DDE Automatic 18% tip!

[Laugh O. Grams]

I believe an earlier posting made a very good point.

Disney has transferred it's advertising $$$ to England and Europe....talk to fiends in London and see how tired they are of WDW ads on TV!

As guests from other cultures arrive on our shores, they will bring tipping traditions which are far different than ours - like NOT tipping as a rule.

Perhaps WDW is just protecting from that eventuality.

Interesting take...

Disney, watching the ever weakening dollar, decides to send the bulk of it's ad dollars overseas, where Disney vacations now look like an incredible deal, and launches a preemptive financial strike to aid their TS employees by requiring a mandatory 18% tipping policy to help balance out the European visitors poor tipping habits, all by upping the ante on Florida residents and AP holders who are DDE members. The story almost writes itself...and stranger things have happened...

 

[CanadianGuy]

You've actually drawn the correct line of co-relation. The removal of the "included" grat was a big sticking point in contract negotiations earlier this year. The addition of the auto-grat for DDE guests was Disney's offer to compensate for this.

The addition of the auto-grat to the DDE customers is a direct result of the included gratuity being REMOVED from the DDP.

Personally, I think the gratuity should NEVER have been included in the DDP from the beginning. Had this been the case, we wouldn't be where we are today.

Knox


These are my own personal opinions and not those of the DIS etc.

Just reminding folks that this was all part of contract negotiations earlier this year that were locked in back in May or July.

This is NOT Disney doing this to take advantage of increased foreign business or because people don't tip or whatever.

It was decided months ago - it was announced now. It really is that simple.



Knox

 

[apostolic4life]

Just reminding folks that this was all part of contract negotiations earlier this year that were locked in back in May or July.

This is NOT Disney doing this to take advantage of increased foreign business or because people don't tip or whatever.

It was decided months ago - it was announced now. It really is that simple.



Knox

Come on, can't we spout off on our wild conspiracy theories???? Did you hear the one about who really shot JFK...
















...I heard Dick Cheney was on the grassy knoll hunting squirrel.

 

[jimmymac]

Interesting take...

Disney, watching the ever weakening dollar, decides to send the bulk of it's ad dollars overseas, where Disney vacations now look like an incredible deal, and launches a preemptive financial strike to aid their TS employees by requiring a mandatory 18% tipping policy to help balance out the European visitors poor tipping habits, all by upping the ante on Florida residents and AP holders who are DDE members. The story almost writes itself...and stranger things have happened...

I think Mouseaholic's point is that Disney sees prices in this country going up and up and up. They see that fewer people can afford a WDW vacation, which is by any account very expensive. So they now spend their advertising $ in Europe where because of the dollar/ euro exchange rate, tourists might now be tempted to give WDW a shot. These people won't come back, but Disney won't care because the hotels will still be filled. And if you're a first-time guest at WDW, you won't realize that service levels have seriously declined over the last few years. If that means they disrespect their longest and best customers, so be it. Very short-sighted imho. I'd rather that WDW change its current policy of trying to maximize separating the "visitor" from his / her money and concentrate on making "guests" feel welcome

 

[CanadianGuy]

...I heard Dick Cheney was on the grassy knoll hunting squirrel.

I thought he was too busy being Darth Vader.



Knox

 

[dqpowell]

We usually leave $1 per drink as well. If you left 25 cents as a tip at a bar in Atlanta, you'd probably not be waited on again any time soon.

Funny... I've never changed my tipping practices any of the several dozen times I've gone out to bars in Atlanta (including some of the more expensive areas) and I always got served just fine, thanks. In any case, I didn't say "a quarter per drink." It's not that straightforward.

What I'm saying is that most of the time, drinks in bars are priced such that the change from a whole-dollar amount would be a reasonable tip. If a bottle of beer is $4.75, and I'm only ordering one bottle, all the bartender does is pull the bottle out of the fridge and pop the top with a bottle opener. That's certainly not worth $1 every time he or she does it. I'm sorry if that offends your sensibilities. Ditto with filling a glass from a tap. I'm not going to pay $1 for each and every glass filled, on top of the exorbitant price I was being charged for a draft beer in Buckhead, for example.

