The Things Customers Do

[Drewhunz 3]

From my experiences with your sharpenings, the ones who left were lucky. I KID, I KID.

[Aussie Joe 0]

I couldn't imagine a more insulting question when asked about my trade "Are you any good?" No I just stand here sharpening cause I like to look at the pretty sparks all day, douchebags.

Funnily enough what cracks me up is the local store here, I get my sharpenings done sometimes and the apprentice sharpener is better then the Master and he learnt in Montreal!

[Chadd 916]

I couldn't imagine a more insulting question when asked about my trade "Are you any good?" No I just stand here sharpening cause I like to look at the pretty sparks all day, douchebags.

Funnily enough what cracks me up is the local store here, I get my sharpenings done sometimes and the apprentice sharpener is better then the Master and he learnt in Montreal!

I used to ask them if they thought I would honestly tell the truth if I wasn't.

[VakarLajos 5]

How about the hockey dads that like to use the pro shop in the rink as their son's personal locker room? We have one guy that drags the bag in with the 6 year old kid and gets him dressed in the skate fitting chairs. We would mention it to him that there is a locker room but we know he'd throw us an attitude. Just better left alone, for the time being.

Let me know when the Avalanche play the Cyclones for this one. lol

We had a figure skating tournament here two weekends ago and there was a group of about 15-20 from Ecuador at the rink every morning for the whole week before hand. They were very nice people and all, but they could come in 2 or 3 at a time looking at stuff in 20 minute increments.

First they asked for custom skates. I informed them the model they requested has a 6-8 week turnaround, 3-4 if you put a rush on it. They said they were leaving that Sunday and could we get it by then? Ok, they are from Ecuador, traveled a long way. No harm in asking.

Then, do we sell soccer equipment? No, this is a hockey and figure skating shop. Do you sell things with the Statue of Liberty on it? Ranger jerseys. No, like postcards? No, this is a hockey and figure skating shop.

Do you sell ointment for back pain? No.....Mind you all this was after figuring out what they wanted through splintered English. I wanted to sit them down and agree to close the shop to the public and give them 1 or 2 hours to go at it in there. Ask me anything for 2 whole hours. It's yours, but then you can't come back till next year's tournament.

By the time they left I was surprised they hadn't asked me for certain livestock. They were very nice people, but the questions were growing increasingly odd. Maybe it was the mom's and dad's and siblings' way of passing time....If so, that was ****in brilliant.

[Ngo_35 1]

I couldn't imagine a more insulting question when asked about my trade "Are you any good?" No I just stand here sharpening cause I like to look at the pretty sparks all day, douchebags.

Funnily enough what cracks me up is the local store here, I get my sharpenings done sometimes and the apprentice sharpener is better then the Master and he learnt in Montreal!

I used to ask them if they thought I would honestly tell the truth if I wasn't.

Thanks Chadd I like that one. I think I'll add it to my list of answers.

[wildebeest 0]

I'm personally not a fan of tipping. I realize it's pretty ingrained, but it sort of defeats the whole purpose. Tipping is there to let the wait staff know you liked their services. A "mandatory" 15% doesn't get the message across. I also think it's weird tipping random people. People like doormen, valet workers, bartenders, mailmen, etc all are supposed to be given tips (holiday or otherwise) for doing their job.

I suppose if I was a regular or/and they did a really good job, but an obligatory tip just seems weird to me.

Don't get me wrong, I do still tip. I gave the really nice bartender an extra dollar on the 2 beers I had last night since he was really cool and on top of things. I just think it's silly to have an almost mandatory gratuity that isn't mandatory. Some valet services charge you $5 for the service, some just expect tips and get pissed when you "stiff" them for taking your car the 60 feet to the lot at a valet only event (senior prom back in high school, I did give the guy $5).

Ok, my mom worked for tips for a long time and my wife still does (hairdresser, you pervs) so my take might be a little biased.

First off, it's against postal regulations to tip the mailman. There's a good reason for it, too.

Secondly, Thanks to Reaganomics, wait staffs in most places are paid WELL below the minimum wage. In my experiences, it's usually in the $2-$3 dollar per hour range because the government's thought on the matter is "with tips, they'll make more than minimum wage, so we'll give the restaurant biz a break on the minimum wage 'law' thing". Never mind that restaurant owners are on par with used car salesmen, ambulance-chasing lawyers and public restroom-trolling senators in terms of being shady, underhanded mofos. If I go somewhere and the service sucks, I leave the standard tip and I don't make it a habit to go back there. If it's good, I tip accordingly and keep going back. After a few times, the staff knows who you are and the level of service keeps getting better.

My rule of thumb on whether or not to tip is this: If somebody does something for you that you SHOULD be perfectly able to do yourself, but don't because of convenience (opening doors, parking your car, preparing/serving your food, etc), you leave a little something. If the person performing a service for you is particularly skilled at it (sharpenings, haircuts, computer help) then you make it worth their while. It's a way of recognizing their superior skill and an investment in future returns. Simple as that.

