Thoughts on Tipping?

[mu03eng]

Not really. But ok.

Why not really?  Summary of the living wage argument:
-I should be able to make enough money as a single earner to feed, house, and clothe a family of four
-That work week should be 40 hours a week at a very low skill/no skill job.
-Any inflationary pressures that results from a uniform raising of all wages resulting in a corresponding increase in cost to retailers resulting in a corresponding increase in market price is not going to happen because I said so.

Anything I missed?

Why is it unreasonable to ask someone to earn $30,000(post-tax) a year to work 70 hours a week at a low or no skill job?  That's a salary of $9.50 an hour (15% tax rate for head of household at $35000 income). 

I would hate that and I bet so would the rest of us.....but we all did something in our lives to make sure we wouldn't be in that position to have to live that life.*

*People not having opportunities to avoid that choice is valid, but the mechanism of correction has nothing to do with paying them a living wage(too late at that point)

[brandx]

All you folks with your moral imperatives and common decency ... please!

If we increase wages for these people, how the heck will CEOs get by on $6.4 million per year instead of $16.4 million?

Think of those severely put-upon, middle-aged, white, 0.1-percenters for a change, won't ya?

These lowly people are already paid an average of $4.94/hr by their employers. What more do they want from us?

[brandx]

Just imagine how much wages would increase if they actually enforced immigration laws.  Millions of jobs would suddenly become available, and business owners would have to compete with each other for workers.

Sorry. Your white friend's children are not going to rush to the marketplace for fruit/vegetable picking jobs or maid jobs.

[Coleman]

Why not really?  Summary of the living wage argument:
-I should be able to make enough money as a single earner to feed, house, and clothe a family of four
-That work week should be 40 hours a week at a very low skill/no skill job.
-Any inflationary pressures that results from a uniform raising of all wages resulting in a corresponding increase in cost to retailers resulting in a corresponding increase in market price is not going to happen because I said so.

Anything I missed?

Why is it unreasonable to ask someone to earn $30,000(post-tax) a year to work 70 hours a week at a low or no skill job?  That's a salary of $9.50 an hour (15% tax rate for head of household at $35000 income). 

I would hate that and I bet so would the rest of us.....but we all did something in our lives to make sure we wouldn't be in that position to have to live that life.*

*People not having opportunities to avoid that choice is valid, but the mechanism of correction has nothing to do with paying them a living wage(too late at that point)

$9.50 is well above the $7.25 federal minimum wage.  It sounds to me like you are supporting a 31% increase in the minimum wage. Glad to have you on board.

[StillAWarrior]

It is not just that having two-full time workers "sucks."

Not all children have married parents. Or even two parents. Should they be deprived of food and shelter because your requirement of a living wage is that there be two earners?

In your other alternative, one person works two-full time jobs. Is this a pro-family position?

Those are legitimate points.  There are other ways to address those concerns aside from increasing the minimum wage.  Many of those are already in place.  If the concern is food and shelter, develop and/or fix policies that are designed to provide food and shelter.  I do not object to policies/programs that would take such issues into consideration and supplement earned income to provide a basic social safety net.  I simply object to the assumption that everyone must be able to support a family on one 40-hour week job.

[mu03eng]

$9.50 is well above the $7.25 federal minimum wage.  It sounds to me like you are supporting a 31% increase in the minimum wage. Glad to have you on board.

How many people are actually making the Federal minimum wage?

http://www.bls.gov/cps/minwage2013.pdf

[StillAWarrior]

How many people are actually making the Federal minimum wage?

Nobody in Ohio -- $8.10 here with automatic increases tied to CPI.

[Pakuni]

Market forces. Prices go up when unemployment is low. I lived in Boston during the Dukakis "Massachusetts Miracle " Federal minimum wage was $3.35 an hour, but true minimum wage in the Boston area was closer to  $7.00 an hour because that is what people had to pay in order to entice people to work for them. They had to charge more,  but people paid it because everyone who wanted a job had one, and had money to spend. If you arbitrarily force someone to pay higher wages just because., that doesn't happen. And some business owners went out of business because they couldn't compete in that market.  Happens every day, and that's the way it is supposed to work.

So you're OK with prices rising and/or companies going out of business and laying off workers because of government action that'll cost taxpayers billions (deporting all illegal immigrants, increasing enforcement and possibly building a massive wall), but you're not OK with prices rising and/or companies going out of business and laying off workers because of government action that'll cost taxpayers nothing (increasing the minimum wage)?

p.s. Wouldn't immigration policy be government impeding market forces?

[Coleman]

How many people are actually making the Federal minimum wage?

http://www.bls.gov/cps/minwage2013.pdf

You posted the answer to your question.

330,000 people. In my opinion, not an insignificant number.

[Lighthouse 84]

What's the rule of thumb on tipping hotel maids when you leave the room after your stay?

[mu03eng]

You posted the answer to your question.

330,000 people. In my opinion, not an insignificant number.

That's why I posted it.  330,000 out of a working population of something north of 20 million or less than 2%.

[MU82]

What's the rule of thumb on tipping hotel maids when you leave the room after your stay?

A few years ago, I started leaving a buck or two a night.

Think about how stupid it is that we tip a doorman or even a guy who carries a couple bags for us, but the poor woman who cleans our toilet and shower and who makes our bed usually gets nothing. And she's paid like dirt, too.

[MUsoxfan]

What's the rule of thumb on tipping hotel maids when you leave the room after your stay?

I tip $10/night

[MU82]

I tip $10/night

Wow. I am a cheap ass!

[ChicosBailBonds]

It is easy. Do it that way. Higher food prices, etc. People will pay if the price is right. Free market, as I see said here a lot.

You do realize there are people that eat at these places because it is what they can afford.   

[ChicosBailBonds]

Higher prices + no (or less) tipping = its a wash for the customer.

Tips are optional, so is the range of the tips.  So not really a wash.

[ChicosBailBonds]

All you folks with your moral imperatives and common decency ... please!

If we increase wages for these people, how the heck will CEOs get by on $6.4 million per year instead of $16.4 million?

Think of those severely put-upon, middle-aged, white, 0.1-percenters for a change, won't ya?

Average CEOs in this country make a few hundred thousand dollars.   They assume great risk, run their small businesses, etc, are often taxed at their individual rate, etc, etc.   Many people that make minimum wage decided they wouldn't try in school, didn't get a rip, didn't want to be bothered with it, didn't try, etc, etc.  Yes, and there are some that are legitimately poor.

I hope you see what I did there.

[Lennys Tap]

I tip $10/night

Same

[Coleman]

A few years ago, I started leaving a buck or two a night.

Think about how stupid it is that we tip a doorman or even a guy who carries a couple bags for us, but the poor woman who cleans our toilet and shower and who makes our bed usually gets nothing. And she's paid like dirt, too.

You're right, and I need to do better in this regard. I don't always leave tips for the housekeeper...I just forget, and I generally don't carry cash...like ever. It is much easier to tip at a restaurant or bar where I can simply add it to my credit card payment. It would be nice if hotels offered this option at checkout for the housekeeping staff...although again, I'd rather the hotel just pay them living wages, and increase my rate if they had to.

[Jay Bee]

What's the rule of thumb on tipping hotel maids when you leave the room after your stay?

Depends where I'm staying and for how long.

One night stay, screw 'em.

Week long stay on bidness, a couple/few bucks a night.

One hour stay and I leave a mess, a few bucks.