Tipping

I am a bartender and waiter and I make my living off of tips. I have come to love people for how gracious they can and also to hate people for how cheap they can be. Does it really hurt to pony up that extra dollar or are you planning on investing it in scratchie and a pack of smokes? I work the same 40 hour schedule every week and try to take home the same amount of money each week (give or take $50). I only make $2.63 per hour. Most of my paychecks aren't worth the paper they're printed on. I depend on gratuity and I work hard for it. I get pissed off when people are either cheap or don't know how to tip. It's frustrating and sometimes I feel like just chasing these people out the door and beating them over the head 'til they get it. I would like to be rude or refuse to wait on them or dump a hot dish on their lap. Although I hate my job (at a cheesy Italian restaurant) I can't do those things to people because it's not right and I could be fired for "accidentally" giving someone third degree burns on their nether region. Instead of complaining I could get a different job but I like what I do, the hours are flexible and it is putting me through college.

I believe that if you are going out to eat you should be prepared to spend money. Going to a restaurant, sitting down and having a nice meal is relaxing. There is no cooking, no cleaning, you just sit back and relax while other people take care of everything for you. All you need to do is order and pay. If you can't afford the luxury of going out to eat and tipping properly then go eat at McDonalds or stay home and cook. Don't come see me!!!!!

In the U.S. a 15 -20% gratuity is customary and although it is not the law it is a social norm. If you don't follow that norm waiter, waitresess and bartenders will hate you. I expect 20% from all my customers or guests (as we call them at the workplace) because I give each and every person excellent service, unless I don't like you, or you smell or I just think that you're a sh*#@* tipper. When I lean in to place a plate or a drink on a table and the person smells offensive I would love to demand them to leave and come back when they are showered and clean, I don't care how graciously they tip. Another thing I hate is that someone can be the nicest person I've waited on, they thank me 25 times then leave me a crappy tip. Here's a little tip I'd like to leave them: Thank You's don't pay the bills!!!!

Every one should know how to tip and it should be taught in school. We all should be familiarized and taught the customs and norms of our society. Ignorance is not bliss. It offends me. Wikipedia even explains the norms of tipping in the United States and anyone living here or visiting should read about the subject. The same thing goes for visiting other countries, you should be aware of what to do and how to do it right.

There is this mother-daughter combo who come in to eat every week. When they walk in the door everyone dreads having to wait on them. They order a water and a Diet Coke. They don't even touch the water, they just pass the Diet Coke back and forth. They always order the cheapest item on the menu and split it and they "camp out" at the table talking and chatting for hours (the more times you turn a table the more money you are going to make). They usually tip $1 and if you are very lucky you might get $1.75. The mother even allegedly had one of her neighbor's kids rake her entire lawn and when he was through with the job she paid him with a shiny quarter. People like that should not be allowed to go out to eat.

There are all kinds of stereotypes with tipping and some are true and some aren't. It is hard to tell upon first look if I'm waiting on cheap or ignorant people. If you have ever had a rude waiter/waitress or bartender than you may have been a victim of profiling. They may have thought that you may be a bad tipper. To prevent this it may be a good idea to check out the etiquette of tipping before you go out. If everyone familiarized themselves with the proper tipping etiquette then profiling and bad service might become a thing of the past. The only bad service you get would be from bad waitstaff.

Victim Of Product Placement

I just finished watching the movie The Island and was very disappointed. First off I feel that the movie's cover depicts it as a different kind of film than it really is. I thought that it would be a movie about people lost on an Island like the movie Castaway or the t.v. show Lost. Instead it was a futuristic movie about cloning. I thought "Okay , that's fine, it still seems interesting," so I continued to watch. The movie used all the clichés you see in futuristic movies: Cold blue-grey imagery, Big Brother watching over you, cloning, futuristic cars with a million gadgets and lots and lots of advertising.

I understand that a little advertising helps pay the bills but if it's a blockbuster film they should be making a bundle off of it and shouldn't need to pimp out advertising in the movie. I counted over a dozen blatant ads that stuck out in my mind after the movie was over. Cadillac, Chrysler, American Express, Calvin Klein, MSN, Puma, Ben & Jerry's, Speedo, XBOX, Aquafina and the list goes on. So I guess the shameless parade of advertising worked; although I haven't felt the urge to go out and buy any of these products or brands. When the shot pans in on the actor for a close-up do they really need to focus in on that can of coke for 5 seconds then proceed on to the Coke billboard in the backround then to the actor's face? It's absurd.

Some name brands featured in a film are okay and they can even make a film more realistic, for example if an actor chugs down a can of Budweiser in a movie it is more credible than if he chugs down a can simply labeled "Beer." One movie that is known for such genericized advertising is 1984's cult classic Repo Man where every product is labeled "Beer" or "Chips" or "Dog Food" or whatever that product may be.

They need to draw a line. They overkilled the advertising and product placement in The Island. I was so frustrated with the ads coming one after another that it took away from the intensity of the actual movie and ruined the story for me. I have noticed parades of advertising in all kinds of films and t.v. shows (especially in futuristic movies) such as I Robot and Minority Report and shows like 24 or Alias. Sometimes I feel like movies and t.v. shows are just one long commercial. I watch movies to escape commercials and change the channel during commercial breaks to avoid being "pitched" yet I am still bombarded with ad after ad throughout the show. Product placement seems to be a growing trend and I think that most of the time it is a terrible idea. It usually takes away from the overall plot of the story and it makes me feel violated. When can I just enjoy a story without people trying to sell me stuff I don't need. When is enough, enough?