Problem with Porters

[PhoenixCruiser]

OMG!!! Tipping 20% does NOT make me a big spender. Tipping 18-20% is considered the norm nowadays.....unless, of coure, you're CHEAP!!! Just admit it...a 10% tip is CHEAP.

 

No, I don't tell the waiter I plan on tipping great....usually just cheap people do that. Ask any server some of the phrases they hate to hear and "I'll take care of you" or "I tip big" are the worst. 99% of the time, anyone who utters these words, is lucky to leave 10-15% and apparently they think THAT is a good tip....much like many on these boards.

 

I frequent many of the same restaurants in town so many servers may recognnize me. Also, believe it or not, many good servers can tell if you're going to be a good tipper or not by just looking at you(and I don't mean by how affluent you might look). It's like a 6th sense they have.

 

Bad tippers also tend to be the most demanding of guests. They expect to be treated like their a king or queen when they're at freaking Applebee's. This usually amounts to the, "well service was bad so I only tipped $1.00 on a $35.00 check"....unrealistic expectations and also b/c they're looking for any reason/excuse NOT to tip properly.

 

Disagree all you want, but I know I'm right.

 

No disagreement from me, I agree 100%!

 

###

[sjn911]

Everything was fine with my bags but I couldn't believe he sent me to a garage that was closed. I had been before but he just told me where to park. I went where he said and it was closed and had to drive back around and find the right place to park. I was so mad.

 

What bunk..sorry got to this late..carrey on all the good, the bad, the ugly all mixed up...sjn.

[pg.]

Nope, too educated to be a server, BUT I do know the laws, and you are wrong on both counts.

 

Here's my proof, where is yours? Or do you rely on what someone told you on a message board? If that's the case it explains a lot!

 

Minimum Wage laws:

http://www.dol.gov/dol/topic/wages/wagestips.htm

 

Reporting tips for taxation purposes:

 

http://www.irs.gov/businesses/small/industries/article/0,,id=98401,00.html

 

What part of 2.13 an hour did YOU not read?? I read it,, clearly. Tips are to be supplied by us( the customer) , to make up wages,, so in fact,, employees can be paid less then standard minimum wage if they are in a tipped position.

 

You are not smart,, you are oblivious to reality. Your parents obviously paid for your education,, LOL too funny.

[Zambini]

What part of 2.13 an hour did YOU not read?? I read it,, clearly. Tips are to be supplied by us( the customer) , to make up wages,, so in fact,, employees can be paid less then standard minimum wage if they are in a tipped position.

 

You are not smart,, you are oblivious to reality. Your parents obviously paid for your education,, LOL too funny.

 

"A tipped employee engages in an occupation in which he or she customarily and regularly receives more than $30 per month in tips. An employer of a tipped employee is only required to pay $2.13 per hour in direct wages if that amount combined with the tips received at least equals the federal minimum wage. If the employee’s tips combined with the employer’s direct wages of at least $2.13 per hour do not equal the federal minimum hourly wage, the employer must make up the difference. Many states, however, require higher direct wage amounts for tipped employees."

 

No one is ever to be paid less than minimum wage, it can be hourly, tips or a combination of both.

[Zambini]

If you go to the Wage and Hour Division tab http://www.dol.gov/whd/minwage/america.htm

 

you will see there are a few states where the minimum wage is LOWER then the Federal minumum. I live in one of those states. Additionally I am a former waitress and the CURRENT wage for servers in the great state of Georgia is a grand $2.13/hour. It's my understanding they require this amount to be paid TO the employee so they'll have something to take taxes out of.

 

And before anyone states "it's their choice to do this job" let me say, if your a student this may be the only job that allows the flexibility in hours to go to school.

 

From your own link:

 

Click on any state or jurisdiction to find out about applicable minimum wage laws.

Note: Where Federal and state law have different minimum wage rates, the higher standard applies.

 

The federal minimum wage applies to you too

[Zambini]

If you go to the Wage and Hour Division tab http://www.dol.gov/whd/minwage/america.htm

 

you will see there are a few states where the minimum wage is LOWER then the Federal minumum. I live in one of those states. Additionally I am a former waitress and the CURRENT wage for servers in the great state of Georgia is a grand $2.13/hour. It's my understanding they require this amount to be paid TO the employee so they'll have something to take taxes out of.

