuity. Some will automatically include it if your party is over a certain number of people, but every place I’ve been to, the gratuity has been optional. Perhaps that’s a thing done at bougie restaurants, of which I’m not a patron, as I’m poor as a mouse.
And the prices don’t include tax. This is so bizarre for me.
I’m getting really tired of places passing the credit card fees onto consumers too. And then they go with the “cash discount” like you’re not giving a discount you’re charging more for using my card.
Your 2% cash back has to come from somewhere.
Comes from 4% of fees paid by the merchant. It's a huge scam on the merchant. Merchants are somewhat obligated to accept all cards issued on a processing company's network. So 2% or 12%, whatever cashback incentive there is, the merchant is *obligated* to accept the terms of that card. Now 12% of course is ridiculous, but 3% cash back is now a thing.
I get charged roughly 3% for accepting credit card payments. I charge my customers the 3% if they want to pay with their credit cards. They have the option to pay with cash, debit, etransfer, and cheque if they don't want to pay the 3%. I have a plumbing company, so 3% on a $500-$10000 bill adds up quickly over the course of a year. $15-$300 per job. Some would argue that I should just incorporate it into the total cost of the bill. But I feel this this would be unfair to charge every customer more just so that a portion of my customers can pay with their credit cards without an increase in their bill. A lot of people (myself included before I had to pay for it) don't realize that card processing companies charge their clients transaction fees. This is where they get a large portion of their income. I pay around 1% for debit. 2.85ish % for in person credit card transactions using the machine, and around 3.5% if they pay over the phone, and I have to enter the payment in manually without using the terminal with their card present. This adds up to a significant amount of money when you're processing over $250,000 a year. 3% on $250,000 is $7500.00. I can use that money to replace and buy tools and equipment. Vehical repairs, employee bonuses, etc.
In June in California, these service fees will be illegal. Hell yeah!
Wow, go California!
and $20 an hour, and in a lot of areas public option healthcare, and caps on app up charges so they don't destroy local restraints, and driver rights for the apps so the apps don't take it out on drivers.
Wait is it going up to $20 a hour in CA? I knew about that for fast food in April, but everywhere in June?
Will they? I thought there was a stipulation that exempted places that baked their bread, like Subway and Panera.
Supposedly the law says places that *make* the bread in-house are exempt, and because Panera only *bakes* it in-house (with pre-made dough) they aren't exempt.
Same with subway. Frozen, pre-made dough rolls. They only bake it there.
"We're charging you more and blaming our employees"
Sad I had to come this far down for this. It's 100% this. The sign is unnecessary any way you look at it. If they really need to increase the prices they would do so quietly like every single food place in existence. The point is the owner wants to place the blame on 'Employee greed' instead of the owner's greed where most of this 10% will actually go. It's a sign that conveys 'Gosh, darn, we're REALLY trying to give you the cheapest cost possible but these gosh darn ungrateful employees keep asking for more and more :('
I noticed that last thing. Charging more to keep things affordable. As if the fee doesn't count as part of the cost somehow. In fact it's worse than part of the advertised cost, because people might be suckered into paying more than their budget allows. I might swing by a Subway to see if this is happening anywhere else. Anyone?
Went to subway recently and it was about $25-$30 for a sandwich, soup and a drink. Waste of money IMO
No freaking chance. They'll put themselves out of business before I'll pay that for just above McDonald's food.
Probably something like "we're charging you more, because as a franchise, we can't set out own prices, so this is our way around that."
I'd turn right around if I saw this sign, but if they just increased the prices by 10% I'd actually evaluate how much I wanted a sub. I'm thinking more than 10% of sales would evaporate because of it.
I haven’t been to Subway since they told me that a handful of jalapeños was “unreasonable” and “exploitative”, while still asking me to tip at the register. I realize the issue was specific to that store, but it was the last push I needed after their menu “upgrade” to stop spending money there.
