I’m not talking about the tip. I’m talking about the customer’s attitude towards Enola and his shifting the blame for his bankruptcy onto the casino and its employees.
From the OP:
The customer thought the casino “took” his money. The customer thought this justified his attitude. The customer failed to realize that he bore the responsibility for what happened to his money: lost, taken, whatever you want to call it.
I’ll concede that he couldn’t tip what he couldn’t have. But he also shouldn’t have gambled what he couldn’t afford to lose.
And “all” he got was a gas card and E-Z Pass? Hold on while I break out the world’s smallest violin. You know why casinos offer those? Because they know that if they don’t, people are going to be hitchhiking away, or trying to trade watches and spare tires to gas stations that have drawers full of watches and storerooms full of spares*. People will gamble until they have nothing. That’s not Enola’s fault.
At the end of the day, he should have retained the ability to say “Thank you.” They don’t let you put your manners on the table.
*True story: My dad pulled into a gas station just outside of Atlantic City (we were there for the saltwater taffy and all that, not for the casinos.) His arm was sunburned, and he was scratching it. The gas jockey saw my dad’s right hand on his left wrist and instinctively barked, “We don’t take watches!”
The customer was probably just using an expression. We have no way of knowing what happened to him in the casino. Maybe he did lose everything which has a way of making a person cranky. You don’t know that he failed to take responsibility for his actions just because he used the expression that the casino “took” his money. He is probably well aware that he lost it rather then the casino taking it.
The person who has no excuse for his actions is Enola. I am really surprised he still has a job with his attitude. You never speak like that to a customer. Especially not just because you didn’t get a tip.
You’re a valet? i prolly wouldnt 'a tipped ya no matter what, even if it’s outside your normal duties.
I have a chip (NPI) on my shoulder from places that ONLY offer valet parking. I’m not gonna tip those guys anything. In fact, I have driven off from places that only offer valet parking.
People who go to Casinos should be prepared to tip anyone and everyone for the least little bit of service even in Atlantic City. That’s just part of it, if you ask me. And I, too, want to know why the guy didn’t change his own tire.
“Good deeds are their own reward” If you do anything for anyone out of kindness,do not expect anything in return. You’ll never be disappointed and it does wonders for your self respect.
Enola, would you have given the guy attitude if he had said to you, “I’m sorry, but I wasn’t prepared to have to tip you for this - I already lost all my money inside. Thanks very much for the help, though!”
But even the cheapest cars come with a spare tyre and the paraphernalia required to jack up the car and put it on. Anyone who doesn’t carry an inflated spare tyre, a jack, and a wheelbrace in their car is an idiot. And i’m the most hopelessly unmechanical person around, but even i can change a tyre.
Your last sentence is the only acceptable course of action if you don’t want to tip valet parkers, IMO. Sure, you have a right to be pissed at places that only offer valet parking, but if you’re not prepared to provide the appropriate tip to the person giving the service, then don’t waste that person’s time, because by doing so you are effectively taking money out of his or her pocket.
And Caught@Work, i tend to agree with you on a philosophical level. I have lived most of my life in australia where, as you know, tipping is not the norm. But minimum wage levels in Australia have generally been set at a level that allows the worker to earn a living without gratuities.
In the US, not only are minimum wages levels generally pretty low, but most states have provisions that allow employers to pay service staff considerably less than minimum wage, on the assumption that the worker will make up for the reduction with the tips that he or she receives. I believe that here in Maryland many waiters etc. get around $3 an hour, and have to earn the rest of their living from tips.
Also, the IRS taxes many service workers based on their sales, or on a pre-determined level of tips. So, if you don’t leave a tip you can actually cost the server money. Say you have a $100 meal, and the tip is 15%. The waiter will be taxed on the assumption that he or she made $15 from your meal; if you don’t tip, the waiter pays tax on money he or she never even earned, and thus actually loses money for working.
You are quite entitled to your opinion about tipping - and i tend to agree with you - as long as you don’t cost other people money be putting it into practice in a place where tipping is the norm.
You know, I worked major portions of my professional career for various telephone companies. Not once during those years did anyone stop me on the street and say, “Hey, you know, my phone has worked perfectly all month. Here’s five bucks.”
