A bunch of us out of state boxers went to the Pirate Gather in CT...and decided to go out to dinner at a popular local pasta place ( and snag a letterbox too!) but we had minimal directions. Mine were written on a napkin, some had verbal instructions and basically we were wiped out by a huge all day gathering. But our trusty leader, Scarab, offered to lead our caravan of out-of-state vehicles the several miles to the place, a couple of towns over.

So we started off, but with such a long caravan, some of us got separated, so we pulled into places to wait for others to catch up..while others went ahead, not knowing....and we didn't time every light that well so some made it through while others were left to wait for a light change....some of us without directions didn't see some of the others up ahead make a turn...it was truly a comedy of errors. I ran several lights (stop, pause, go) to "catch up" ( when there was no one at any side of the intersections, of course) and was talking on my cell phone the entire time to boot!

So you can guess what happened. A local police officer witnessed our Keystone Cop imitation and we were all pulled over. Yep..you heard right. One cop managed to pull over 6 cars at once! lol I was on the phone with Scarab and Nightowl, who were still leading us and Scarab quickly said..."Don't say anything! Let me do the talking!" The cop walked up to the lead car..passing each of us who didn't dare even LOOK at him..and when he was almost up to Scarab's window we heard..."Oh thank God you found us, Officer!" ?!?!?!?!?!?

"Yes, Officer, I am the leader of this motley crew, and we have our orders to meet up with others but were given insufficient directions to guide such a clueless band of out-of-state-drivers. Why...we'll be lucky if we make it there by tomorrow! Can you please help clarify where we should be going? Here's the name and address of the place we are trying to find. Can you believe we were given such chicken scratchings as directions??? Why, it's amazing we haven't ended up in Maine!"

You could tell the Officer was completely caught off guard by this speech. But he looked at the notes, recognized the popular pasta place..and immediately said he could help us. He started to give Scarab directions but Scarab put this completely puzzled look on his face, and kept asking the officer to repeat each and every part of the directions over and over. Finally, in exasperation, the officer said.."Oh heck, I'll just take you all there. But stay close to my cruiser and don't get separated. You hear me? Keep up!!"

And he did just that. Put the lights and sirens on and everything and we got a police escort to the restaurant. The place turned out to be so popular that there was a large crowd lined up outside....and then WE pull up. Heck, they must have thought the Queen of England decided to go out for linguine! Except our motley line of mismatched cars had no official signs or flags. Unless an LBNA sticker counts. :) We got to act like rock stars for the evening and the officer in question even drove back by the restaurant to check on us! LOL

Now THAT is small town America.

LW PhD *who always just says...oh heck, just follow me..it's not far off my route*
"Nice Counts"

It all just comes down sometimes to sometimes basic life principles. I was taught a major one as a teenager at one of my first jobs at JC PENNEY. When someone asks to lacate something, that becomes your priority. You drop what you are doing and you walk them there. Later in life, at a management clinic, the speaker told us a story about being lost in a LORD & TAYLOR's, an associate noticing and walking him to another department and the impression that that had made. We know these principles it's just how they were instilled to apply them to life.

Wow, did I just get deep? Somebody smack me. I need a drink!

sorry but I couldn't answer #2 cause I would do neither of those.
I would give them directions ONLY if I know how to get there and in many, many cases I offer to lead the way and they follow in their cars...I have done this even when not going that way already and if it's only a mile or two. Oh and of course if they have a pet in the car I have to know it's name and socialize for a moment. :)

dixie

Tell the people ahead of me GO! YOu're up!

Lessons learned for the country people in the city:

1. Almost everyone expected to be tipped for anything.

2. My secretary told me of an experience where her husband did not tip the valet well enough. Then he asked for directions. He was given completely wrong directions on purpose.

3. Spend the $4 on the city map. Helps when you make that wrong turn.

TIPPING. TIP stands for To Insure Performance. It actually should be paid in advance. Like to the valet so your car doesn't end up a bad parking spot!

Question #3

You are at a sit down restuarant (not a buffet). The waitress does a very poor job. Do you:

A) Fail to leave a tip

B) Leave a very insulting tip (You do this so the waitress knows you meant it)

C) Reduce the tip in ratio to the number of problems/lack of service

D) Leave the full 15% tip. (You do this because the restaurant is paying this person #1.25 an hour. The rest has to come from tips that she has to share with the hostess and everyone else.)

This restaurant is in larger areas where you do not know the waitress, her family, nor do they know you. Because in a small town you would call her mom and let her know!

15% is my base tip regardless. It goes up from there commensurate with service.

I waitressed for almost 20 years. The wait staff has to pay taxes on 10% of their sales whether or not they actually received tips in that amount.

Woodsong

I don't go to sit down restaurants much anymore, but when I did, the tip was based on how often my drink was refilled. It was a good indicator of how much the server was paying attention to his/her customers.

TG

If the waitress does a poor job she only gets her 15%. I usually leave a more because I know they on get paid $1.25.

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The wait staff has to pay taxes on 10% of their sales whether or not they actually received tips in that amount.

When I worked at Pizza Hut, we were told that we better pay 10% of the sales in taxes or else document EXACTLY what we got as tips to prove we paid the right amount if the IRS decides to come knocking on your door. Most people were too lazy to keep good records of what they got as tips, though.