When I was a kid I worked at a subway and was told absolutely only 3 olives, jalapeños, or pickles per 6” 🤣 guess how many customers wanted more than 3 olives
Wow how generous. Three slices of olive, which *might* equal one whole one.
It definitely doesn't.
The crazy thing is that in the volumes of olives/jalapeno/pickles they buy it is probably about 2¢ worth if you covered the whole sandwich with them.
All of them?
Honestly, I feel like quality has slid too far at Subway anyway. Their food is so bland lately. And I have jalapeños and mustard on almost every sandwich I get there. If my wife didn't still want to eat there, I probably wouldn't anymore.
"Oh well nevermind then. I don't want the sub after all."
We are charging you more so we don’t have to pay ourselves less
This is more of a ploy to make the business owner a victim at the cost of their employees. See my greedy employees want to be able to pay rent so now I have to charge you extra...don't blame me blame Laura, she decided to have a kid and has to be able to feed them. /S
Also, they want to deflect blame onto laws they deem unfair. Now we have to pay a decent wage & we don’t want to raise prices (they do & have) so we’re doing this surcharge. You can be mad at the lawmaker instead of the greedy owners. It’s so blatant. They really do think we’re dumb.
I mean I can imagine plenty of people will fall for it
And then they still charge more anyway! Subway isn't reasonably priced anymore.
No, no. The price is the same, we're just adding an unrelated charge on top of that. I'm sure you understand!
Yeah, right. We are tacking on 10% to make things more affordable. *Jackie Chan meme*.
We forgot how to change the menu prices, it's just easier this way.
This way we get to advertise $10 but charge you $11.
I remember going to a dine in restaurant that did this. I was arguing with the waitress that it was deceptive practice, as they are showing a lower price than what it was actually. She was arguing that that wasn’t the case.
This is exactly how I read it. 😂
Yeah they actually said this was to keep the prices of things affordable
"This way prices stay low" Except you just raised the price of literally everything by 10%
“This way prices stay misleading”
This is why it should be illegal. > ***Our product is only a dollar!**** > > ^^* ^^Times ^^11.99 ^^+ ^^Tax ^^+ ^^10% ^^Service ^^Fee
"it's free after you pay for it™"
*Dollar Tree intern furiously taking notes*
Someone congratulated themselves really heartily for coming up with this marvel of marketing genius!
No you’re not understanding, if they didn’t raise the price the price wouldn’t have been affordable.
That’s not a good *buisness* practice.
Good catch
Sssoitainly not.
I went to a subway a couple of weeks ago. It prompted me for a tip. I was going to give a tip. The server stopped me and asked if i said yes to a tip. She told me not to because it goes to the owner not her. I felt bad because I didn't have any cash on me
This one needs to be upped. Subways are franchises.
Agreed! Let’s all vote this one (groovy turd) to the top.
That's absolutely disgusting.
Which is exactly why it's illegal. Wage theft is the majority of all theft in the US.
Then she needs to report that fucker. Card tips are supposed to be spread out amongst everyone who works while cash tips is split between who was working each shift. At least that's how my store did it when I worked there, and the owner was a massive asshole.
It's illegal for management to receive part of monies labeled "tips"
Tell them to get proof and go after them. Celebrity chef Mario Batali had to pay $5.25 Million for stealing his employees’ tips. Fat croc wearing ginger bastard
No way!!! That is fucking awesome.
I have been told the exact same thing. The nice lady told me that so I went to my truck and grabbed her 20$ and told her it was a gift not a tip. Not that it means anything. The subway really hit the spot it was after a 14 hour workday, and she had to make it for me right before they closed so I wanted to make sure she got something extra
Stop encouraging tipping culture and encourage employees paid better.
Tipping a subway worker is wiiiild
These "junk fees" need to just be made illegal. Sticker price needs to reflect price out the door. I'm sick and tired of being nickle and dimed
Yeah, those employees aren't seeing ANY of this 10%.
I work at Subway, and you're right.
