Reply To: wise people of fernie , please help answer my questions
Tips for Tips:
1) Were you greeted with a smile?
2) Were you told of the special, Soup du jour?
3) Was your drink order served in a timely fashion?
4) Was the person dressed appropriate, clean shaven?
5) Did the person taking your order right it down, and make you aware of other options for side dishes or addons such as dressings etc.?
6) Did the person come back to your table within a few minutes of being served to make sure that everything was satisfactory?
7) When paying for your meal were you made aware of any promotions or discounts towards your next visit?
Was a tip requested either electronic (interac) or verbally (eg. credit card slip or outright asked by the clerk)?
9) Was the overall price for your dinning experience satisfactory?
10) Would you refer other people you know to the place in which you had dined?
If you answer No to any any of these questions with the exception of #8 then Don’t feel obliged to give gratuity. Gratuity is that in itself. Were you thanked for your patronage by being greeted with a smile, and having your specific order taken care of by a person who truly cares about what you want?
#8 – Has to be my biggest pet peave. rather than ask the customer directly about a gratuity, the management leaves it up to the debit card P.O.S. machine to request a tip. When this happens to me (And I do Usually tip generously, unless service has been unsatisfactory, I use my mathematical mind to round off the change amount and leave the server the difference in change. (Eg meal + taxes = $12.47 means I round off the meal to $15.00 = $2.53 tip.) Sometimes if I have been given poor service, or the server seems preoccupied text messaging, or overwhelmed with the job and doesn’t write down my order, (I try to be specific with what I want, because I can) I leave them the difference in change $0.53.
Gavin is right. If the largest corporations and service industries paid their employees more fairly, the burden of tipping for a means of helping an employee survive would not be so much a moral issue.
When was the last time you tipped the gas jockey for filling your tank, cleaning your windshield and checking your oil?
When was the last time you tipped the grocery clerk assistant for bagging your groceries?
The madness must end!!!
Give Gratuity only if it is due.
If you Want a job where you make decent cash for providing excellent service, get out on the road with a bucket and a squeegy. Or start diving through dumpsters collecting tax free recyclable waste from all the tourists that simply can’t be burden with having to fully educate themselves about no more of the environment than the world around themselves (Or so they claim).
PS. Home and contents insurance can be handled through many of the insurance businesses. (I suggest setting up a local bank account, and asking the bank if they can refer you to anyone in particular).