On another note--in California, wait-people are required to get paid minimum wage. Most states the business is allowed to pay under minimum wage as long as with taxes their total rate is at least the minimum wage.

-- Ryan

Without reading anyone else's answers, I would tell the people ahead of me to go ahead. They'd been waiting longer.

However, if the clerk had made eye contact with me and motioned me over, I'd go first. That has happened before and usually it's me with one or two items behind people with overflowing carts.

Knit Wit

If I am a local, I give them directions--good ones if possible but not using landmarks that "used to be there". :-)

Knit Wit

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You do so because you know the checker of the line you're in

do you shop at the same grocery store I do??? I do that all the time so I can take to Miss Ruby.

I always leave the full tip for the very reason you stated.

Knit Wit

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On another note--in California, wait-people are required to get paid minimum wage. Most states the business is allowed to pay under minimum wage as long as with taxes their total rate is at least the minimum wage.

In WV the employer has to make up the difference to minimum wage if the tips and base wage are not minimum wage amount. My favorite is the credit card/debit card tip. That does not go immediately to the wait staff. The company can hold it for a while earning interest.

Q#1 is C. I let people go ahead of me nearly every single time. When I food shop, I actually check for people behind me with fewer items so they can go first. (I return my cart to the inside of the store, too.)

Q#2 is B. I always try to help with directions because MA has such crazy roads. Where else can you routinely be on three major highways, all at the same time & frequently without warning?!

Q#3 is where I turn into the grinch. I used to waitress, too. BUT I feel that good service is their job & poor service is their fault. If I am sure it's her problem (not kitchen staff or poor staffing, etc.) then I reduce the tip to 10%. I'm normally a 20% tipper with more for above & beyond service.

Great quizzes, though. Lots of fun!

stripedbass

I also was a waitress and formally trained as one at a resort.
I was taught the proper way to remove or handle a guest glass, and ashtray and from which side you serve from and when you present the ticket or bill, etc.

I do not expect all that stuff from waitresses but I do expect courtesy, common sense, and for them to DO THEIR JOB.
A tip is not their right...it is earned! Minimum wage for a waitress is $2.13 an hour...not a buck or buck fifty. and yes...that is not enough to live on but in my opinion...wait staff need to earn a good tip. I think too many think that you owe it to them just cause you are sitting in their sections. Too many think they don't really need to be nice or actual SERVE their customers until they are ready to leave the establishment. I hate it when someone brings you your ticket when they bring the food or even BEFORE. That is a no-no but more and more folks do it and it is laziness.

this is not to say I go in expecting to NOT leave one... but the opposite.
I always leave the tip but it decreased if the service was poor.

I totally agree. If I am not greeted properly and asked "what do you want" (yep that really happened), don't think you are going to get a great tip, or even one at all.

You are out and see a neighbor, co-worker or friend's teenager out doing something inappropriate (smoking, underage drinking, driving recklessly, or driving only with a permit and no adults etc...) Do you:

A) Do not get involved (Do nothing and keep it to yourself)

B) Do nothing at the time but gossip about it to all the people who know the family

C) Call the parents as soon as possible.

D) Confront the teenager.

And with the widespread use of cells and digital cameras do you take pictures for proof or to post on a blog?

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Q#3 is where I turn into the grinch. I used to waitress, too. BUT I feel that good service is their job & poor service is their fault. If I am sure it's her problem (not kitchen staff or poor staffing, etc.) then I reduce the tip to 10%. I'm normally a 20% tipper with more for above & beyond service.

I concur about the sliding scale. I call it three strikes. It goes down 5% for each problem.

C & D if I know the parent and teen, or one of the two if I know one of the two, I hope others will do the same for me when my angels get to their rebel stage....

We always told our limit tester that we know everyone and someone will always tell. The funny thing is most of her issues involved her giving info away on her self.

My problem is, my son told me something about a friend's son. Trouble is, the only way he'd tell me who it was, was if I promised not to tell anyone.

DebBee

If I knew the teen well enough, I would confront them depending on what they were doing, how many others were there, and whether the situation might escalate into "ugliness".

I would definitely contact the parents.

Knit wit

That's tough. In the long run though I would break a promise like that if it was something that I felt the parents really needed to know or something that endangered the life of the child. Either that or I would try to get him to tell a counselor or teacher or the boy's parents himself.

Knit Wit

The waitress did a poor job AND didn't make herself personable to me. I speak to the manager to make sure s/he knows what a lousy time I had at their facility. Then I leave a 10% tip, because, after all, it's not the busboy's fault.

Having been a waitress, I'm all too aware how many folk are splitting that tip!

Fine. YOU don't tell anyone. Make HIM go tattle.

Knowing, and not taking action, is as bad as encouraging the error.

I'd have to agree with Knit witt if it put the teenage or his/her friend in danger I would tell.

Had a blast

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In the long run though I would break a promise like that if it was something that I felt the parents really needed to know or something that endangered the life of the child.

Well, it's hard. I don't want to lose my kid's trust, or he'll never tell me anything again. Plus, this isn't hard information. This is just something "everyone" seems to "know" the other kid is doing. My kid hasn't actually witnessed the behavior.

DebBee