Originally Posted by
JayhawkCO
This opinion is very much a cop-out. Those people all get paid a salary. I get paid nothing to work at the restaurant. I haven't gotten a check from the restaurant I work at in my five years of employment. If I get stiffed all night, I walk home with negative money. If I don't tip a UPS driver, he's still making at least $10/hr (guessing). If I don't tip a doctor or dentist, I think they can still afford their green fees.
I didn't create the system. I just try and educate people on the topic.
Chris
Its not a cop out all all. And you don't need to educate the "amateur" diners.
The reality is that there aren't many formal qualifications to be waiter. You need to have a decent personality, the ability to multitask, and be willing to work nights. As with most jobs that don't require a lot experience, education, or "up front work", the supply of people willing to do the job outstrips the number of jobs available. The jobs are demanding, so the turnover is high.
Being a doctor or dentist requires years of schooling and hard work before you get to pay those greens fees. Being a CEO in most cases requires 4 to 6 years of college (undergrad and graduate degrees), and years of "working your way up" in a company.
Anyone can go be a waiter in an Applebees or a Denny's tomorrow. And I imagine that after a few years they could gain enough experience (or contacts) to get a chance at a higher salary by waiting at a more upscale restaurant. The same applies to a UPS or FedEx employee working years in a distribution center sorting boxes before getting the chance at earning that higher salary driving the truck.
So, please, accept the fact that you're in a job where the supply of people willing to do the job outstrips the number of jobs available, accept the fact that you don't need to spend years in school to qualify for your job, accept the fact that you're working "on spec" (you can hit a home run one night and get screwed the next).
But don't whine about a "flawed system."