You have to deal with entitled customers everywhere. Yes, they are the worst. But, I know people that have college degrees that get professional jobs and also have people yelling at them calling them pieces of shit and what not for 40k/year. A part time server can make 40k/year at the right restaurant. Shit. I was at the doctors yesterday and the amount of Karen's yelling at receptionists and medical assistants was eye opening. People are assholes everywhere.
So to sum thing up, people are entitled assholes. I'm so glad to be checked out of those systems and retired now. I bartended for years in my youth and loved/hated it
Im in Mexico right now and seriously might move here at least part time. It feels like how the US used to be. Life is so laid back here and people know how to live and treat each other
San Miguel De Allende area. My wife wants a beach town so we have to hash that out some. We both like Puerto Escondido but the heat is oppressive there. In the Yucatan I would consider Akumal or Chelem. Sayulita on the west coast could get some consideration also
I don't mind tipping, but I hate how it seems to be spreading outside of what was once the norm of tipping your server. Why the hell is there a tip request when I pick up takeout? I feel pressured to put something.
They didn't know how to treat people before the pandemic. I worked at Home Depot for a couple months between jobs because I needed a paycheck, and people are just total assholes to people in the service industry. For no reason at all. Just because they can. I worked with a lot of really nice older guys who are retired and just wanted something to get out of the house, and there's just no reason for people to be jerks to these guys. Also, people think anyone who works at Home Depot should be an expert on DIY or experts on everything in the store and that's just not how it works. Most of the people who work there are siloed in their department and don't know shit about the other departments.
Ive always looked at tips a couple ways, if the server was decent and was cordial, regardless if I liked the meal, I tip the server. If both were exceptional I tip the server. If the food was so so and the service was outstanding I tipped generously.
We finally agree on something! I recently took a job at a hardware store, and while people have been okay in general, it’s amazing what they expect out of an old retired guy making minimum wage (and….my personal experience…..we are FAR more knowledgeable and helpful than Home Depot in general). Customers think that by taking a photo with their nifty little phone camera or describing what they need with words like “thingy”, “doohickey”, “widget”, etc, they have given us everything we needed. I know a little bit about a lot but not a whole lot about any one thing (except for the work I performed for 35 years). Yet people expect us to be expert electricians, plumbers, carpenters, etc, etc, etc. And when we can’t solve their problems, or answer their questions completely, too many of them act like asshole children. All because they don’t want to pay to hire an actual electrician, plumber or carpenter. I took the job for more than a few reasons, but a part of it was for the “social” aspect after the pandemic shutdowns, etc. I enjoy helping people find what they need and providing advice when I can. And as my boss pointed out, my interaction with them might be the only bright spot in their day. I just wish those very same people would stop to consider that that might be a two way street some days…..
I asked my granddaughter who's home on college break from Baylor how she liked Waco and her reply surprised me, she said people are much nicer there compared with Seattle.
I had one older guy who was especially nasty. I was walking back from a break and he was standing there looking at stove hoods. I stopped and asked him if he needed help with anything. He didn't respond. I waited a few moments and then said, "well if you need any help please let me know" and walked away. A few minutes later I'm standing at my post and the dude walks up and just reams me because I should have waited however long it took him to respond. Just lit me up. I apologized and still helped the asshole. He was a real prickly old cantankerous bastard. But on the flip side, I think the massive shortage of workers have empowered some people to be real assholes to customers. I was shopping at Fred Meyers a month or so ago with my wife and daughter. There was a very long line to use the You-Scan so I was pushing the stroller around trying to keep the kid occupied while my wife waited in line. I noticed that she had moved up and into one of the open stations so I walked back over. I walked into the area with all the scanners and this young employee stopped me and very rudely said "didn't you see the line?" To which I replied, "no but I saw my wife standing over there using one of the scanners." She didn't apologize, she just said "oh." I couldn't even imagine talking to a customer like that. I'm not the kind of person who complains to a manager, and frankly I don't think it would have mattered at all because they're desperate for people, but it really chapped my ass because here I was reamed by some old fuck and still helped him just a few years ago before COVID, and this chick was a real bitch for no reason at all. She could have said "excuse me but there's a line over there. Can you please wait to use the machines" or something to that effect.
I always generally tip at least 20% What I don't get is if they are all making $25 an hour there why a 22% service fee too? Just raise the menu prices a little to compensate, don't insult the customers by throwing it in their faces that it's us that's paying them $25 an hour.
I hear you I went to Subway and when you pay with your card it automatically comes up how much would you like to tip? And I always tip because it's there in my face and I don't want to be an asshole. I used to work at Subway back in the day and we had a tip jar and we worked our asses off to get tips. If we got them we were lucky. We didn't ask upfront for them. Kids working there these days are probably pulling in a good piece of pie every shift with that on there. We'd have to split the tips 3 or four ways and be lucky to walk out with a little money from the shift.
I've worked for over a decade in the local news biz and still get people calling to complain and bitch/moan. My day job is as a teacher, guess what the parents do when their kids act up, most of them blame the teacher. After spending years working customer service at a movie theater and hotels, I always try to carry over the experiences and trainings of the past and be a good employee but some people push it really far. I have ZERO problem tipping 20% if the food and service was average, a little less or more of a tip depending on how the meal went. I agree though, putting the tip line on there when I'm driving to pick it up, or adding an addition tip line on to a bill that already has the 18-22% on it seems like a dick move. And don't get me started on the places that are now putting a 'charity donation' line on the bills.