 

And before anyone states "it's their choice to do this job" let me say, if your a student this may be the only job that allows the flexibility in hours to go to school.

 

From your own link:

 

"Click on any state or jurisdiction to find out about applicable minimum wage laws.

Note: Where Federal and state law have different minimum wage rates, the higher standard applies."

 

That means the higher federal wage is what you should get in a combination of hourly and tips, if you don't get $7.25 your employer should make up the difference.

 

Good Luck in School!

[astropilot]

Based on what I have read in this thread, I have a feeling the attitude you receive has a lot to do with the attitude you give.

 

You are entitled to your opinion... As to what you think, well that would require pulling your head out the clouds, and taking off the rose colored glasses.

[In2why]

Wow all i can say, Ok these porters work for tips and giving them a few bucks aint going to hurt you, And people wonder why somtimes there bags get lost. Just an idea tip the porters they do help before and after the trip.

 

 

Then it isn't a tip....it is a shakedown. I wouldn't have tipped some guy who was helping the bus driver off load baggage. I would tip the driver and if he wanted to share with the guy then that is up to him.

[mali06]

Now I am really ticked! You're too educated to be a waiter? Excuse me but my three sons were all servers while in college and one is an educator, one is a manager in engineering and one is a national training manager for a large restaurant corporation. And they are only in their early thirties! And one thing I know for sure, they NEVER had their pay supplemented to equal the minimum wage by their employers, either in Wisconsin or Florida. And they educated me in the ways of tipping a long time ago! There may be some bad apples in every service job but the majority KNOW that they must provide good service for a good tip. Their livelyhood depends on it! The key here is to remember that porters, waiters, stewards, etc. work in the SERVICE industry which has always been and always will be based on the principal of the TIP. So, really bad service? Of course no or little tip! But if they do their job they deserve a tip because it is a SERVICE. If they go above and beyond, they deserve a really good tip for excellent SERVICE. What ever happened to plain old common sense. PS I would never tip anyone who was rude! PSS Since when is the minimum wage a decent living wage anyway? Most people making this wage must work two or three jobs to support a family. Finally, this all goes back to my original contention that etiquette is fast disappearing in this country. Etiquette was put in place to guarantee a certain level of humane treatment to your fellow human being. As goes etiquette so goes our humanity. Kindness people . . . kindness!

[globe9]

From your own link:

 

"Click on any state or jurisdiction to find out about applicable minimum wage laws.

Note: Where Federal and state law have different minimum wage rates, the higher standard applies."

 

That means the higher federal wage is what you should get in a combination of hourly and tips, if you don't get $7.25 your employer should make up the difference.

 

 

Good Luck in School!

 

The key word there is should. I have NEVER seen an employer supplement the servers wage to bring it up to the minimum wage. I had friends who worked at Joe's Crabshack, Landry's, Bubba Gump's, Drago's, Dickie Brennan's Steakhouse, Ruth's Chris, T.G.I. Fridays, Cucos, Chevy's, Emeril's, Johnny White's(a bar), Nola, Zea, and Arnaud's....a good mix of cheap, chain restaurants and high scale places and NOT ONCE was there wage brought up to minimum wage if they had a bad night(with the CHEAPSKATES). NOT ONCE!! This is just not done in the restaurant industry. I don't care what the Federal Law states.

[In2why]

There is nothing wrong with waiters paying taxes....what is wrong is when the govt. bases their taxes on the assumption that the waiter is making at least 12% in tips on any bill. When a cheapskate doesn't tip, or tips 10% or less, that waiter is STILL paying taxes on an amount HIGHER than they actually made! In essence, the waiter is LOSING money on a cheapskate as some money will actually come out of their own pocket to cover those taxes. May not seem like much on a $10 bill, but when the bill is $100+, it can add up.

 

I'm not the only one making broad accusations....there are some pretty broad accusations against porters in this thread. Are there bad porters? Yes, just like there are bad waiters, bad accountants, bad teachers, etc.

 

I still say researching salaries to get out of tipping the

"over-paid, unskilled workers" is CHEAP IMO.

 

But you are forgetting the many nights when they make above and beyond. I served during college and most nights I walked with way more than 12%. I worked my tail off for it, but still, most servers know that if they get stiffed (never had that happen) or someone is cheap, then it evens out when someone tips 40% or more. I relied on tips for quite a while, and my daughter is now working in a profession where she relies on tips. But not handouts, not a shakedown, and certainly not getting tipped for nothing.

