So, every now and then I glance at my yahoo news updates while checking my email, and occasionally one will catch my eye and I will read into it a little. Usually I find myself asking more questions than the article left me with answers about what happened; and thus It irritates me because the dribbled little bit of information they pass as "news" is obviously written and being read with the intention of its viewers to formulate some sort of an opinion, emotion, or response.
Maybe I am just stupid, or maybe I am just getting a little wiser or more paranoid about the media. Maybe I am getting more stupid and more paranoid, who can say? Anyways, so this guy who is only named as a "RICH WEALTHY BANKER!!!" leaves a tip of 1% on a lunch that cost $133 bucks. The article says the photo of the receipt was uploaded by the guy eating lunch with the "rich banker", and furthermore that the person who uploaded it was quoted as saying mentioning that the banker purposely tips 1% to waiters/waitresses who do not bow to his superiority or something like that, and furthermore that it is supposed to have the significance to mean that he "IS the 1% and PROUD!". he also wrote "get a real job" on the paper as an insult.
Then the article mentions another tip of zero value, with the words. "loose some weight".
here is the article: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/trendin...ncites-class-warfare-between-1-164624882.html
After reading this article, all I was left with was the feeling of my eyes uncontrollably rolling in their sockets and the words fluttering in my mind thinking "screw the 99% movement, why is this news worthy? And what I really want to know is were these two waiters/waitresses worth a crap? Did they do their job well, were they worthless, neglectful, or hateful or something? could the customers have had a reason for choosing their tip value? the articles certainly did not offer a bit of help on that question, just putting its stab in for the 99% movement, and that is all I ended up feeling the article was... and i kind of found it irritating. i also looked at the photo of the receipt they showed on the article, and noticed it did not have a breakdown of what the guy was paying for, or weather or not the establishment included a gratuity already or not.
Sure, I realize that most waiters and waitresses receive less than minimum wage as an hourly pay, and thus their real income is greatly dependent upon tips. And I also accept that I am also a prick because depending on the cost of my bill, or weather or not the establishment has sneaked a gratuity into the check already and then also has a tip line; sometimes I will leave a tip below even 10%.
for example, if I am on a date, out with some friends, or family and i pick up the tab, maybe we were eating someplace nice or treating ourselves to some drinks, desserts or what not. and the wait staff just did not really wow me, and say the bill comes out to 150 bucks or more for 45 mins of table time, or something, i am not probably not going to leave a 22 dollar tip just because its 15%, nor will i probably even leave 15 or much over 10 bucks. and the way i rationalize it is like this. i look around, and i have noticed that out waiter/waitress has 4-5 tables. then i think "okay, i only make 15 bucks an hour myself, and regardless of how hard i work my arse off, no one tips me any extra." and i figure most places pay their staff an hourly, so i lowball it and assume they are getting 3 bucks an hour, and the rest is left to tips. so i think "okay this waiter/waitress has to pull an extra 12 bucks an hour to meet my pay scale in tips" and if i was setting at their table for 45 mins, i think "hmm. so lets round that to an hour, and assume if all 4 tables left a 4 buck tip and the staff circulates about the same, then that is like making 16 bucks an hour on tips alone." so, i will leave 5 bucks or so, usually I pay with my debit card, leave 5 bucks and some change, whatever rounds my bill up to an equal $X.00, just to make balancing the checkbook quick. and if they pissed me off, or the service was crummy, or something, i will not be scared to leave a buck or two.
so by my logic in cases where gratuity is not included in the bill already, i leave room for the assumption that as i progress in life, and my future career, and make more money, that maybe i will leave more generous tips also.