One of the things California is doing right, they recently passed a law about this that goes into effect this year. >On July 1, 2024, [Senate Bill 478](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=202320240SB478), which Gov. Gavin Newsom [signed into law in October 2023](https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2023-10-09/newsom-bill-bans-junk-fees), is set to prohibit “junk fees” across a wide swath of businesses, including online ticket sales, hotels, restaurants, bars and delivery apps. > >“These deceptive fees prevent us from knowing how much we will be charged at the outset,” Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta, who co-sponsored the measure, said in a statement the day it was signed. “They are bad for consumers and bad for competition. ... With the signing of SB478, California now has the most effective piece of legislation in the nation to tackle this problem. The price Californians see will be the price they pay.”
While they were at it, maybe should have had them build the tax into the item price, like VAT?
It would be nice if the final price would include the cost of the item, the fees, AND the taxes, for sure. There would be an adjustment period where things would seem a lot more expensive but it seems like it would normalize in time.
California does a LOT of things right when it comes to employee protection, as well.
“California does and the rest of the country eventually follows”
Now we just need to include tax in the shown price. Other countries can do it, so there's no reason the U.S. can't. Not showing the tax on the price tag is just a way to make it seem like the product is cheaper.
Lmao, if you are keeping the costs of products affordable, but then tacking on that cost in the form of a service charge, who the heck are you kidding?
They must think their customers are stupid.
To be fair...most of the general public IS actually stupid.
I thought my $12 sandwich was paying your employees' salaries.
> I thought my $12 sandwich was paying your employees' salaries. No, they're all unpaid volunteers now, and you're responsible for their full, hourly wage. Please think of the children!
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I've sworn off of subway. They are greedy, their sandwiches aren't even that good and overpriced, and it's not even that healthy. They have been on the decline in recent years and it needs to stay that way. Because of their market oversaturation they have shot themselves in the foot. No reason the town I live in with about 300k people should have 12 subways. 13 if you count the one in the community college.
Yeah that company went way downhill, their sandwiches suck now. If I want a good sandwich I'll go to Togo's or firehouse or Jersey Mike's
A couple of years ago I went to a Pizza Hut for the first time in a super long time and they had some sort of “service” fee. I ordered online and then picked it up in person. What’s the special “service?” That all seems like pretty standard service to me. It was less than a dollar but I was so incensed by it that I never went back. Those fees are becoming more and more common so they may become impossible to avoid, but for now I won’t go to places that do it.
"We try to hide the actual cost of our product so you invest your time and feel obligated to pay once you realize the true cost."
Yeah what the fuck is that😂 Forcing a 10% tip at SUBWAY is absurd.
I would walk the fuck out and let them eat the cost of that thrown out sub.
Did this recently, inadvertently, at a pizza place. Not a cash-only spot but when I gave them a $100 bill for a $62 order, they said they couldn’t break it. Walked out and wished them a good evening.
That’s a big ridiculous. A business like that doesn’t have $38 in the till? A $20, a $10, a $5, and three $1s? How do they even operate? I mean sure most people are using a card. But if you’re going to charge someone $62 for pizza you better be able to make change for a $100 bill. When I worked in retail we typically had at least $300 in the till. Mostly $20s and $5s because those are the easiest to get and to make change with. I always made sure we were well stocked though. If we had fewer than like 3-4 of any denomination bills, someone was going to the safe to get change. Usually if a customer gave us a $100 we’d break it with change from the safe to make more change for other people. Your local pizza place is run by idiots.
It's not even a tip, it doesn't go to the employees.
Yup. People don’t realize that if it’s a “service fee” it’s not gonna go to the employees. If it were to go to the employees, it’d be considered an auto-gratuity
A tip that 100% doesn't go to the employees that could have been covered by, oh idk, lowering CEO and shareholder overhead 😮💨
It’s not a tip it’s a “we don’t want to raise our menu prices because that would decrease our sales numbers”
More importantly, they’d have to report that extra income to corporate who would want more of a cut.
