I pit people who ask me how much money I make

The BBQ Pit
1

I am a PT poker dealer. You have no idea how often people seem to think it’s perfectly acceptable and not at all rude to ask me - often while I am actually working! - how much money I make.

I have a few vague answers I will use when this happens.

“I do okay.”
“I am appreciative of everything I get.”
“I’ve had jobs making more or less.”
“No complaints.”

What I want to answer is “who the fuck told you it was any of your business what I make?”

Unless you are my accountant, an IRS rep, someone who I am asking for credit from or my spouse, what I make is none of your business.

Unless I am running for public office or I have some other job where your taxes will pay my salary, it’s none of your business (and even in those cases they have databases with that information - I would say “Look it up” and leave it at that.)

It happens a lot online too. I am a member of a couple of groups for poker dealers and it’s commonplace for people to ask how much everyone makes like it’s a cute MPSIMS topic starter or something.

Now, I will concede that I understand if someone is about to apply or start at a job or relocate to an area with employment in mind that knowing the money is helpful. But what a dealer in Las Vegas makes compared to someone in Florida or everywhere in between is very variable. Telling what someone a thousand miles away from me how much I make won’t be useful information. Telling a fucking player how much I make not useful information for anyone.

And even if you are a colleague, soon-to-be colleague or someone thinking of applying, don’t expect me to tell you how much I make in a public or even semi-public forum. Ask me privately and I’ll let you know anything I can to help you out including a hundred other things than compensation, but that too.

Everyone else? How about you spend your whole day asking everyone you come into contact with how much money they make. Your Uber driver. The dry cleaner. The waitress. The deli clerk in the grocery store. The bartender. Just go ahead and ask them how much they make and see who gives you polite evasive non-answers, who gives you not-as-polite responses and who cheerfully tells you their hourly and annual gross wages. The ratio should tell you that you’re being nosy.

And if the thought of doing that makes you realize that it would make you an ass, why are you doing it online? Or to me?

It’s none of your fucking business. Stop asking.

I also specifically and proactively pit anyone who responds to this OP by asking how much I make.

2

I have an online resale business. It isn’t enough to support myself, were I to need it to do so, but I do OK, and that’s what I tell people. Plus, the income is so widely variable, I can’t put an hourly or even monthly total on it.

I also remember the technician at the grocery store who asked me how much money I made as a pharmacist. I told her that this was NOHB but that my salary did correspond with what other pharmacists in the area earned.

Another thing I consider NOMB is child support. I do not ask people IRL if they pay it, or if they receive it, never mind how much; if they want me to know, they will tell me.

3

Google tells me that all of John Stamos is worth around $40 million. Making very wild guesses of his weight at 180 lbs and the weight of his left ear at one ounce, I’ll guess your net worth at around $14,000.

4

OK
How much do you earn?

5

7 to 10 dollars an hour plus tips I assume.

It’s been my experience that most people who work for gratuity tend to be less private about their income. I’ve had waitress friends from my youth that would voluntarily bitch: “I only made $40 today!”.

That maybe one reason people feel comfortable asking you.

6

A good generic answer for obnoxious questions is, “I’ll forgive you for asking that question if you’ll forgive me for ignoring it.”

7

https://www.ziprecruiter.com/Salaries/Poker-Dealer-Salary

8

Tacky has been masquerading as a social norm since at least Robin the Leach.:smack::smiley:

Lately it has gone into overdrive.

9

In fact, that’s what friends are for: to forgive each other.

10

Tree-fiddy, after tax, in Thai baht, and that’s yearly, on a per-hour basis, plus expenses. You?

11

I think you really want to tell us, otherwise you wouldn’t have put this is in such a small font.

12

I wonder if in some cases they’re trying to figure out how much to tip you. They’ve heard they’re supposed to tip the dealer, but perhaps have no idea how much is appropriate.

In that case, maybe an answer along the lines of, “It varies – most of what I make is tips” might increase your earnings.

13

I wonder if it’s because you have a non-run-of-the-mill job, which piques their interest?

Let’s face it, most job-titles have fairly predictable income-range parameters. If you were a waiter, a bank-clerk, or a software developer, they probably wouldn’t bother to ask, because those jobs are somewhat regular.

But a poker-dealer is not quite the same, and folks might just have a genuine interest in whether the ‘job’ pays for the time you put in (if you get my drift).

I wouldn’t necessarily consider the question rude, but yeah, if you’re copping it time after time, it must get tiresome.

Oh, by the way, how much DOES a dealer make? :smiley:

14

Twenty dollars, same as in town.

15

Solid analysis.

Stranger

16

That histogram has a strange gap in the middle, so I wonder what their n is. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics has a lower median, (but it includes all “gaming” workers).

I don’t go to casinos, but I consider dealers like other hospitality workers, in that they probably aren’t paid as much as they should be paid, considering what they have to deal with.

17

If we proletariats were smart, we’d write our salaries on our foreheads.

18

Before going to university, I worked in constructions where I was unbelievably well-paid. I’ve been self employed for some time and I’ve noticed that white-collar workers brag about their income as much as blue-collar ones. However, white-collar workers claim they merely and justifiably advertise themselves while looking down on the blue-collar ones who do it.

19

Meh. I’m not a fan of this idea that it’s rude to ask people how much they make. I see it as a way to keep people from finding out that they are being underpaid for their job.

I make about $8000 a year. It’s not much.

20

Dear Abby always suggests you turn it back on the questioner: “Why do you ask?”