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#84106 of 91808 Re: Tipping [dino001] by driver100

Sep 24, 2012 (6:46 am)

Replying to: dino001 (Sep 24, 2012 6:36 am)
I understand it - and I do (tip) as much as it is expected of me
 
Many years ago it was nice travelling in other countries, because many did not have the "tipping system".
That has really changed, I am not sure if there is any country where tipping is not practiced, even in Eastern Europe, although it seems to be 10% in most countries other than Canada - U.S.
 
I understand that you tip even though you don't agree with it. You just have to make it part of the game, either you pay it as a tip, or it gets added to the bill. At least if it is added as a tip, it goes to the right person.

#84107 of 91808 Re: SFTSF Role Call [oldfarmer50] by jmonroe

Sep 24, 2012 (7:21 am)

Replying to: oldfarmer50 (Sep 23, 2012 11:13 am)
I can remember as a kid laughing at people who had lived through the depression not trusting banks and keeping all their money in the mattress.
 
Stop talking about me but thanks for the reminder. Just like a few months ago, I have to make another deposit soon. Too much of a lump building up on my side of the bed so I’ll have to put it over on Mrs. j’s side but I think she’s catching on. The last time I made a deposit she said, “we need to replace this old mattress”.
 
jmonroe

#84108 of 91808 Re: Tipping [driver100] by isellhondas

Sep 24, 2012 (7:33 am)

Replying to: driver100 (Sep 24, 2012 6:41 am)
When
i was in high school, we had a spanish teacher that was liked by many (me!) and dispised by a few. He just happened to have a swimming pool and one night a 50 pound bag of Gravy Train ended up in his pool.
 
The following school day a number of the "usual suspects" including myself were called to the Vice Principal's office.
 
I happened to be at a school dance that night so I had a good alibi.
 
How did I know it was a 50 pound bag? Because I was approached at the dance and asked to chip in for the bag of dog food.
 
No, I didn't and the guilty parties were never caught that I know about.
 
I would never tell on you either!

#84109 of 91808 Re: Tipping [isellhondas] by driver100

Sep 24, 2012 (7:39 am)

Replying to: isellhondas (Sep 24, 2012 7:33 am)
one night a 50 pound bag of Gravy Train ended up in his pool.
 
When we lived on another street, our neighbors had a pool. Once in awhile it just foamed and foamed with bubbles...the kids, and I am pretty sure I know which ones, would empty a bottle of dish soap near the water jets.
 
Hmmm, that gives me an idea.........................

#84110 of 91808 Re: A short trip to Oktoberfest... [driver100] by roadburner

Sep 24, 2012 (8:03 am)

Replying to: driver100 (Sep 24, 2012 4:48 am)
I think you have to get used to that light steering, and the thing is, most people do.
 
It''s not the amount of steering effort that bothers me; it's the almost total lack of steering feel. The steering in my 2002, 318ti, and 328i all allow me to know exactly what the front tires are doing- how hard they are cornering, whether they are about to slide, if a tire is becoming hot, etc. In my '02 I can even tell if one wheel is on concrete and the other is on asphalt. In other words, their steering feel communicates exactly what is going on at the front wheels. Perhaps this excerpt from a July 2010 Car and Driver 3-way comparison test -where the new 535i finished last- explains it better:
 
What, exactly, befell the new 535i? Steering feel. Rather, lack of steering feel. The new electric power assist has not only rendered the steering uncommunicative—particularly on-center—but, for some reason, it has also become heavier. When you can’t determine road textures and slip angles and how hard those 19-inch Goodyear run-flats are working, you lose confidence if the roads are damp and as kinked as week-old spaghetti.[emphasis added]

#84111 of 91808 Re: Tipping [driver100] by dino001

Sep 24, 2012 (8:24 am)

Replying to: driver100 (Sep 24, 2012 6:46 am)
BTW, if you ever travel to places like Poland, Russia and such (in general, in Eastern Europe, Germany, France and most other socialized/highly regulated economies, the tip is a real extra and the waiter is supposed to get a living wage regardless - although it's changing) and still want to tip, use cash. Tip on a credit card will never reach the service person - or if it does, it will be months after and in some small fraction. By law it has to go through the company's books first (VAT payment) and they will pay all the taxes on it upfront. It is not uncommon for the companies (especially big chains) to simply grab that money and play dumb as "we know nuthing about no stinkin' tips".

#84112 of 91808 Re: SFTSF Role Call [abacomike] by jmonroe

Sep 24, 2012 (8:25 am)

Replying to: abacomike (Sep 23, 2012 1:46 pm)
If you happen to be in a restaurant at 5:30, especially Italian restaurants, they serve these delicious garlic rolls - all you want, with dinner. So, they fill up on the garlic rolls and then order more and put them into napkins and right into their purses to take them home…
 
When we visit my Delray Beach brother we go to an Italian restaurant like that. I can’t remember the name but I was told that the original owners sold it but are now the owners again. I like garlic rolls a lot but even I have to tell them to cut down a little on the minced garlic that is on the top. One time when I told a waiter about this he said, “OK, I’ll tell them to cut back on the garlic for this table but it doesn’t seem to stop the little old ladies that come here and stuff their purses with them before they go home. I swear they must have a separate purse just for those rolls because there is no way they, or anyone around them, could put up with that garlic smell from carrying that purse around all the time. We can smell them coming as soon as they walk in”.
 