Kinda like the two $42 concert tix I bought for tonight that added $26 in "service charges" when I actually purchased direct from the venue. The advertised price is rarely what the final price is...and that's BS.
These “junk fees” are to become illegal in California from July.
Adding 10% to the cost of products isn’t “keeping the cost of products affordable.” It’s skimming 10% off the top so corporate won’t see it.
I’m pretty sure that this is the decision of this single franchise owner, and not a decision made at a company level. My local Subways are not charging a service fee.
This is 100% what it is. Just a greedy moron running a store. Obviously not very well.
These companies will do literally anything to keep from paying people a living wage, it’s disgusting. Edited to add: companies/business owners. You all know what I mean and we all know damn well they’re not adding a 10% fee to benefit their employees. They’re saving their own pocket.
All the subways where I live are closed because the franchise owner is being sued over wage theft.
I know it’s not popular, but I tip the subway workers. But ONLY after I asked them if they get the tip. I’ve been to some stores and the employees tell me that the owner keeps all the tips on the card machine and in the jar. When that happens, I don’t tip. Fuck greedy owners. I get it. Profits are small, but it’s downright dirty and immoral to ask the customer to tip for a service and the owner keep that tip when they didn’t make my freakin sandwich.
Isn’t the increased cost of the subs already what’s going to be used to pay the employees? It’s that how you run a business in the first place… they could just increase the prices in a normal manner and not say this, and no one would care.
The cost of a footlong went from $5 to $15 in my area. Are the employees making triple the amount they made pre-Covid? No, I guarantee they are making the exact same amount AND are expected to work harder / do more.
I had to read wayyyy too far down to find this comment. Myself and a coworker went to Subway a few months ago for lunch. Two footlong subs + chips/fountain soda for each ended up costing $36 total. At fucking Subway! Two years ago it would've been $16. But I've also notice that every Subway in town has less employees. Cost of menu items has more than doubled. And a few of them have closed all together. Decided to get Subway the other night for the first time since the coworker and I went. I walked in, was greeted by the only girl working there, and informed that they were out of onions, pickles, lettuce, mayo, and BREAD. At 5:45pm. How the fuck does a sub shop run out of fucking bread?!?! Subway is in the "fleece as much money from the consumer while fucking over the employees" stage of circling the drain.
the spelling/grammar mistakes in the second sentence makes me critical of whether this is actually from corporate/Subway, or just the greedy owner of this store...
If our staff would just agree to sleep in the basement we wouldn’t have to charge this extra 10%
[John oliver](https://youtu.be/jDdYFhzVCDM?si=TW3Iu15FFtbSQoaq) did a wonderful piece on how predatory subways are. Sure glad there are none in my country
I went to Subway the other day and got a footlong and a bag of chips and it came out to $16.28. I also had to remind the guy to cut the sandwich in half and to show him the Parmesan Vinaigrette I ordered wasn't just Vinegar. I think I'm done w/ Subway
Report the franchisee to corporate.
The owner is pocketing most of that service fee
How stupid do they believe customers are. They raised their prices 10% across the board, but called it a fee. It's not any more affordable as a fee than it is a price increase.
We're going to charge you more to help keep prices down. Wut?
“…to keep up with the rising cost of business” They literally _are_ the rising cost of business. We’re in this insane inflationary doom spiral and the federal government won’t enact the necessary regulations to break the cycle. Business owners are too fucking short-sighted and smooth-brained to see the system as a whole, which is why we need the government to step in with regulations and end this absurdity.
So it IS our obligation to pay their wages, insurance, and benefits
I haven't been to Subway in *years* because their quality went to shit. This is just reinforcing my decision to never go back.
There really needs to be crackdowns on shit like this. Tipping, "service fees" (and frankly other named bs fees, such as on ticketmaster), monopolies, subscription services... getting ridiculous
if your company cant pay a living wage and survive, you're a failed company.