Calgary Customer Service....what happened?

[Dion]

I have no problems with those tip jars/glasses. To me theses workers are looking for ways to suppliment their low wages.

If I get service I consider above and beyond what is expect of them I often drop a few coins in.

[GreenTeaFrapp]

My rule of thumb for tipping is based more or less upon how likely I am to return to the establishment. If the service sucks and the place is so bad that I know I won't return, I have no qualms about leaving very little. However, if the service is good at some place that I know I'll be returning, I'll tip well.

[Philly06Cup]

I was just going to start a new thread on tipping behaviour, and then I stumbled onto this one.

Originally Posted by Julio

Buying from the beer vendors is a very good idea...they are good people. But two things..don't sand outside the door they come out of, they get in trouble if they serve right there because it's such a tight spot in the Dome.
And they DON'T get commission on their beer sales. Nobody does in Alberta on liquor sales, because it's illegal, so tip them if they are good.
And hey, if it isn't the usual slothness in the concessions, tip them.

Beer vendors get paid a flat rate; Popcorn/Malt vendors are paid through commission (15% of their sales, I do believe).


For tips, I go by the notion, if it looks like the server is making an effort to provide good service, they deserve a tip. I love, at fast-food places, restaurants, etc, asking what they would recommend. If they try to spark a conversation, and say something smart, I consider that person tippable.

Also, there seems to be a notion in our society that says we are supposed to tip for alcohol. I don't understand what is so difficult about standing behind a counter, opening caps and handing them out, and why that should warrant a tip. The beer vendors though: they carry large trays of beer, haul them up stairs, find you in your seat, and then pour the beer -- that kind of effort does deserve a tip.

[BlackArcher101]

Spoke to a friend of mine today. She made $150 in tips alone on saturday night working at Tony Roma's. She said the average tip is 15%.

$150 + wage....

I still stand by my standard tip of rounding up the bill to the nearest dollar + $2. If the service is good, I may do 10%.

[albertGQ]

Originally Posted by BlackArcher101

Spoke to a friend of mine today. She made $150 in tips alone on saturday night working at Tony Roma's. She said the average tip is 15%.

$150 + wage....

I still stand by my standard tip of rounding up the bill to the nearest dollar + $2. If the service is good, I may do 10%.

I'm also guessing most servers don't report 100% of their tips on thier taxes. I have to pay taxes on 100% of my income (minus the deductions that everyone is entitled to of course), so they should too

[Phanuthier]

Originally Posted by albertGQ

I'm also guessing most servers don't report 100% of their tips on thier taxes. I have to pay taxes on 100% of my income (minus the deductions that everyone is entitled to of course), so they should too

No, they don't. The girl I'm dating was a former server, she told me a couple times (I ignore it every time ) but you only report 5% tips? The rest, you can hide.

She always convinced me I should be tipping 20-35% because serving is 1 step up from stripping I always thought it was crap, I've worked in the customer service industry too, can't see how mine was that much worse (and I didn't even think it was bad too) and I NEVER got tipped (not that I'm whining about it either)

On an average night, she would make $150, and say thats average tipping. When I was ushering for the Flames, I made $28 a night.

[flamesfever]

Whenever I encounter poor service, it always reminds me that every "boom" eventually turns to a "bust". And when that happens, all those who are doing only half a job will have no job.

[Robbob]

I think the situation in Calgary has become an issue on two different fronts. The first is that the boom has employers accepting almost anything with a heart beat, the second be loss of the small city attitude. You hear stories of the odd person helping each other out here and there but I'm finding more and more that I'm hearing or running into situations where the other people just don't care anymore. It seems more then not that people think more anout them selves and are trying to take advantage of people in their situations.

One thing that kind of shocked me one day was whenI was on a job site and a truck got stuck. A roofer on the site had a big hemi truck and when the other driver asked for his help the guy said "a tow truck will cost you $200 bucks I'll do it for $100". This totally just blew me away hearing that. Needless to say the stuck truck called his buddy who had to drive a half hour for a 30 second job.

