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#Post#: 77866--------------------------------------------------
When two employees (instead of one, as is usual) do a job...
By: SnappyLT Date: November 23, 2022, 11:28 pm
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I usually tip the lone employee who delivers groceries to my car
for the parking lot grocery pick-up service US$5.
Yesterday two employees came out together instead of the usual
one employee. All I had in my wallet was a lone $5 bill and a
few $20 bills.
I thanked both boys and apologized, saying "This is for you two,
but I only have the one bill. Could you please split it between
you?" I gave the $5 bill to the closest boy.
They looked at each other, smiled, shrugged their shoulders, and
both replied, "Thank you."
What do other people do in such a situation?
[By the way, it was a relatively small order. Usually just one
employee would have come out with it.]
#Post#: 77867--------------------------------------------------
Re: When two employees (instead of one, as is usual) do a job...
By: mime Date: November 24, 2022, 8:17 am
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I would have done the same. I know it puts them in a weird
situation when they have to sort it out later, but $20 would be
overboard. Even $10 would probably be overboard if you had it in
your wallet.
My only solution for this situation in the future is to carry
more singles. From your post, it looks to me like that would
have been your preference, too.
#Post#: 77868--------------------------------------------------
Re: When two employees (instead of one, as is usual) do a job...
By: Rose Red Date: November 24, 2022, 8:35 am
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I think you were fine. It's easy to make change in a grocery
store. They just have to go to the customer service desk.
BTW, when I worked at a grocery store in the days of yore, we
were not allowed to accept tips. I hated turning down tips when
offered.
#Post#: 77877--------------------------------------------------
Re: When two employees (instead of one, as is usual) do a job...
By: Bada Date: November 26, 2022, 9:03 am
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[quote author=Rose Red link=topic=2426.msg77868#msg77868
date=1669300523]
...
BTW, when I worked at a grocery store in the days of yore, we
were not allowed to accept tips. I hated turning down tips when
offered.
[/quote]
That's actually why I do grocery pickup instead of delivery. I
was told Walmart pickup employees aren't allowed to take tips,
but if you do delivery that you're expected to tip. On a $200
order that adds a LOT to the cost, more than is worth the
convenience of me staying home.
Snappy, is this a small chain or a major one? I hope I haven't
been stiffing people who work for (or expect) tips when I do my
pickups.
#Post#: 77905--------------------------------------------------
Re: When two employees (instead of one, as is usual) do a job...
By: SnappyLT Date: November 27, 2022, 6:46 pm
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[quote author=Rose Red link=topic=2426.msg77868#msg77868
date=1669300523]
...
BTW, when I worked at a grocery store in the days of yore, we
were not allowed to accept tips. I hated turning down tips when
offered.
[/quote]
Your comment reminded me of an "odd job" I performed two summers
during college, many decades ago. In between summer classes, I
would help the summer conference organizer with whatever needed
to be done for groups who'd rent campus buildings. If the guests
were older folks (such as Elder Hostel), I'd be working for just
above minimum wage carrying suitcases from the parking lot up to
their dorm rooms.
My boss was very strict that I was NOT to accept any tips, so I
didn't***.
Only about half of the visitors offered to tip, anyway.
***The only reason I put up with this were that while the
suitcase-carrying was hot work, it was only for a few
conferences each summer and just about all of the other
conference jobs I did were easy tasks.
#Post#: 77906--------------------------------------------------
Re: When two employees (instead of one, as is usual) do a job...
By: SnappyLT Date: November 27, 2022, 6:55 pm
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[quote author=Bada link=topic=2426.msg77877#msg77877
date=1669475021]
That's actually why I do grocery pickup instead of delivery. I
was told Walmart pickup employees aren't allowed to take tips,
but if you do delivery that you're expected to tip. On a $200
order that adds a LOT to the cost, more than is worth the
convenience of me staying home.
Snappy, is this a small chain or a major one? I hope I haven't
been stiffing people who work for (or expect) tips when I do my
pickups.
[/quote]
Bada,
My event happened at a regional chain that is big in just one
part of the US.
----
My wife uses the pickup service at Walmart sometimes. She was
told by an employee that they are forbidden from accepting tips
upon threat of being fired. That employee told my wife there
were cameras focused on the pickup area of the parking lot, and
there was a manager who sometimes watched to see if she could
catch employees taking tips.
----
I don't know if I am tipping too much or just right. Honestly,
during the first year of the pandemic, I didn't tip. Then I
started feeling guilty, like maybe I should tip. That's when my
wife told me she tipped when she picked up groceries at stores
other than Walmart.
#Post#: 77966--------------------------------------------------
Re: When two employees (instead of one, as is usual) do a job...
By: LifeOnPluto Date: December 3, 2022, 11:32 pm
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I'm from Australia where there's no culture of tipping, so you
can take this with a grain of salt. But for what it's worth, I
think you were fine in giving them $5 to split between them.
Especially if it was a small job that would normally have only
been done by one employee.
I'm also assuming that $5 is a reasonable tip for one person?
I'm curious to know if the tip depends on the value of your
groceries (for example, if you buy $200 worth of groceries, do
you tip 10-20%, which means you'd tip between $20-$40? Or does
it depend on the number of bags/items you buy? (for example, $1
per bag or something). The latter would seem to make more sense
to me.
#Post#: 77975--------------------------------------------------
Re: When two employees (instead of one, as is usual) do a job...
By: Hmmm Date: December 5, 2022, 10:02 am
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I appreciate that grocery stores make it clear to both customers
and the employees that tips are not allowed. The employees don't
need to worry about whether someone will tip and the customer
doesn't need to guess at how much to tip. A few months ago, I
did a pickup at a national grocery chain and the store manager
was the one who brought my groceries out to me because they were
so busy. Another time I've had the department manager bring out
the groceries. If I had been in the habit of tipping because it
was expected I would have been an a quandary about whether to
tip these two people. (honestly, I wouldn't have because I was
always instructed that it is rude to offer a manager or
proprietor of an establishment a monetary tip or anyone that is
in a "professional" job.)
Anytime it can be taken out of the equation, I am thrilled. I go
to a salon that doesn't allow tipping. It is so freeing not
worrying about how much to tip the shampoo person and the
stylist. When you make your appointment online, you give your
credit card and they just charge it upon completion. I love just
being able to walk out without being confronted with the
20/25/30% choice that you get at most salons.
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