OK, Boss, Just Pay What You Feel

What would Friday’s paycheck look like if your boss got to pay you what he thought you earned this week? What if she were able to add/deduct at will, with no constraints upon a predetermined value for your time? Does it make you a little nervous, or are you excited about the possibilities?

That’s the strategy Radiohead made famous with their pay-what-you-want CD offerings. And while it hasn’t extended to workplaces yet, it is growing.

Now, restaurants in places like Seattle, Salt Lake City and Australia are doing the same thing: come on in, eat on us and leave what you feel is fair. It’ll all work out.

According to this recent article from Budget Travel, pay-what-you-like restaurants are changing the expectations of typical eat-out experiences. Rather than telling you what to pay, you tell them.

Imagine! That distgusting cup of coffee you got at the corner bakery? $.10. But that burger from In-N-Out that you raved about? Well, does $6 sound fair?

What I like about this is the innovative, new feel. I like shaking things up and trying different methods. But what I don’t like is the relativity of it all. I do very much want to get paid what I think I’m worth, not what you do. And if I owned a restaurant, I’d want to be paid what I felt the food was worth, not what you’d name the price at.

What do you think?

Filed under economy, food, shopping |