SHEsaysWITHaSMILE.blogspot.com

Here's a TIP for ya... From (me!) Sandra, tvgp

But first! Let me wrap up from yesterday: in crude layman terms: I believe there are laws of free will, similar to how there are laws of nature; physics. Laws of free will are mandatory here on earth (hence the reference to law) but! When we die and leave this earth -all bets are off, free will laws no longer apply and a justice unaccomplishable on earth is now applied. So, over time, I have come to believe in a heaven and hell, and there existence, in my imagination, allows for an ultimate justice which cannot be accomplished on earth with it's free will laws. -yeah, that sums that up. Now! Here's a tip for ya... My tip stories, all true, won't wait for me to be at a computer where the spacing is to my taste; they want come out this morning, write now: history of my tips: the first tip I can ever remember receiving was .50 cents left on the table at burger king in San leandro, my first "real" paying job, where I was 15 and not covered by their insurance, so could not be in the kitchen (where we know I've never belonged anyway) but could only hostess. Which should bring a smile to your face.. I brought your food to your table and cleaned it up when you left.. At burger king, like it was a fine dining establishment. I just remember thinking it was so nice and quite a surprise anytime someone left a little change on the table for me.. I worked at other food places, but don't remember much about tips.. I was only a hostess or cashier, never a waitress or server.. My next memory -and we must fast forward, oh, around, 25 years, to find me working at amelias deli in downtown Pleasanton, my first "real" job, post divorce and mag time frame bankruptcy, where I was a cashier.. They had a karma jar near the register.. Occasionally people would leave their change, I have no memory of actual numbers, dollar amounts, but I do remember we divided up the cash between the kitchen staff, cashiers, and the most I ever brought home was $7 or so. cREDIT CARD tips were not divided. Credit card tips were kept by the owner, added up at the end of a given year, and then, I'm told, (having never actually been) that they used the accumulated tips to host an employee appreciation event at the end of the year. So, unless you are employed a full year.. You see/enjoy none of the credit card tips customers provided. -after amelias, there was ruby hill winery. Here.. You weren't allowed to keep ANY tips AT ALL, cash or credit card. They kept all the tips, and hosted an annual employee appreciation event.. So again, unless you are employed a full year, you won't see one penny of the tips customers think they are giving you. Now, let me tell you two important things: 1. Big tips are left by customers at ruby hill, and 2. I Could have used some... I was struggling to put gas in my tank and would hand over anywhere from $50 to $70 cash after hosting private parties, as the solo wine hostess, ...it seemed practically cruel.. But I did it. I did it despite co-workers telling me, whispering to me, that they kept theirs.. 'just keep it...we do'. -but I've always thought that is a very ugly set up they have there... How they set it up so that if you keep your tips you're stealing... Anyway.. Let's move now to what for me is the funniest tip story: courtyard Marriott, Livermore... Shuttle driver extraordinaire: let me tell you this important thing: there is absolutely NO correlation between the service you provide and the tips you receive. Period. So, I could for example, be a charming driver, carry many bags in and out, go out of my way to escort people safely on and off, etc. And recipients of that service might kick me $3 or nothing. I could do nothing extra, and I might get $15.. Or vice versa.. But it never had to do with service, it only had to do with the mindset of the person IN ADVANCE of taking the shuttle... Whether the person him or herself was generous and thoughtful or not.. And by the way.. My service remained pretty consistent, and was never reved up or down based on whether I thought I'd be tipped or not.. Now, here comes the funny part. -to me. You must remember my financial circumstances could be described as dire without exaggeration... And one day, we get some bags delivered to the hotel.. And my job was to put them on a carry cart for the guest to wheel up to his room (I did not even do the wheeling!) all I did was put the bags on a carry cart! And the guy hands me a $20.. I tell you here what I did NOT do... I did NOT turn it down.. I just said "thank YOU!". And then, guess what.. He hands me ANOTHER $20! And guess what I did NOT do again.. I certainly did not say anything like, 'oh, that wont be necessary sir..'. NO! I said "thank YOU!". And was internally excited I would be able to FILL UP my gas tank.. Not just 1/2 way... K, now.. You know where this is going... The man hands me ANOTHER! $20.. So, I am now receiving $60! for putting 3 bags on a carry cart.. Honey! You know what I said? I didn't say, NO... I said, "You are the most generous person I've ever met! Thank YOU,". K, then he tells me about how someone helped him on the phone in regard to receiving the bags and put them in the storage place and he asked me to find out who it was and give them some of the tip... "I sure will!" I promised.. K, now, true, true true... I asked every single front office staff member, every co-worker.. "was it you that helped mr. So n so with the bags in storage?". And every single person said, "wasn't me...". -and so I was like, "thank you Jesus! And mr generosity!". And I had a FULL tank of gas.. And probably took the kids out somewhere... Now, fast forward several months... I'm back at the hotel and there is a paper with like, smiles and highlights, posted to our employee cork board, with a handwritten "thank you!" from the general manager, about stellar serive provided by hotel staff.. The paper was a typewritten letter of gratitude from a guest... Who had lost his wallet, and one of my co-workers, an engineer, who works 2 jobs, and on average, an 80 hour week, Had eg into the trash bn to help find this man's wallet, and when the very grateful man tried to tip him, my co-worker refused to accept the tip. He didn't need to be paid for just doing the write thing. Tbc.

posted by SHE @ 9:30 AM