[SpitFire40]

I'd like to step in and say with my minimal experience in retail... the managers were complete idiots. Next to no training, when you needed their assistance they were off ****ing around. I've had to pose as a Manager at one point because I didn't know where the hell ours was. It was a joke.

The managment and lack of proper training is as much if not more to blame than incompentent employee's.

[Oxygen-Supply]

Originally Posted by SpitFire40

I'd like to step in and say with my minimal experience in retail... the managers were complete idiots. Next to no training, when you needed their assistance they were off ****ing around. I've had to pose as a Manager at one point because I didn't know where the hell ours was. It was a joke.

The managment and lack of proper training is as much if not more to blame than incompentent employee's.

I work as a manager in the service industry.
-We have a staff of 100. Last year we had a staff of 155.
-In the last 8 months the average age of the staff has dropped 2 years to (15.8 years old).
-The average age for the Management has dropped 12 years in the last 6 months. But the hours have increase 7-10 hours more a week with the same salary.

To be frank some days we are astonished we can even open. One day soon we won’t be able to open.

But the biggest problem I feel is we have stopped believing the customer. Last year the policy was “the customer is always right”. The new policy is to get the customer the basics.

In this day and age it seems like everyone is looking for something free. You would not believe the stuff I’m hearing now.

We don’t answer phone anymore because the only time we are in the office is when we are closed.

As a manger we want to be accessible to talk to customer but instead we are stuck on the front lines. The management team around me is getting younger and less experienced. They are trained well, but they are now trained to be skeptical of everything.

But this is even harder on the front line kids. They are getting push to make up for the missing staff.

I feel so bad for the 15 year old kid who
-First job
-Third day at work
-Probably getting yelled at and
-has a line of 20 irritated people behind the yelling person.

Our only idea left is to drive to the Mexican broader with some trucks.

[mykalberta]

Originally Posted by Dion

I was driving home from the movies last night and saw an elderly man's electric scooter he was riding in stuck in the snow as he was taking his dogs out for exercise. Some effing police car ahead of me didn't stop to help this poor chap out. Of course I stopped and helped to push this guy out of the snow he was stuck in. Cripes the guy could have froze to death if no one stopped!

I saw you - my dad wanted to stop to give you a hundred bucks - instead he donated it to food bank. That was easily the nicest gestures I have ever seen in my 26 years of life (with the exception of the stipper in Greece - ahh Greece).

MYK

[fredr123]

I always tip my server at every restaurant I patronize. Servers that do a great job or places that I frequent, I'll tip really well. However, I've never understood why management paying a server a low salary is my problem as a customer. There's some element of profit for the owner/management built into the price I pay for my food. But supplementing wages is supposed to be the customer's responsibility?

[fredr123]

Originally Posted by Oxygen-Supply

I work as a manager in the service industry.
-We have a staff of 100. Last year we had a staff of 155.
-In the last 8 months the average age of the staff has dropped 2 years to (15.8 years old).
-The average age for the Management has dropped 12 years in the last 6 months. But the hours have increase 7-10 hours more a week with the same salary.

To be frank some days we are astonished we can even open. One day soon we won’t be able to open.

But the biggest problem I feel is we have stopped believing the customer. Last year the policy was “the customer is always right”. The new policy is to get the customer the basics.

In this day and age it seems like everyone is looking for something free. You would not believe the stuff I’m hearing now.

We don’t answer phone anymore because the only time we are in the office is when we are closed.

As a manger we want to be accessible to talk to customer but instead we are stuck on the front lines. The management team around me is getting younger and less experienced. They are trained well, but they are now trained to be skeptical of everything.

But this is even harder on the front line kids. They are getting push to make up for the missing staff.

I feel so bad for the 15 year old kid who
-First job
-Third day at work
-Probably getting yelled at and
-has a line of 20 irritated people behind the yelling person.

Our only idea left is to drive to the Mexican broader with some trucks.