** end of that topic ** the next topic is just me ranting about the concept of gratuity based jobs.
As you can no doubt tell, i battle with myself on the tip topic. I refuse to work in food again, and have never been a waiter. and as a tall over-weight young guy, all my job titles i seem to find eventually leave me assuming the job of what i would consider "hired grunt" they always expect me to move the heavy crap, and juggle the large objects, to sweat and play in the dirt, and i have never received an extra "tip" or gratuity in pay based on how hard i have had to work, or how well i did my job, my reward was that i got to keep my job, and take a shower when i got home. I have done some pretty nasty, hard, dirty, unsafe, and difficult jobs, and have yet to make more than 20 bucks an hour. (i had the opportunity as a CNA to make up to 22 an hour working nights and weekends at old folks homes, and i quickly realized that working with the elderly is not for me) And yet since high school I hear girls chatting about how they often average 20-30 bucks an hour or more working peak hours as a waitress. and sure, i could try my hand at it, but i choose to stay out of the food industry.
naturally, i am thankful to have had these jobs regardless of how much i hated them in the end, they have served as a great motivation to stay in school, and get out of this level of society, because clearly, i will not be happy living like that and doing those jobs until the day i die. and maybe that is where i get my problem with this whole 99% against the top paid 1% b/s. if you are not happy with the amount of money you make, this is still america the last time i checked anyways, and if you want a better life, and more money, figure out what you have to do to make it, and focus your life towards it. to be pissed off at people who have more money than you, and target them is just stupid. yeah, naturally i expect them to pay their share in taxes, (which to me i personally think everyone should just pay the same percentage, and my ideal idea of this would be if everyone just paid tax on what they spent the money one, and called it good. this different tax brackets and such just sounds stupid to me.
so my point is, why the hell has society created a line of work that strives on this tip or gratuity concept? Pay your freaking workers what they are worth, charge your customers what you have to, and call it good. i feel the pay any worker gets, should be from their employer to their employee, leave the customer to deal with the cost of what they purchased from your establishment.
i mean think about it, to me gratuity should be like this, i liked my waiter/waitress, they kept me happy, preformed timely, and when i slip them some extra money, i am saying "hey, i can see you are really putting in an effort, and you took good care of me, and i appreciate you making my experience a better than average one, here is a reward that." but instead, i fell like the staff is just kind of floating by or just vanished , its all about the same thing, but "well, they do not get paid crap per hour on wages, and if i don't tack on an extra 5-10 bucks on my meal i will look like a prick, eh, i guess that is the cost of eating out...
Maybe I am just stupid, or maybe I am just getting a little wiser or more paranoid about the media. Maybe I am getting more stupid and more paranoid, who can say? Anyways, so this guy who is only named as a "RICH WEALTHY BANKER!!!" leaves a tip of 1% on a lunch that cost $133 bucks. The article says the photo of the receipt was uploaded by the guy eating lunch with the "rich banker", and furthermore that the person who uploaded it was quoted as saying mentioning that the banker purposely tips 1% to waiters/waitresses who do not bow to his superiority or something like that, and furthermore that it is supposed to have the significance to mean that he "IS the 1% and PROUD!". he also wrote "get a real job" on the paper as an insult.
Then the article mentions another tip of zero value, with the words. "loose some weight".
here is the article: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/trendin...ncites-class-warfare-between-1-164624882.html
After reading this article, all I was left with was the feeling of my eyes uncontrollably rolling in their sockets and the words fluttering in my mind thinking "screw the 99% movement, why is this news worthy? And what I really want to know is were these two waiters/waitresses worth a crap? Did they do their job well, were they worthless, neglectful, or hateful or something? could the customers have had a reason for choosing their tip value? the articles certainly did not offer a bit of help on that question, just putting its stab in for the 99% movement, and that is all I ended up feeling the article was... and i kind of found it irritating. i also looked at the photo of the receipt they showed on the article, and noticed it did not have a breakdown of what the guy was paying for, or weather or not the establishment included a gratuity already or not.
