Comments on: SoCal Etiquette Problem http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2005/12/02/socal-etiquette-problem/ Random samplings from a universe of ideas. Sun, 05 Jul 2009 05:50:54 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.3.1 By: s http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2005/12/02/socal-etiquette-problem/#comment-8052 s Fri, 09 Dec 2005 01:56:34 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2005/12/02/socal-etiquette-problem/#comment-8052 Dang, didn't you see Ferris Buehler's Day Off? You're supposed to tip the guy when you get there - a "five-sky" will do :) Dang, didn’t you see Ferris Buehler’s Day Off? You’re supposed to tip the guy when you get there - a “five-sky” will do :)

]]> By: Clifford http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2005/12/02/socal-etiquette-problem/#comment-8092 Clifford Sun, 04 Dec 2005 01:13:16 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2005/12/02/socal-etiquette-problem/#comment-8092 spyder, you illustrate my point rather nicely. This is utterly utterly ridiculous. Why not just pay them a decent wage to do the job and not leave us to sit there calculating how far the parking lot is, how many cars this valet might have driven, and the like. I repeat: Ridiculous. We are feeding this ridiculousness and making it way worse with all this social pressure to tip and make yourself feel good. In summary, I tip generously <em>as I see fit</em>. That is what a tip is supposed to be about. And I am very reluctant to tip when it is not a service I asked for either! I do it to thank for good service and NOT to make myself feel like a good person, and not because of some idiotic statistic about how various ethnic groups are supposed to tip (Belizean #36). If I want to make myself feel like a good peraon, there are several other ways of doing so.... Cheers, -cvj spyder, you illustrate my point rather nicely. This is utterly utterly ridiculous. Why not just pay them a decent wage to do the job and not leave us to sit there calculating how far the parking lot is, how many cars this valet might have driven, and the like. I repeat: Ridiculous. We are feeding this ridiculousness and making it way worse with all this social pressure to tip and make yourself feel good.

In summary, I tip generously as I see fit. That is what a tip is supposed to be about. And I am very reluctant to tip when it is not a service I asked for either! I do it to thank for good service and NOT to make myself feel like a good person, and not because of some idiotic statistic about how various ethnic groups are supposed to tip (Belizean #36). If I want to make myself feel like a good peraon, there are several other ways of doing so….

Cheers,

-cvj

]]> By: spyder http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2005/12/02/socal-etiquette-problem/#comment-8091 spyder Sat, 03 Dec 2005 22:57:21 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2005/12/02/socal-etiquette-problem/#comment-8091 If it matters, then maybe a bit of background on LALA land valet service would be in order. Essentially valet service providers operate along three different "sets." Basic deal: They will charge the client a healthy fee which will include wages, gratutities and of course insurance costs. Then they hire the best looking, most athletic, relatively competent drivers they can, along with some supervisory staff, security, and most importantly, vehicle parking spots. This is a big deal, and if the underlying costs become too exhorbitant the actual valets get the short end of the deal. Most who do that job are using it to pay for a living, whether they are college students, hopeful artists in LALA performing arts, or just some other need. Thus the tips they generate are either pooled to be equitably distributed or are theirs alone, which is usually up to the service: to get more active quicker valets the provider will leave tips up to the individual; to get a more efficient service, the provider will encourage tip pooling. All of this will depend on the second problem. Location: Depending upon the location of the party, the distance between the scene and the various places to park cars, the provider determines a flexible rate for the crew. If the party was up north of Sunset or in the west hombly hills, upper brentwood, santa monica canyon ans so forth, the service charges more because there are lots of hills and little immediate available parking. If the party is in some major business district, then parking is easier and the costs drop some. If the party is in neighborhoods then the cost is inbetween. If your party is in the "rich" hilllands then please tip the valets, as they have to run up and down along streets picking up this or that car and so forth. If it is near a business district with lots of parking lots and still a private party, don't tip so much, the work is easy. Competition: There is lots of it both in services and in what is happening that night. If it is a busy party night in town, and in LALA that is generally true, most of the valets are committed and tipping is hugely appreciated by all concerned. This is because there is lots of available services and that drops the overall prices which increases the need for the tips by the grunts. These are big businesses, growing up out of the Events industry starting in my day back in the 60's. Enterprising college students looking for ways to make bucks came up with great schemes and the valet one is very lucrative: for the management and supervisors, not so for those actually doing the work. Please be modestly generous. If you feel you can spare $2 do so. A simple rule of thumb is to calculate how many vehicles each valet will park and then retrieve. Two trips per one tip times x number of cars. If the number of valets is low and lots of cars they are going to make good tip money. If the number of valets is high relative to the cars they aren't and thus can use a higher tip. My old buddies run one of the more prominent and hugely successful westside LA valet and parking concerns, and have done so since the later 70s. If it matters, then maybe a bit of background on LALA land valet service would be in order. Essentially valet service providers operate along three different “sets.”
Basic deal: They will charge the client a healthy fee which will include wages, gratutities and of course insurance costs. Then they hire the best looking, most athletic, relatively competent drivers they can, along with some supervisory staff, security, and most importantly, vehicle parking spots. This is a big deal, and if the underlying costs become too exhorbitant the actual valets get the short end of the deal. Most who do that job are using it to pay for a living, whether they are college students, hopeful artists in LALA performing arts, or just some other need. Thus the tips they generate are either pooled to be equitably distributed or are theirs alone, which is usually up to the service: to get more active quicker valets the provider will leave tips up to the individual; to get a more efficient service, the provider will encourage tip pooling. All of this will depend on the second problem.

