Tipping.
I have only this to say on the subject of gratuities; PLEASE STOP TIPPING ME!
Look, I understand the need to tip waiters and others who serve you for next to no pay. I fully support the practice of tipping. I try to leave a decent bit of cash behind for those folks who depend on it to make a living. Even if the service is crappy, I will leave something.
However, please stop tipping me. I do not base my wages on tips and gratuities, I do not expect them, and frankly I am insulted by them. My employer and I have come to a grudging agreement about how much I deserve to recieve for my services, you do not enter into the equation. I give them the sweat of my brow and the strength of my back and they give me enough money to survive. That's the deal.
Furthermore, it's in my job description to help you in any way I can, including lifting those 80lb bags of cement into your trunk, tying the tree to the top of your SUV, and anything else you might need. To me these are minor tasks, barely worth my notice and simply serve to fill the empty spots of my day. To imply, or state outright, that it was something special and needs to be tipped is insulting. I'm a proud man, proud of my job, proud of my work ethic, proud of my strenght, and proud of my hard earned reputation. If I can lift it in one hand or toss two over each shoulder, it's nothing special and you're just lazy. And furthermore while tipping might lead to better service, it does lead to lower wages and lazy ass coworkers who are happy to help you but can't be bothered to do any real work.
Look, it may be a retail store (where everything is supposedly about the customers), but a hardware store requires a metric shit ton of work to keep running. Despite having over 50,000 square feet of aisles and merchandise, the customers can be effectively served by a crew of less than ten employees (I've seen it done quite often). To keep those aisles fully stocked, fronted, cleaned, and organized requires more than two hundred employees. The usual service industry model, of hard work against gratuities given, does not apply. Please do not encourage laziness, please do not cause my wages to be lowered.
If you really feel the need to give me a little bonus, smile and stop to talk to me (it makes me smile and brightens my day), or better yet call the store and ask to speak to the manager. If everyone who decided to tip me a dollar or two today told my manager that I was helpful and friendly, I would easily get a raise at my next review. Even if I only got the "standard" wage increase, in a weeks time it would be more than I'm tipped in a month.
Look, I understand the need to tip waiters and others who serve you for next to no pay. I fully support the practice of tipping. I try to leave a decent bit of cash behind for those folks who depend on it to make a living. Even if the service is crappy, I will leave something.
However, please stop tipping me. I do not base my wages on tips and gratuities, I do not expect them, and frankly I am insulted by them. My employer and I have come to a grudging agreement about how much I deserve to recieve for my services, you do not enter into the equation. I give them the sweat of my brow and the strength of my back and they give me enough money to survive. That's the deal.
Furthermore, it's in my job description to help you in any way I can, including lifting those 80lb bags of cement into your trunk, tying the tree to the top of your SUV, and anything else you might need. To me these are minor tasks, barely worth my notice and simply serve to fill the empty spots of my day. To imply, or state outright, that it was something special and needs to be tipped is insulting. I'm a proud man, proud of my job, proud of my work ethic, proud of my strenght, and proud of my hard earned reputation. If I can lift it in one hand or toss two over each shoulder, it's nothing special and you're just lazy. And furthermore while tipping might lead to better service, it does lead to lower wages and lazy ass coworkers who are happy to help you but can't be bothered to do any real work.
Look, it may be a retail store (where everything is supposedly about the customers), but a hardware store requires a metric shit ton of work to keep running. Despite having over 50,000 square feet of aisles and merchandise, the customers can be effectively served by a crew of less than ten employees (I've seen it done quite often). To keep those aisles fully stocked, fronted, cleaned, and organized requires more than two hundred employees. The usual service industry model, of hard work against gratuities given, does not apply. Please do not encourage laziness, please do not cause my wages to be lowered.
If you really feel the need to give me a little bonus, smile and stop to talk to me (it makes me smile and brightens my day), or better yet call the store and ask to speak to the manager. If everyone who decided to tip me a dollar or two today told my manager that I was helpful and friendly, I would easily get a raise at my next review. Even if I only got the "standard" wage increase, in a weeks time it would be more than I'm tipped in a month.