Alternative tips for staff

[OctoberKat]

Don't leave just yet.

When I was a younger fellow, I spent quite a few winters working in a ski resort as an instructor. Unlike many of my colleagues who relied solely on the meager income and lived very frugal lives to get through the cold (and expensive) Lake Tahoe winters, I had other income sources that provided a reasonable standard of living. However, and like all of my fellow resort "service providers," cash was king when it came to gratuities. This was true even for me in that I could share my good (gratuity) fortune by picking up a co-workers' bar or food tab once in a while.

 

Somewhat like cruise personnel, we shared cramped living quarters, seldom made it to "the city" to find merchandise that was either overpriced or unavailable in Truckee, CA and smiled nicely when customers gave us well-meaning gifts (some of which were not cheap in any sense of the word).

 

In my case, I remember amassing a box full of knit ski caps gifted to me. Some were handmade, others store bought with a range of value from "army surplus" to designer chic. Because we wore company issued uniform hats, maybe one or two of the hats in the box would ever see snow. Usually I gave them away to others, ironically, who had their own box of hats.

 

Were the gifted hats appreciated? Sure they were. Were they helpful or anywhere nearvwhat we needed? No!

 

This thread is very interesting in that so many posters are projecting their own value system on others who may have very little in common with them: candy, key chains, tee shirts, food, the list goes on...

 

All service workers throughout the worldwide tourism industry understand and appreciate ONE common gratuity denominator - US dollars (or Euros In a pinch). Remember that the point of the gratuity is to make the worker happy more than it is to make you happy.

 

YES, oh yes.

[OctoberKat]

Threads similar to this one pop up from time to time and must serve a purpose or two. I fear one purpose might be to show how very considerate and creative are some of us, in a Kipling condescending way.