It's a little different if I'm getting drinks for myself and a couple other people as well, especially if some of them are mixed drinks. Three bottles of beer might get the bartender a dollar tip, if I'm feeling generous. A beer, a kamikaze and a whisky sour will probably result in a couple dollars for the bartender. Understand?

David

 

[Laugh O. Grams]

I think Mouseaholic's point is that Disney sees prices in this country going up and up and up. They see that fewer people can afford a WDW vacation, which is by any account very expensive. So they now spend their advertising $ in Europe where because of the dollar/ euro exchange rate, tourists might now be tempted to give WDW a shot. These people won't come back, but Disney won't care because the hotels will still be filled. And if you're a first-time guest at WDW, you won't realize that service levels have seriously declined over the last few years. If that means they disrespect their longest and best customers, so be it. Very short-sighted imho. I'd rather that WDW change its current policy of trying to maximize separating the "visitor" from his / her money and concentrate on making "guests" feel welcome

I got exactly what Mouseaholic's point was...just pulling his/her chain a bit.

I think Disney's doing what every other multinational company is doing these days, courting the "suddenly much richer via weak dollar exchange rate" European visitor, although I very much doubt that they think that they'll never be back. As a matter of fact, Disney's probably counting on the fact that they'll return time and time again. I don't quite see the connection from the 18% DDE auto-gratuity to providing a substandard product though. I've been an AP holder for quite some time now, heck I've had an AP so long, I even remember back, as a teen in the '80s, when people would leave the parks for lunch/dinner because the food at Disney was inedible. Disney now provides one of the world's best all inclusive vacations going, with world class restaurants/resort immunities/theme parks and for the life of me, I have yet to receive substandard service on any vacations that I have taken over the past few years...and I've been a few times this year alone. Every year, WDW sees more and more guests come through their gates, and have yet to reach the general public's threshold of pain. Sure, maybe an individual guest here and there may find themselves priced out of the market for a Disney vacation, but if the current numbers keep playing out like they have over the last decade, there are 2 new guests right behind them to take their place.

 

[Laugh O. Grams]

Funny... I've never changed my tipping practices any of the several dozen times I've gone out to bars in Atlanta (including some of the more expensive areas) and I always got served just fine, thanks. In any case, I didn't say "a quarter per drink." It's not that straightforward.

What I'm saying is that most of the time, drinks in bars are priced such that the change from a whole-dollar amount would be a reasonable tip. If a bottle of beer is $4.75, and I'm only ordering one bottle, all the bartender does is pull the bottle out of the fridge and pop the top with a bottle opener. That's certainly not worth $1 every time he or she does it. I'm sorry if that offends your sensibilities. Ditto with filling a glass from a tap. I'm not going to pay $1 for each and every glass filled, on top of the exorbitant price I was being charged for a draft beer in Buckhead, for example.

It's a little different if I'm getting drinks for myself and a couple other people as well, especially if some of them are mixed drinks. Three bottles of beer might get the bartender a dollar tip, if I'm feeling generous. A beer, a kamikaze and a whisky sour will probably result in a couple dollars for the bartender. Understand?

David

Not interested in debating anyone's tipping practices here. If what you're doing is working for you, then more power to you. Just wanted to chime in that I did a little Google search and the buck a drink standard seems to be "standard" in Vegas and NYC almost exclusively...

 

[Stinky_Pete]

I thought he was too busy being Darth Vader.



Knox

Naw, Darth Vader had good in him. Luke could feel it!

 

[TDC Nala]

I don't see the connection between international visitors and an automatic gratuity for DDE members. How many international visitors have DDE cards?

 

[CanadianGuy]

I don't see the connection between international visitors and an automatic gratuity for DDE members. How many international visitors have DDE cards?

Nala always cuts right to the heart of the matter. Touché.

Thanks for pointing that out!

Knox

 

[kaytieeldr]

In my experience in going to lunch with those who havent served, if they are fast sippers and their drink goes empty for a moment they start complaining and already the servers tip is going down. The server was never bad. Just not psychic and just busy with other tables.

You know, I never even would have considered that to be bad service. I order a drink and a glass of water - then, if my drink empties and the server is occupied elsewhere, I've still got something to quench my thirst.