[mack 44]

Bartenders are easily the first people I tip. Give a bartender a nice hefty tip on your first round and you won't have to be screaming orders at all the rest of the night. Then again, I tip virtually everyone, even the kids who take out your groceries at the store. Sure they don't get the minimum wage but it's damn near and that job has to suck. Thing is they're not allowed to take them so I have to "accidentally" drop the tip like they've found lost money.

[KingPest19 0]

Bartenders are easily the first people I tip. Give a bartender a nice hefty tip on your first round and you won't have to be screaming orders at all the rest of the night. Then again, I tip virtually everyone, even the kids who take out your groceries at the store. Sure they don't get the minimum wage but it's damn near and that job has to suck. Thing is they're not allowed to take them so I have to "accidentally" drop the tip like they've found lost money.

That and if youre drinking mixed drinks they tend to be a little more stronger

[Bmplam 1]

Bartenders are easily the first people I tip. Give a bartender a nice hefty tip on your first round and you won't have to be screaming orders at all the rest of the night. Then again, I tip virtually everyone, even the kids who take out your groceries at the store. Sure they don't get the minimum wage but it's damn near and that job has to suck. Thing is they're not allowed to take them so I have to "accidentally" drop the tip like they've found lost money.

That and if youre drinking mixed drinks they tend to be a little more stronger

That and if youre drinking draft beer they tend to not mark them all down

[JJ Thompson94 0]

I don't leave a mandatory tip of 15% at resturants all the time. My policy on a waiter is if they are average they get 15%, if they suck they get 10% and if they are extra good they get 20%.

tipping at a bar is important only because you want to be serviced well and don't want to wait, but I HATE tipping valets at valet only events. If I have a choice and I choose to valet then I'll leave 2 or 3 bucks. When I go to Ranger games and park in a lot, I tip the guys well because I choose to drive to the game and I choose that parking Garage. But why do I have to pay a valet for doing something I'd rather do myself. I have a nice car and I hate when valets drive it and move the seat and mirrors. I'd rather park my own car and hold on to my own keys and worry about my own car, and then on top of it I have to leave a tip. Get the hell out of here, I'll give the guy a buck not to seem cheap but it's the biggest waste of a dollar.

[DarkStar50 679]

The reason the valets move your mirrors is so when they are backing in cars to parking spots with as little space between cars as possible(you are describing the NYC parking garage experience) they can see exactly how much room they have with your mirrors. I had a part time job parking cars a long, long time ago. This is the reason they do it.

My buddy who we now call "Personal Locker Room" got his kid dressed in the shop again last night. I wasn't in at the time. I guess we will just have to say "Sir, I'm sorry but you cannot get your son dressed in the shop." "Oh really, why not?" "Well, sir, you see, if I let you do this, soon enough EVERYBODY will want to get their kids dressed in the shop."

[nspeen 0]

The reason the valets move your mirrors is so when they are backing in cars to parking spots with as little space between cars as possible(you are describing the NYC parking garage experience) they can see exactly how much room they have with your mirrors. I had a part time job parking cars a long, long time ago. This is the reason they do it.

My buddy who we now call "Personal Locker Room" got his kid dressed in the shop again last night. I wasn't in at the time. I guess we will just have to say "Sir, I'm sorry but you cannot get your son dressed in the shop." "Oh really, why not?" "Well, sir, you see, if I let you do this, soon enough EVERYBODY will want to get their kids dressed in the shop."

My LHS has a sign on the door stating that bags are not allowed in there. I'm sure some people still bring them in though.

[ktang 34]

My buddy who we now call "Personal Locker Room" got his kid dressed in the shop again last night. I wasn't in at the time. I guess we will just have to say "Sir, I'm sorry but you cannot get your son dressed in the shop." "Oh really, why not?" "Well, sir, you see, if I let you do this, soon enough EVERYBODY will want to get their kids dressed in the shop."

I can just see his reply: "But I've always dressed him here!"

[DarkStar50 679]

ktang,

You are right! That will be his reply. The next thing I will say is "I'm sorry but the building rink managers have noticed this and set this policy. I would let you if I could but it's out of my hands." I guarantee his reply will be the old favorite: "Do you know how much I spend here?' I won't say this answer out loud but "Yes, I do. You asked for a discount on a pair of $12 youth elbow pads once." I had to say sorry, no discounts. This was before I saw him pull up in his Lexus. I cannot make this stuff up, trust me.

[VakarLajos 5]

ktang,

You are right! That will be his reply. The next thing I will say is "I'm sorry but the building rink managers have noticed this and set this policy. I would let you if I could but it's out of my hands." I guarantee his reply will be the old favorite: "Do you know how much I spend here?' I won't say this answer out loud but "Yes, I do. You asked for a discount on a pair of $12 youth elbow pads once." I had to say sorry, no discounts. This was before I saw him pull up in his Lexus. I cannot make this stuff up, trust me.

Lol. We've got quite a few of those here.

