wise people of fernie , please help answer my questions

[-iceman-]

hey everyone thanks now for any input you can give me on the following…..it is my first time to stay in fernie so i have a few questions
to ask you guys who know!

1, what is the best and cheapest way to get from calgary to fernie in mid oct?
2,who is the best and cheepest power company?
3,who is the best and cheepest gas company?
4,where can i get the best and cheapest house and contents insurance?
5,what is the average salary per weekmonth in fernie? or the minimum wage in canada?
6, whats the deal with tipping? how much is fair? and when is it needed?
7, what side of the road do you drive on?
8,who provides the best and most reliable internet packages?

Thanks to everybody who can help answer my questions….

[gavitron]

I don’t want to be held accountable, so here are my answers, in the form of opinion only:

1 – Depends on how much stuff you need to get here. If its just you and a bit of luggage, try bribing someone like me. Otherwise the greyhound bus (pricey) or shuttles (I hear are pricey). Hitchiking is always the most affordable.
2 – BC Hydro basically runs the power show around here. They are affordable.
3 – Teresan Gas, also runs the show and are the safest option.
4 – Most things are regulated in BC. Although insurance rates may very slightly, you won’t notice big differences. I’d say just pay for exactly what you want.
5 – Minimum wage is $8/hr, although most bussinesses are currently paying more do to labour shortages. If you’re just looking for work to get you by, I’d suggest the service industry, people tend to be quite generous with tipping while on vacation.
6 – Tipping is expected in the dining industry. 10% is reasonable. Other people accepting tips would be cab drivers and housekeeping staff. Coffee shops have kind of an informal tipping thing goin on.
7 – In a perfect world, we drive on the right hand side of the road. Here in Fernie, during the winter, we drive wherever we can to get where we are going
8 – Shaw (cable) and Telus (phone) provide good internet service. But to be honest, I can’t even think of anyone else that offers it ?

[bluebaby]

I need to interject about tipping. 10% is the lowest you should go and is not “reasonable”, industry standard is 15%-20%. Servers must share their tips, bartenders (10-20%), hosts(10%-20%) buspeople (10%-20%)and kitchen staff usually 2%-4% of food sales. In all honesty a 10% tip may cost your server money to have served you.
Restaurant staff do not have any real job sercurity, they make slightly more than minimum wage, they often do not get stat holiday pay or overtime and rarely recieve benifits.
As a consumer you enjoy lower meal costs because tipping is presumed and offsets the wage.
The steriotype has been that overseas tourists tip poorly. I am using this forum to educate visitors. If you choose to tip 10% please know that you are in no way rewarding good service.

[gavitron]

10% is reasonable. If me and 3 friends go to a restaurant in Fernie, we spend $100 for an hour of dining. Our server gets paid $9 for that hour. I think it is more than reasonable to tip them $10, which is MORE than their employer paid them for that hour. They then donate $2 (2% of the sale) to the kitchen staff. I don’t see any reason my server needs to be paid more than $17 an hour. Thats definitely one of the highest paying jobs in this town. I know college graduates that dont’ make that much. If I were to agree that 20% is reasonable, my server would have made $27 an hour. Does that really seem right to you? Add tips from other tables during that same hour and you’re well in to the $30+ per hour range.
As far as job security goes, all you’re doing is blaming the consumer for the server not finding a more secure job. And with the labour shortage going on these days, don’t tell me that serving is all they could find. I do suppose tho that if they did go out and get a 9-5, secure job, they would only make $8-$12 an hour like the rest of us. Poor souls.
I don’t see anyone tipping the garbage man, the paper boy, the people that help you find things at Wal-Mart, the person that pumps your gas, the people sorting your mail…what makes these food and beverage people not only think, but EXPECT that people should just give them free money?
As far as the price of a meal goes, I can not believe that the business charges less because they presume you will tip your server. Relying on other people to pay your staff sounds like one of the worst business decisions anyone could make.

[seasonsgreetings]

Totally agree with Gavitron. I have worked for almost 20 years in hospitality, some of that as a server. I think that’s the first time I’ve ever seen (in bluebaby’s post) the industry standard for tipping being quoted as 15-20% for Canada. I would say the average is 15%. Anything more than that is incredibly generous. I tend to tip just a little more than 10%, I’ve been on the receiving end and there’s nothing wrong with that. You gotta remember that some of the people doing the tipping earn less than the servers, and make no tips themselves to supplement their incomes.

All around the world servers make minimum wage, North America is the only place where tipping is considered automatic. In all the other countries of the world, it’s just understood that serving is a low paying job, and people still do it there.

If you want to be making the $250 tips that are normal in the big cities, you need to go compete with the top servers and work you ass off in one of the high end restaurants in Toronto or Vancouver. Industry standards don’t apply in Fernie because we don’t get industry standard service (knowledgeable, efficient, well groomed, thorough etc, etc). I’m happy with what we do have though (friendly, welcoming and helpful) and I tip accordingly. Don’t anyone be fooled though, Fernie servers go home with $100 a night in their pockets, and there’s nothing wrong with that ON TOP of their wages.

PS Gavitron, love #7. And it’s so true!

[bluebaby]

The reason for my post was to let the unsuspecting traveller know what the standards are. You can tip whatever you’d like, and in return you will enjoy that level of service on your return visits to that eating establishment.
I checked out travel websites and found them to suggest similar percentages “Almost everywhere you eat or drink, the service will be fast and friendly – thanks to the institution of tipping . Waiters and bartenders depend on tips for the bulk of their earnings and, unless the service is dreadful, you should top up your bill by fifteen percent or more. A refusal to tip is considered rude and mean in equal measure. If you’re paying by credit card, there’s a space on the payment slip where you can add the appropriate tip. If you don’t know how much to tip, a good bet is to double the tax.”
I don’t understand the resentment implied toward tipping and making more than $30.00 per hour (in reality that’s an average not accounting for hours where there’s no business or set up/tear down) I would hope that anyone working hard at their jobs should be able to earn a decent living. But honestly most servers make much less than 40000.00 per year (due to business ups and downs) and that won’t buy you a house in Fernie or pay off your student loan. If the money was so good you would see alot more career servers. I’m not blaming the consumer-this is just the way the system is. Gavitron using words like “donate” and “free money” really let me know you don’t get it, and I think you should tip the garbage person (specially at Christmas),paper delivery person and anyone who makes your day to day life easier.There will always be cheap tippers and generous ones but you should be properly informed to know which one you are and what message you are sending.
Fernie diners are very generous, this post is not a complaint about that, it has become a response to some outdated resentful views.

[canatedian]

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).

[timber]

Up on yer current affairs eh!!!

[danielcutts]

10% is fine
great service–> more tip
It upsets me when I feel the waiteress is assuming a tip regardless of their service.
And lets remember they dont pay tax on their tips so the are whole dollars. 10% is just fine.
I love how Australia works, the resturant pays for their employee’s and the guest pays for their food, its a no brainer, and of course outstanding service is always reconized.

[Author]

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