[In2why]

The key word there is should. I have NEVER seen an employer supplement the servers wage to bring it up to the minimum wage. I had friends who worked at Joe's Crabshack, Landry's, Bubba Gump's, Drago's, Dickie Brennan's Steakhouse, Ruth's Chris, T.G.I. Fridays, Cucos, Chevy's, Emeril's, Johnny White's(a bar), Nola, Zea, and Arnaud's....a good mix of cheap, chain restaurants and high scale places and NOT ONCE was there wage brought up to minimum wage if they had a bad night(with the CHEAPSKATES). NOT ONCE!! This is just not done in the restaurant industry. I don't care what the Federal Law states.

 

 

Of course they didn't. But I can guarantee you that they didn't claim it when they made way above either. Seriously....seriously. Are you going to claim that waiting tables isn't a pretty decent way to make a buck? I would giggle at the ladies from the banks, or their offices who thought they were somehow better than I was because they got to where heels to work. I know I almost doubled what they made if I averaged it out. Sure there were few and far between cheapskates. But most employers or other servers explain how to average your checks so you pay enough taxes to satisfy Uncle Sam, and to still not claim a chunk that is yours under the table. And if you know that many people who work in the industry, then you know that.

[Cruisin 4 Ever]

Based on what I have read in this thread, I have a feeling the attitude you receive has a lot to do with the attitude you give.

I can give you my 100% assurance that what happened to me had absolutely nothing to do with my attitude. I thanked the bus driver and gave him a nice tip. The porter did nothing for me. He just claimed to have helped the driver get the bags off the bus. All of these people going on and on about people being cheap are really being quite silly. Someone is saying unless you tip 20% in a restaurant, you're cheap. Whatever. I always tip, and tip well. But even if the porter had taken my bags from me and to the terminal (which he did not) he has no right to start screaming if he didn't get a tip. That is extermely poor behaviour and classless. There should be Supervisors out each time ships are having embarkation and any porter who behaves in that manner should be fired. If that were a waiter or waitress they would be fired so why should porters be allowed to intimidate and behave so badly. For the person who said they aren't "allowed" to do that, obviously they are as it does happen.

For those who are saying that they've never had a bad experience and all porters are wonderful, I would like to challenge them to not tip and see what happens, just as an experiment. Again before the board bullies start going off on me, I HAVE NEVER NOT TIPPED A PORTER WHO HANDLED MY BAGS but I have seen many porters who have been very inappropriate with travellers who fail to do so.

[Zambini]

The key word there is should. I have NEVER seen an employer supplement the servers wage to bring it up to the minimum wage. I had friends who worked at Joe's Crabshack, Landry's, Bubba Gump's, Drago's, Dickie Brennan's Steakhouse, Ruth's Chris, T.G.I. Fridays, Cucos, Chevy's, Emeril's, Johnny White's(a bar), Nola, Zea, and Arnaud's....a good mix of cheap, chain restaurants and high scale places and NOT ONCE was there wage brought up to minimum wage if they had a bad night(with the CHEAPSKATES). NOT ONCE!! This is just not done in the restaurant industry. I don't care what the Federal Law states.

 

They probably didn't need to, any waiter worth his salt makes more than minimum wage and doesn't need the supplement.

 

It's not done because no body makes less than minimum wage!!!

 

Do you REALLY believe all those people don't make any money and are afraid to say anything?:rolleyes:

[Zambini]

Now I am really ticked! You're too educated to be a waiter? Excuse me but my three sons were all servers while in college and one is an educator, one is a manager in engineering and one is a national training manager for a large restaurant corporation. And they are only in their early thirties! And one thing I know for sure, they NEVER had their pay supplemented to equal the minimum wage by their employers, either in Wisconsin or Florida. And they educated me in the ways of tipping a long time ago! There may be some bad apples in every service job but the majority KNOW that they must provide good service for a good tip. Their livelyhood depends on it! The key here is to remember that porters, waiters, stewards, etc. work in the SERVICE industry which has always been and always will be based on the principal of the TIP. So, really bad service? Of course no or little tip! But if they do their job they deserve a tip because it is a SERVICE. If they go above and beyond, they deserve a really good tip for excellent SERVICE. What ever happened to plain old common sense. PS I would never tip anyone who was rude! PSS Since when is the minimum wage a decent living wage anyway? Most people making this wage must work two or three jobs to support a family. Finally, this all goes back to my original contention that etiquette is fast disappearing in this country. Etiquette was put in place to guarantee a certain level of humane treatment to your fellow human being. As goes etiquette so goes our humanity. Kindness people . . . kindness!

