Originally Posted by
Marko63
i pay about $500.00, for the privilege of having a Platimum AMEX. My flights take me to locations that have Centurion Clubs about five or six times a year.. I amortize that to just under a hundred bucks per visit. With that fee, certain I am NOT required to tip a bartender , especially a bartender who salts the bar with a few fives and ones as a not so subtle hint they want a tip. While I appreciate the service of a bartender pouring an adult beverage for me, not going to enable aggressive tipping to pad one’s pay check.
i do not tip in Delta Sky Clubs either. The money I have spent on Delta could probably get be a Net Jet card.
Now on the plane . I have extended a discreet gratuity to a few fight attendants who were pretty, attentive, and made me feel Important!
It doesn't matter what your "per visit" cost is, what does that have to do with the person at the bar that counts on that $? If you used it twice as many times, then would you tip? How does the number of times you utilize the club determine if you tip? Who are you punishing here? Do you think your minimal visits somehow trickles down to the person working the bar? I'd be surprised if they were even actual Amex employees instead of a third-party.
I pay over 10x what you pay on American Express fees each year. If I can tip, you can too. If your money is so tight that you can't tip, don't drink. I wouldn't go to a restaurant knowing I couldn't tip the wait staff even though it's "not required".
You say they are trying to "pad their paycheck" like they are trying to buy a second home in Malibu. This isn't the case.
The "salting" you claim is probably to tell people like you that "Hey, tips are appreciated" and give some social proof that other people do it. I'm guessing you didn't really see Amex bartenders "salting.". Not that I looked for it, but I've never seen a tip jar at SFO, usually someone just leaves a dollar or two on the bar when picking up mixed drinks and it disappears.
I'm guessing you never worked a service job. The people that act most indignant are the ones that have never been on the other side of the exchange. My mother and I had a disappointing conversation like this once about healthcare and her attitude was "they can just go find another job if they need benefits." Like it's so easy.