 

[kaytieeldr]

Perhaps those servers in FL need to band together

Servers in Florida? Shouldn't that be restaurant servers throughout the United States, given that the Federal Minimum Wage for restaurant servers nationwide is UNDER $3 an hour???????????????? You don't really think this is an issue unique to Florida, do you? And, while it's great that California servers make so much, that's NOT so in most states. Here's information from the Department of Labor

What is the minimum wage for workers who receive tips?

The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) requires payment of at least the federal minimum wage to covered, nonexempt employees. An employer of a tipped employee is only required to pay $2.13 an hour in direct wages if that amount plus the tips received equals at least the federal minimum wage, the employee retains all tips and the employee customarily and regularly receives more than $30 a month in tips. If an employee's tips combined with the employer's direct wages of at least $2.13 an hour do not equal the federal minimum hourly wage, the employer must make up the difference.

Some states have minimum wage laws specific to tipped employees. When an employee is subject to both the federal and state wage laws, the employee is entitled to the provisions which provides the greater benefits

http://www.dol.gov/elaws/faq/esa/flsa/002.htm

So, you see, yes it IS the law.

 

[dqpowell]

Not interested in debating anyone's tipping practices here. If what you're doing is working for you, then more power to you. Just wanted to chime in that I did a little Google search and the buck a drink standard seems to be "standard" in Vegas and NYC almost exclusively...

I've only been out to a bar in Manhattan once -- but I noticed the bottled beers all cost X.25 (i.e., $4.25 or $5.25). That told me they hoped or expected I would leave a 75 cent tip for a single bottle of beer... sorry, not likely. Again, all the bartender did was take a bottle out of a fridge and pop the top with a bottle opener. Sorry, Bub... not worth 75 cents, even in Manhattan.

Vegas was a little bit different. I was in there with my wife and we were "living it up" a bit, so I didn't buy any beer or notice what they were charging for it. We were buying mixed drinks for the most part, and I believe I did tip a dollar per drink plus whatever coinage was left with the change. But had my wife asked for a bottle of beer, I certainly wouldn't have tipped that much.

I'm not trying to dictate what anybody else should or shouldn't tip in a bar, or anywhere else. Tip whatever makes you feel happy, and I'll tip whatever makes me happy.

David

 

[ntsammy5]

Well, this thread has opened my eyes a little. We almost always tip 20% after taxes, so it's really no big deal to me. I am a little surprised that this is a direct result of contract negotiations and has nothing to do with people stiffing servers. I also know now that I should be leaving a slightly larger tip for bartenders.

Just out of curiosity, are there many other locations where servers are unionized?

 

[dqpowell]

Well, this thread has opened my eyes a little. We almost always tip 20% after taxes,

You can tip however you'd like to, obviously... but tipping on the after-tax amount really doesn't make much sense. Tips (even when calculated by the restaurant) are based on the pre-tax amount.

David

 

[PIRATEGIRL007]

Hmmm considering I was still on the fence about ordering my DDE card for this trip if this happens to be true that will be a big fat no for me. I'm giong to call them tommorrow and see what I get from thier cust service number and make my final decision. I am a great tipper for excellent service and even leave fair tips for not so perfect service but I don't feel I should be forced into tipping espically considering some of the service we received in September was below par. A few bad experiences w/ a forced tip *might* make me start looking outside of the world for TS restuaraunts on future trips when we have a larger party.

 

[ntsammy5]

.. but tipping on the after-tax amount really doesn't make much sense.

I shouldn't admit this, but it's much easier to calculate it this way.

 

[dqpowell]

I shouldn't admit this, but it's much easier to calculate it this way.

At most restaurants, the check is itemized... and the pre-tax total (usually listed as "subtotal") is its own line item. You just have to notice it's there.

Sadly, it's all too easy to calculate an 18% tip where I live... you just double the tax. (Even sadder: doubling the tax actually puts you a little above 18%!) Yes, the salex tax rate where I live is above 9%.

David

 

[booklady1017]

If DDP plan holders have to pay automatic 18% gratuity, I would not be happy. I agree that automatic tips does not encourage good service.