 

Yes, too educated to be a waiter, I won't work in the service industry.

[hubofhockey]

The key word there is should. I have NEVER seen an employer supplement the servers wage to bring it up to the minimum wage. I had friends who worked at Joe's Crabshack, Landry's, Bubba Gump's, Drago's, Dickie Brennan's Steakhouse, Ruth's Chris, T.G.I. Fridays, Cucos, Chevy's, Emeril's, Johnny White's(a bar), Nola, Zea, and Arnaud's....a good mix of cheap, chain restaurants and high scale places and NOT ONCE was there wage brought up to minimum wage if they had a bad night(with the CHEAPSKATES). NOT ONCE!! This is just not done in the restaurant industry. I don't care what the Federal Law states.

 

It would take a bad week (not a bad night) to compel an employer to make up the difference since employers are not required to make up the difference on a nightly basis. I would guess that if certain employees had to ask the employer to make up the difference, they wouldn't have a job too long. It could be held against a waiter as a record of poor service if his/her counterparts were all making at least minimum wage and that one server was not. So that probably discourages waiters from even asking employers to make up the difference. It is strange that the government hasn't raised the minimum paid to servers as it raises the standard minimum wage. But in these days where small businesses are getting hit the hardest by the economy (and probably Obamacare in the future), raising the minimum may not happen anytime soon.

[amillard222]

LOL I've paid a lot more for less service many times. IMO it's not extortion and I'm certainly not a victim. In this case it's a pittance, for me, anyway.

 

I think that we have all paid a lot more for less service, however if someone says to you give me money or I am going to lose your bags it IS extortion.

 

I can just see it now a waiter who says give me a good tip or I will sneeze in your food. A hair dresser saying better give me a good tip or I am going to whack up your hair. People who continue to reward the bad behavior of others is just helping to continue on a bad habit.

[bplazo]

Now I am really ticked! You're too educated to be a waiter? Excuse me but my three sons were all servers while in college and one is an educator, one is a manager in engineering and one is a national training manager for a large restaurant corporation. And they are only in their early thirties! And one thing I know for sure, they NEVER had their pay supplemented to equal the minimum wage by their employers, either in Wisconsin or Florida. And they educated me in the ways of tipping a long time ago! There may be some bad apples in every service job but the majority KNOW that they must provide good service for a good tip. Their livelyhood depends on it! The key here is to remember that porters, waiters, stewards, etc. work in the SERVICE industry which has always been and always will be based on the principal of the TIP. So, really bad service? Of course no or little tip! But if they do their job they deserve a tip because it is a SERVICE. If they go above and beyond, they deserve a really good tip for excellent SERVICE. What ever happened to plain old common sense. PS I would never tip anyone who was rude! PSS Since when is the minimum wage a decent living wage anyway? Most people making this wage must work two or three jobs to support a family. Finally, this all goes back to my original contention that etiquette is fast disappearing in this country. Etiquette was put in place to guarantee a certain level of humane treatment to your fellow human being. As goes etiquette so goes our humanity. Kindness people . . . kindness!

 

I was going to let his comment about being over educated go, but, I also have a daughter who waited on table to help put her through school and she (if I say so myself) is very educated and has alway had a high GPA. I also know alot of servers who do wait on tables on the side for extra income and they are also very educated and have degrees. So there!

[bplazo]

The key word there is should. I have NEVER seen an employer supplement the servers wage to bring it up to the minimum wage. I had friends who worked at Joe's Crabshack, Landry's, Bubba Gump's, Drago's, Dickie Brennan's Steakhouse, Ruth's Chris, T.G.I. Fridays, Cucos, Chevy's, Emeril's, Johnny White's(a bar), Nola, Zea, and Arnaud's....a good mix of cheap, chain restaurants and high scale places and NOT ONCE was there wage brought up to minimum wage if they had a bad night(with the CHEAPSKATES). NOT ONCE!! This is just not done in the restaurant industry. I don't care what the Federal Law states.