I had a guy talk loudly on his cell phone about purchasing his apartment for something like $3million while we outfitted his kid. Once we got to the register and he saw the prices he wanted to know if we had anything cheaper than the $5.99 Shock Doctor mouth guards. He then proceeded to try and get us to bring the prices down on a pair of old Vapor XXs that we were selling for about $75. All this after requesting a high quality skate.

You meet some good people, you meet some people who aren't as nice. It's usually interesting though.

[pantherfan 0]

Makes you realise how these people got rich doesn't it.

[VakarLajos 5]

Makes you realise how these people got rich doesn't it.

Yeah, I was thinking that too. Some, probably. Some probably not.

[Law Goalie 147]

He can't brag about how much he spends on elbow pads or mouthguards - I guarantee that's all he'll do about his $3m apartment. Because he can't brag about how much he spends, he'll nickel and dime over everything so he can brag about how much he saved. That way he comes off like a 'savvy consumer' - he can tell all his 'friends' they're suckers for spending $12 on elbow pads when he spent $10, implying not-so-subtley that his $3m apartment is 20% better than their $3m apartment. It's all back to Whose-Is-Bigger logic...

Frankly, I wonder if some shops wouldn't be better off saying to people like that, "It'll be $10k to outfit your kid in perfect equipment. Leave him here, come back in six hours, he'll be golden." Then order the kid a pizza, get him fitted, and spend the rest of the day on the Xbox with him.

[hockeysc23 0]

I'm personally not a fan of tipping. I realize it's pretty ingrained, but it sort of [...]

Ok, my mom worked for tips for a long time and my wife still does (hairdresser, you pervs) so my take might be a little biased.

First off, it's against postal regulations to tip the mailman. There's a good reason for it, too.

Secondly, Thanks to Reaganomics, wait staffs in most places are paid WELL below the minimum wage.

Actually thats not 100% true. They get paid minimum wage if there tips + wage (2-3 dollars) does not get to minimum wage. So they are guaranteed at least minimum wage.

That being said when I go out a waiter starts at 15% and works him/herself up or down depending on how they do.

back on topic ......

[eric42434224 1]

I was in the restaurant business for a good 15 years. Cooking, Bartending, and waiting tables. With that knowledge and experience, knowing how hard a job it is, I will NEVER tip less than 20% if the service is adequate. If a server is exceptional, I will tip 25%. 15% for an idiot.....maybe.

Seriously, if you cant tip 20%, then fix your own dinner and eat at home. Tipping isnt mandatory..... if you are a cheapskate loser.

I have never worked at an establishment where you are paid minimum base wage. And none had health insurance or any other benefits.

These servers work very hard, and many times dont even have a steady income (bad weather, out of busy season, and BAD TIPPERS).

Just be a good person and tip 20%. On a $100 dinner, the difference between a 15% tip and 20% is a measly $5. Not much to you, but it means a lot to a waiter or waitress. You can talk about the pet peeves of these people coming in and asking for discounts, or rude customers.....but that is exactly what I felt about bad tippers.

If you cant tip 20%, just stay home. Or go to Taco Bell. You dont have to tip there.

Frankly, I dont see the difference in someone being cheap and asking for a 20% discount on $12 elbow pads, and someone being cheap and tipping $7.50 (15%) on $50 instead of $10 (20%). The cost of the meal includes service, and you should take that into consideration......if you cant, enjoy the burrito!

Edited June 19, 2008 by eric42434224

[DarkStar50 679]

I have a friend that worked in 5 star hotels around the world. He worked with the food and beverage department as well. He taught me a simple rule on tipping: for every $5 you spend, leave a $1. That is a 20% tip. It is always where I start.

I just had my mechanic check my truck to pass inspection. The truck passed and he got a $10 tip for lunch. The next time I have an emergency, I am sure he will remember me. The next time you tip a sharpener, remember you will never know when that emergency sharpening is needed. But you will have a friend at the sharpening machine if you show him that appreciation now and then.

Which reminds me of the skating coaches that give private lessons for cash and want us to sharpen their skates for free. Those guys really get me. They never throw you a bone.

[DarkStar50 679]

"Do you have head caps?"

This was after I saw the guy take an elbow pad and try to wrap it over his knee.

[AHF 1]

New low today...I can't be the only one to have gone through this ordeal...

Getting a small kid to try on some gear. No big deal, right?

Well, said kid crapped his pants!

Worst. Smell. Ever. ;)

[WhiskeyTango19 0]

Never had a kid crap himself but.....

was running an inline clinic and had the kids huddled aroud. When I asked them if they had any questions, one little tyke raised his hand and asked, "Can I go to the bathroom?" I said, "Sure bud, go ahead." So he did.

Right there. On the rink.

[DarkStar50 679]

My new favorite is this line I hear at the cash register, always from hockey dads and never from hockey moms, "Oh, I left my wallet in the car." I just think to myself, fine, I'll still be here when you get back. What were you planning on paying with? Burger King coupons?