I never understood the "if you don't like it find another career" argument. If service providers are not paid a livable wage and we all go onto some other career who will serve your dinner, carry your luggage, cut your hair, drive your taxi, etc. Remember you "have to depend on other people" to provide these services for you. So is it not fair that we expect an appropiate tip from you in return to pay our bills. If it helps you to think of the tip as a charge for the service, just like a mechanic, than that's fine. Think of it as our charge. Think of us as independant contractors if you must. Most service workers don't even make minimum wage because the employment laws state that if it is resonably "expected" that the employee will be compensated the majority of their pay from tips then a company does not have to pay them the minimum wage. So the paycheck we get doesn't really cover anything. Every one of the 15 bellman on staff at my resort have college degrees so please don't offend me by telling me to get an education. Now having said that I make a resonable living wage where I work thanks to the generosity of most of our guest. No, I don't make 83k a year because the truth is there are some people who stiff us or who haven't updated their tipping schedule for the last 15 years. Like all of you we deal with the increased gas prices, astronomical housing prices, and general inflation. $1 per bag may have been the norm back when, but trust me it is not any longer. Inflation hits EVERY area of the economy including the service sector. My original post was meant to educate not to incite. The numbers I used are real they are not my ideal or fairy tale numbers as one poster suggested. If you don't believe me ask your bellman what the norm is, or better yet become a service worker for a month and see if you don't change your opinion. I find it strange that the people most adamant about not tipping or not tipping the proper amount most likely have never worked in the service industry. This is my last post concerning this topic. I know some of you understand where I'm coming from and I also know some of you will just never get it or don't want to get it.
First off, let me agree that I don't understand the find another career line of thinking either, BUT I also don't have to depend on other people to do any of the things you mention. I CHOOSE to have someone do them. Sometimes it is because it is just easier and sometimes it is just because the service is available, so why not use it.
What you don't seem to understand is that you don't have the right to charge or expect anything of anyone utilizing your service. You have an employer who pays you (however small & unfair the amount might be) to do a certain job. If you chose not to do the job because people choose not to pay the amount of tip you expected, or even (heaven forbid) give no tip, you would be out of a job rather quickly. Believe me, even though it is a low-wage job, there will be someone standing in line waiting to replace you. Fortunately, most people recognize that the job you do is not well paid, and since you provide a service to them, choose to tip you something extra for providing that service. To compare your position to the mechanic at a garage is just ludicrous. The garage owner sets the fees, not the mechanic. The mechanic is an employee of the garage, just as you are an employee of the resort or restaurant. If my mechanic told me that he expected a tip, let alone a certain amount of tip, I would first inform the owner of the garage of said mechanic's impudence and second, take my car elsewhere to be repaired.
Additionally, trying to say that the service industry should be paid more because of inflation is a flawed argument. You want a raise (higher tips) because inflation is cutting into your take home pay. Those that work in the restaurant business get a raise even if the percentage rate stayed level for the past 15 years. Why? Because as the prices of meals at restaurants increase, so does the amount of the tip. If I paid $20 for a meal 10 years ago and left 10% that would be $2. Today that meal is probably at least $25, and so if I still left a 10% tip the server would get $2.50 (which is more than they would have gotten 10 years ago and therefore a built in raise.) Yet you want a MINIMUM of 20% and so now the tip would be $5, more than double the original tip! Furthermore, why should persons working in the service industry get a raise and the rest of us not? Many of us have not had raises for several years while also dealing with the higher costs you mention. Maybe you would prefer that we all take vacations and other non-essentials (primarily service industry related) activities out of our budgets and then you would get no tips?
What you are failing to realize is that whether to tip or not is at the sole discretion of the customer, unless stated prior to receiving the service. While there are customary rates for different job classifications, none of these are set in stone. The rates you seem to think are MINIMUMS might be acceptable in a 5 diamond resort, but few (actually I don't think any) of the Disney resorts have a 5 diamond rating and so therefore, your MINIMUMS are way out of line. In the real world, with just us average types, $2/bag & 20% is pretty much the best tip you're going to get (with a once-in-a-while higher) from most of us.
Keep on banging your drum, maybe you'll get someone to follow.
Thank You..
So don't worry about that at all. I usually leave housekeeping $2 per night with a note that says "Thank you, Housekeeping" on it so they know it is for them. I've had them not take a tip in the past if I didn't have a note with it. I only leave $2 because they are not technically a 'tipped' position, and it's just a little thank you for them. My room is usually pretty neat, but if there is an extra mess or spill, I might leave more for them. I think your tipping amounts are very generous, you are certainly not a cheap traveler.