 

I have never seen that happen, either.

[T. Advisor King]

I can give you my 100% assurance that what happened to me had absolutely nothing to do with my attitude. I thanked the bus driver and gave him a nice tip. The porter did nothing for me. He just claimed to have helped the driver get the bags off the bus. All of these people going on and on about people being cheap are really being quite silly. Someone is saying unless you tip 20% in a restaurant, you're cheap. Whatever. I always tip, and tip well. But even if the porter had taken my bags from me and to the terminal (which he did not) he has no right to start screaming if he didn't get a tip. That is extermely poor behaviour and classless. There should be Supervisors out each time ships are having embarkation and any porter who behaves in that manner should be fired. If that were a waiter or waitress they would be fired so why should porters be allowed to intimidate and behave so badly. For the person who said they aren't "allowed" to do that, obviously they are as it does happen.

For those who are saying that they've never had a bad experience and all porters are wonderful, I would like to challenge them to not tip and see what happens, just as an experiment. Again before the board bullies start going off on me, I HAVE NEVER NOT TIPPED A PORTER WHO HANDLED MY BAGS but I have seen many porters who have been very inappropriate with travellers who fail to do so.

 

Setting aside all the discussion about what federal minimum wage is, how it applies, who is more educated than whom, and what is a normal, cheap or generous tip, I think the porter's behaviour you described was appalling.

 

We could debate whether anyone is truly ever morally "entitled" to a tip, but in any event, no one deserves a tip for a service that was neither requested nor appreciated. You didn't ask the porter to remove your bag (and there seems to be some doubt as to whether he actually did), so unless you genuinely appreciated his effort, you have no obligation to give him anything.

 

I agree that tipping the driver was fine and if the driver chose to share with the porter, that would be the driver's prerogative.

 

I realize it's easy to think of what you could have done after days or weeks have passed. I like to think I would have given him one opportunity to calm down, and if he kept ranting, I would have got right into his grill and given him a verbal lashing. If nothing else, I would have felt a lot better at the end!

[Zambini]

I was going to let his comment about being over educated go, but, I also have a daughter who waited on table to help put her through school and she (if I say so myself) is very educated and has alway had a high GPA. I also know alot of servers who do wait on tables on the side for extra income and they are also very educated and have degrees. So there!

 

Well, if she is all that then I'm sure she got more than just the tip!;)

[bplazo]

Well, if she is all that then I'm sure she got more than just the tip!;)

 

Yes, she gets Doritos also!

[sjn911]

Setting aside all the discussion about what federal minimum wage is, how it applies, who is more educated than whom, and what is a normal, cheap or generous tip, I think the porter's behaviour you described was appalling.

 

We could debate whether anyone is truly ever morally "entitled" to a tip, but in any event, no one deserves a tip for a service that was neither requested nor appreciated. You didn't ask the porter to remove your bag (and there seems to be some doubt as to whether he actually did), so unless you genuinely appreciated his effort, you have no obligation to give him anything.

 

I agree that tipping the driver was fine and if the driver chose to share with the porter, that would be the driver's prerogative.

 

I realize it's easy to think of what you could have done after days or weeks have passed. I like to think I would have given him one opportunity to calm down, and if he kept ranting, I would have got right into his grill and given him a verbal lashing. If nothing else, I would have felt a lot better at the end!

A comment I like here..thank you.

 

And on a bad day I could do the rant..but I'm afraid it would have been too much steam for my braun (sp)...still afraid of moment I get cut off and I've been a little too gutsy with that ahem....finger behind the windsheild.

[pg.]

Yes, too educated to be a waiter, I won't work in the service industry.

 

You have to have a pleasant personality to work with the public,, especially in a service postion.

It would be very difficult, if not impossible for some people, their people skills are just too low, their arrrogance too high, and their patience and compassion often non existant.

[Don Haynes]

I travel a lot as a salesman... I have seen some ugly scenes with porters at airports and hotel lobbies with poor tippers... Up to the point their luggage gets lost, thrown into a fountain, etc. Its worth your peace of mind to tip a dollar for each bag that is lifted, $2 in New York City...

 

It is true longshoremen are paid well, but they have hospital bills and kids attending college as well. Many can use the small tips as those dollars add up...