Sure, I realize that most waiters and waitresses receive less than minimum wage as an hourly pay, and thus their real income is greatly dependent upon tips. And I also accept that I am also a prick because depending on the cost of my bill, or weather or not the establishment has sneaked a gratuity into the check already and then also has a tip line; sometimes I will leave a tip below even 10%.
for example, if I am on a date, out with some friends, or family and i pick up the tab, maybe we were eating someplace nice or treating ourselves to some drinks, desserts or what not. and the wait staff just did not really wow me, and say the bill comes out to 150 bucks or more for 45 mins of table time, or something, i am not probably not going to leave a 22 dollar tip just because its 15%, nor will i probably even leave 15 or much over 10 bucks. and the way i rationalize it is like this. i look around, and i have noticed that out waiter/waitress has 4-5 tables. then i think "okay, i only make 15 bucks an hour myself, and regardless of how hard i work my arse off, no one tips me any extra." and i figure most places pay their staff an hourly, so i lowball it and assume they are getting 3 bucks an hour, and the rest is left to tips. so i think "okay this waiter/waitress has to pull an extra 12 bucks an hour to meet my pay scale in tips" and if i was setting at their table for 45 mins, i think "hmm. so lets round that to an hour, and assume if all 4 tables left a 4 buck tip and the staff circulates about the same, then that is like making 16 bucks an hour on tips alone." so, i will leave 5 bucks or so, usually I pay with my debit card, leave 5 bucks and some change, whatever rounds my bill up to an equal $X.00, just to make balancing the checkbook quick. and if they pissed me off, or the service was crummy, or something, i will not be scared to leave a buck or two.
so by my logic in cases where gratuity is not included in the bill already, i leave room for the assumption that as i progress in life, and my future career, and make more money, that maybe i will leave more generous tips also.
** end of that topic ** the next topic is just me ranting about the concept of gratuity based jobs.
As you can no doubt tell, i battle with myself on the tip topic. I refuse to work in food again, and have never been a waiter. and as a tall over-weight young guy, all my job titles i seem to find eventually leave me assuming the job of what i would consider "hired grunt" they always expect me to move the heavy crap, and juggle the large objects, to sweat and play in the dirt, and i have never received an extra "tip" or gratuity in pay based on how hard i have had to work, or how well i did my job, my reward was that i got to keep my job, and take a shower when i got home. I have done some pretty nasty, hard, dirty, unsafe, and difficult jobs, and have yet to make more than 20 bucks an hour. (i had the opportunity as a CNA to make up to 22 an hour working nights and weekends at old folks homes, and i quickly realized that working with the elderly is not for me) And yet since high school I hear girls chatting about how they often average 20-30 bucks an hour or more working peak hours as a waitress. and sure, i could try my hand at it, but i choose to stay out of the food industry.
naturally, i am thankful to have had these jobs regardless of how much i hated them in the end, they have served as a great motivation to stay in school, and get out of this level of society, because clearly, i will not be happy living like that and doing those jobs until the day i die. and maybe that is where i get my problem with this whole 99% against the top paid 1% b/s. if you are not happy with the amount of money you make, this is still america the last time i checked anyways, and if you want a better life, and more money, figure out what you have to do to make it, and focus your life towards it. to be pissed off at people who have more money than you, and target them is just stupid. yeah, naturally i expect them to pay their share in taxes, (which to me i personally think everyone should just pay the same percentage, and my ideal idea of this would be if everyone just paid tax on what they spent the money one, and called it good. this different tax brackets and such just sounds stupid to me.
so my point is, why the hell has society created a line of work that strives on this tip or gratuity concept? Pay your freaking workers what they are worth, charge your customers what you have to, and call it good. i feel the pay any worker gets, should be from their employer to their employee, leave the customer to deal with the cost of what they purchased from your establishment.
i mean think about it, to me gratuity should be like this, i liked my waiter/waitress, they kept me happy, preformed timely, and when i slip them some extra money, i am saying "hey, i can see you are really putting in an effort, and you took good care of me, and i appreciate you making my experience a better than average one, here is a reward that." but instead, i fell like the staff is just kind of floating by or just vanished , its all about the same thing, but "well, they do not get paid crap per hour on wages, and if i don't tack on an extra 5-10 bucks on my meal i will look like a prick, eh, i guess that is the cost of eating out...
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