I feel bad for the 15 year old kid too. It's a completely unfair situation to be in and I place the blame squarely on management. If they can't find ways to make their business work without offloading all their problems onto some junior high kids, then we may be better off with one less MacDonald's or Taco Time in the city.

[ken0042]

Originally Posted by fredr123

However, I've never understood why management paying a server a low salary is my problem as a customer.

I suppose the answer to that is: if management has to pay servers higher wages; where would that money come from? They would have to increase the amount that they charge for food.

And then if servers all make the same money regardless of what level of service they provide; we could all end up suffering.

[fredr123]

Originally Posted by ken0042

I suppose the answer to that is: if management has to pay servers higher wages; where would that money come from? They would have to increase the amount that they charge for food.

True. But then I wouldn't be paying a tip so it's probably all the same to me.

Originally Posted by ken0042

And then if servers all make the same money regardless of what level of service they provide; we could all end up suffering.

Maybe, but in this no-tip system, servers wouldn't get stiffed by cheap customers who under tip or don't tip at all. You could always add a little something extra for good work. But then you'd run the risk of having servers come to expect a tip again.

[FFR]

I just wanted to point out that not all servers give terrible service and not all servers are rude when they don't get a great tip. I serve for a living while I am in school and I know that almost everyone in my restaurant gives great service.

No servers should not expect a tip, but you have to remember that the owners of the restarant are expecting that the servers will get a tip and therefore do not pay servers very well. Without tips, I don't make enough to feed myself for a month. Shifts in the restaurant industry are typically 3-5 hours, unless you are a "top" server and you get the closing shift.

So for those of you who don't tip, think about the person who is serving you. I don't expect that anyone would tip for terrible, terrible service, but if the server was friendly and did their job, try and tip at least 15%. Inflation is happening in Alberta, and most people still tip 10%. Everything is getting more expensive, and many people are still only tipping 10%. Other salaries have gone up in response to inflation...mine definately hasn't.

[fredr123]

Originally Posted by FFR

Inflation is happening in Alberta, and most people still tip 10%. Everything is getting more expensive, and many people are still only tipping 10%. Other salaries have gone up in response to inflation...mine definately hasn't.

Neither has mine so take what I give you and be grateful

[Mr.Coffee]

Originally Posted by fredr123

Neither has mine so take what I give you and be grateful

Not to mention that most people work shifts that are longer then a couple hours, and come away with similar to less amounts of money.

[ken0042]

Originally Posted by FFR

So for those of you who don't tip, think about the person who is serving you. I don't expect that anyone would tip for terrible, terrible service, but if the server was friendly and did their job, try and tip at least 15%. Inflation is happening in Alberta, and most people still tip 10%. Everything is getting more expensive, and many people are still only tipping 10%. Other salaries have gone up in response to inflation...mine definately hasn't.

So, as the cost of food at a restaurant goes up, so does your tip. 10% of a $30 meal is more than 10% of a $20 meal.

And as Fred said, my wages haven't gone up to match inflation either. The only places it has is on entry level jobs.

Don't get me wrong; I tip well when service is very good. But when the server just does their job; ie the minimum, then the server should expect the minimum when it come to the tip as well.

[JimmytheT]

Originally Posted by ken0042

So, as the cost of food at a restaurant goes up, so does your tip. 10% of a $30 meal is more than 10% of a $20 meal.

And as Fred said, my wages haven't gone up to match inflation either. The only places it has is on entry level jobs.

Don't get me wrong; I tip well when service is very good. But when the server just does their job; ie the minimum, then the server should expect the minimum when it come to the tip as well.

Being a former server I can tell you this, yes your tip goes up because of the meal increase, but so to does the server's tip out you have to pay the kitchen and bartender.

In almost every restaurant a server has to tipout a percentage of their sales, not a percentage of their tips. I feel that if the service is crappy, then no tip; if it is mediocre, then a mediocre tip; and good service warrants a good tip.

Is it wrong for someone who gives exemplary service, to expect a gratuity. That is the incentive, there is an incentive to provide good service if you expect a good gratuity.