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The Garden Party

I just have to tell you about this one.

15 years ago

There was an article in our local paper the other day about having to watch our pennies in the coming Hard Financial Times. I read it, and while it had a few good ideas, the gist of the article blew me away.

It was about Tipping others as a way of stretching your income. You know as well as I do that there are many people that depend on the tips from others to make it from day to day. The writer of this article seemed to live in a different world.

He (or She) suggest that as one way to take care of our finances was to be careful how we tipped others for their service. Such as:

Don't eat out so often. A nice romantic evening at home would save the tip.

Your manicurist (and probably your hairdresser too) would probably appreciate a plate of home made cookies as much as she would money.

Give a good tip to those that would need it most. Your gardener would probably need his tip more than your personal trainer.

Soooooo, what we have is a person with a manicurist, (and probablly a hairdresser)a personal trainer and a gardener saving money by eating in every night and saving on tips.

Am I the only one that wonders what planet this writer lives on?

No comment needed. I just had to get it out of my system.

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Comments (7)

jazmynsmom
15 years ago
A plate of cookies don't pay the rent!

I've given my hairdresser flowers and fresh herbs from my garden (after she expressed an interest and before she owned her own place) in addition to a cash tip. I would never consider it a suitable substitute...

You are not out of line. This writer simply didn't allow a dearth of good ideas or an inadequate understanding of tipping etiquette get in the way of his deadline.
calliope
15 years ago
It ain't always etiquette, either. Minimum wage isn't a law for no good reason......but it woefully falls short of providing protection for waitpeople (especially) and often agricultural workers.

Uncles Sammy expects restaurant waiters to get tips. So much so, that he will automatically expect them to get it and hand out a substantial tax liability to them. Then he makes them jump through loops to keep track of it, including the employer keeping records. Come on, go to a fancy restaurant and the person you depend on to feed you is making a little over two dollars an hour?????????? Legally!!!!!!! Nobody should be dependent on a stranger's charity for money they have already earned. That's archaic. I know, I know, the restaurant owners say the prices go up if they pay a decent wage. Duh. When I add twenty to thirty percent on my bills for a tip, I have already figured out that my food is more expensive.

The sad part is, that not every community or area of a community is home to people who can/do pay humane tips. And not every restaurant is possibility to some people who do this for a living. So, they work their bottoms off and get shafted, both by the customer and the tax department. I'd like us be like England, where a tip is just that.........over and above the expected, and only if you really want to give one.......and let the employer pay their help a legal wage.

You cannot staple twenty percent of your piece of fudge to your 1040.
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sheila
15 years ago
I've cut back on going out to eat not because I want to save the tip...I simply have to save the total cost.
andie_rathbone
15 years ago
Same here Shelia. And somehow a plate of cookies isn't going to cut it for someone who lives on tips for their income.
lindajewell
15 years ago
Have cut way back on going out here, not because of tipping but because of the whole economy. However when the occasion arises and I do go out, I tip and try to tip good.
I don't tip my hairdresser, she owns the business and we are friends so she understands the financial crunch.
sara_the_brit_z6_ct
15 years ago
My hairdresser has no health insurance (her husband is a chef in a family restaurant) and had $30,000 to pay when she had her baby last year. Obviously, they're still paying it off.

No, I don't think cookies will do it somehow.
pkramer60
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I would love to see the letters to the editor on this one!

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