Yeah, I know what you mean about that purse stuffing.
 
jmonroe

#84113 of 91808 anyone shopping? by kirstie_h HOST

Sep 24, 2012 (8:28 am)

A reporter would like to speak to someone who is currently in the market for a used car. If you are actively shopping for a used car, and would like to share your story, please send your daytime contact info to predmunds.com no later than Monday, September 24, 2012 at noon Pacific/3 p.m. Eastern.

#84114 of 91808 Re: Tipping [tjc78] by michaell

Sep 24, 2012 (8:41 am)

Replying to: tjc78 (Sep 24, 2012 6:42 am)
A view from the other side.
 
I believe I've mentioned this before, but I have a full-time day job where I work from home and then I moonlight delivering pizzas 3 or 4 nights a week. I do this for a couple of reasons ....
 
1) the money is pretty good
2) it gets me out of the house and socializing with other people (co-workers and customers)
 
Yes, a majority of my earnings for this second job is based on tips.
 
In Colorado (and I believe in most states), there are two different minimum wage scales ... one for "regular" workers (currently $7.64/hr in CO) and one for workers who get tips (wait staff, pizza delivery,etc. - that wage is only $5/hr).
 
I've been doing the pizza thing for 4 years now ... I have documented every shift I've worked and how much I've brought home in tip money + mileage (I get .75 from the store for each order I deliver).
 
In 4 years, I've averaged $11.16/hr in tips, excluding my minimum wage. Or, put another way, I'm averaging about $550/mo in tips, while my "take home" pay is anywhere between $200-275/mo.
 
Of course, I've been stiffed. Of course, I'm not happy when it happens. But, I remind myself that for every stiff I've had, I've probably had a better than average tip to compensate. Hence, I try to look at the long term average rather than any one delivery in particular.
 
Example - on Friday, I delivered a $50 order to the local HS; a football game was in progress and the food was for the concession stand. The person to whom I delivered the pizzas to was not the same person who placed the order. I ended up getting no tip for the delivery.
 
On my next delivery, a $33 order, I received an $8 tip. So, it all worked out in the end.
 
Like Mike, I've got plenty of customer stories to share.
 
I also try to put myself into the shoes of the customer. It may be that this is the one time a month that they've decided to eat out, and they've scrimped and saved the money to do so. I can't complain if they don't tip me, since there may not have been any extra money to do so.
 
I also live by the maxim that I get the best tips in the worst neighborhoods and the worst tips in the best neighborhoods.
 
Why?
 
Because many people in those lower income neighborhoods are probably in the service industry themselves and understand what it's like to live off tips.
 
In the better neighborhoods ($1M houses in gated communities), it's possible that folks got those houses because they were careful about how and when they spend their money, and not overpaying for any service or product.

#84115 of 91808 Re: HARD-TOP CONVERTIBLES ARE NOT ALL THEY ARE HYPED TO BE [isellhondas] by jmonroe

Sep 24, 2012 (8:55 am)

Replying to: isellhondas (Sep 23, 2012 2:44 pm)
In some cultures, spending as little money as possible is a way of life!
 
I know what you mean and there is one culture that is the worst at this. We might be talking about the same one. There was a guy that worked at our place years ago that was like this. He grabbed all of what was left over from meetings and took it home. One time my secretary (back then they were not called “administrative assistants”) told me she was going to get the leftover food after a meeting and let the people in our group know that it would be set up at her desk area so that they could get it but this guy had taken it before she could get there. She was telling me because it was my budget that paid for these goodies and since this guy was not in our group and had done this many times before; she was fed up about it and wanted me to know what was going on. I never paid attention to the leftovers but one time a little later I did see him rushing into the conference room and leaving with an entire tray of leftover sandwiches, bags of chips, pieces of cake and pies, soft drinks, etc. I figured this was a good time to confront him about it and I did. His lame excuse was, “jmonroe, you have to understand the culture of my country we do this all the time”. I said, “OK, since you want to talk about cultures, don’t they cut off the hands of thieves in some countries for stealing”? He never did this again with left over goodies from my group but he did continue to do it with other groups.
 
A fellow manager had this happen to him and when he confronted the guy and ask why he didn’t learn from what I had said to him, his response was, “I stopped doing that with jmonroe’s group but YOU never said anything to me about not doing it”. This fellow manager said to this thief and I believe him (if you knew him you’d also believe it), “If you EVER do that again without being given permission, I’ll close your damn hands (I cleaned that up due to forum rules) in that door over there and I’ll see if you can pick up a tray after that or would you prefer that I throw you down the steps so that you can’t walk”. And you guys thought that I was a meanie.
 
He NEVER did it again and FWIW he left the company about a year later.
 
jmonroe

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