Location: Depending upon the location of the party, the distance between the scene and the various places to park cars, the provider determines a flexible rate for the crew. If the party was up north of Sunset or in the west hombly hills, upper brentwood, santa monica canyon ans so forth, the service charges more because there are lots of hills and little immediate available parking. If the party is in some major business district, then parking is easier and the costs drop some. If the party is in neighborhoods then the cost is inbetween. If your party is in the “rich” hilllands then please tip the valets, as they have to run up and down along streets picking up this or that car and so forth. If it is near a business district with lots of parking lots and still a private party, don’t tip so much, the work is easy.

Competition: There is lots of it both in services and in what is happening that night. If it is a busy party night in town, and in LALA that is generally true, most of the valets are committed and tipping is hugely appreciated by all concerned. This is because there is lots of available services and that drops the overall prices which increases the need for the tips by the grunts. These are big businesses, growing up out of the Events industry starting in my day back in the 60’s. Enterprising college students looking for ways to make bucks came up with great schemes and the valet one is very lucrative: for the management and supervisors, not so for those actually doing the work.

Please be modestly generous. If you feel you can spare $2 do so. A simple rule of thumb is to calculate how many vehicles each valet will park and then retrieve. Two trips per one tip times x number of cars. If the number of valets is low and lots of cars they are going to make good tip money. If the number of valets is high relative to the cars they aren’t and thus can use a higher tip.

My old buddies run one of the more prominent and hugely successful westside LA valet and parking concerns, and have done so since the later 70s.

]]> By: citrine http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2005/12/02/socal-etiquette-problem/#comment-8090 citrine Sat, 03 Dec 2005 20:27:57 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2005/12/02/socal-etiquette-problem/#comment-8090 Clifford, Maybe you could give the valet an autographed copy of something you've published. This may * get him/ her interested in string theory * fetch him/ her a good price on e-bay or its future equivalent in, say, 60 yrs when the famous Dr.Clifford J. is no more. Clifford,

Maybe you could give the valet an autographed copy of something you’ve published. This may

* get him/ her interested in string theory
* fetch him/ her a good price on e-bay or its future equivalent in, say, 60 yrs when the famous Dr.Clifford J. is no more.

]]> By: Elliot http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2005/12/02/socal-etiquette-problem/#comment-8089 Elliot Sat, 03 Dec 2005 19:06:07 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2005/12/02/socal-etiquette-problem/#comment-8089 Actually, based on first hand personal observation, my guess is that Feynmann would have met someone at the party and gotten a ride home with her after taking a cab to the party. Elliot Actually, based on first hand personal observation, my guess is that Feynmann would have met someone at the party and gotten a ride home with her after taking a cab to the party.

Elliot

]]> By: Belizean http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2005/12/02/socal-etiquette-problem/#comment-8088 Belizean Sat, 03 Dec 2005 18:50:27 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2005/12/02/socal-etiquette-problem/#comment-8088 Clifford, This is one of the few areas of life in which I find myself actually being conscious of of being black. As described in <a href="http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&c2coff=1&q=blacks+tipping&btnG=Search" rel="nofollow">this news story from NPR on the "Tipping Divide"</a>, blacks have a reputation for under tipping. So, perhaps irrationally, I usually tip generously. My valet tip is always $5. The other reason that I do so is that I seldom feel good about under tipping, and it's easily worth a couple of bucks to feel better. [I make exceptions for truly horrid service, of course.] Clifford,

This is one of the few areas of life in which I find myself actually being conscious of of being black. As described in this news story from NPR on the “Tipping Divide”, blacks have a reputation for under tipping.

So, perhaps irrationally, I usually tip generously. My valet tip is always $5.

The other reason that I do so is that I seldom feel good about under tipping, and it’s easily worth a couple of bucks to feel better. [I make exceptions for truly horrid service, of course.]

]]> By: Philip http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2005/12/02/socal-etiquette-problem/#comment-8087 Philip Sat, 03 Dec 2005 18:35:15 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2005/12/02/socal-etiquette-problem/#comment-8087 Tip the kid five bucks; you ARE in L.A., after all. Tip the kid five bucks; you ARE in L.A., after all.

]]> By: Clifford http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2005/12/02/socal-etiquette-problem/#comment-8086 Clifford Sat, 03 Dec 2005 15:50:00 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2005/12/02/socal-etiquette-problem/#comment-8086 Well, Pyracantha, from what we've be led to beleive by his unbiased writings about himself, he would have outwitted everyone in a seven mile radius, and driven home a nicer car than he came with, and he probably would have also taken the nice young pretty valet home to bed. Or if she was a philosophy major, told her she's pointless, but still slept with her. None of this would really resolve the problem, to my mind! This is why I <em>never</em> ask WWFD! -cvj Well, Pyracantha, from what we’ve be led to beleive by his unbiased writings about himself, he would have outwitted everyone in a seven mile radius, and driven home a nicer car than he came with, and he probably would have also taken the nice young pretty valet home to bed. Or if she was a philosophy major, told her she’s pointless, but still slept with her. None of this would really resolve the problem, to my mind! This is why I never ask WWFD!

-cvj

]]> By: Pyracantha http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2005/12/02/socal-etiquette-problem/#comment-8083 Pyracantha Sat, 03 Dec 2005 07:19:13 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2005/12/02/socal-etiquette-problem/#comment-8083 Just use the "WWFD" rule in social occasions a physicist must attend: "What would Feynman do?" :-) Just use the “WWFD” rule in social occasions a physicist must attend:

“What would Feynman do?” :-)

]]> By: diddidit http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2005/12/02/socal-etiquette-problem/#comment-8082 diddidit Sat, 03 Dec 2005 06:59:45 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2005/12/02/socal-etiquette-problem/#comment-8082 If it's a girl valet, flirt, then overtip. If it's a guy, look down your nose at him, then make sports references, then overtip. Bottom line - overtip, unless someone's overtly jerkish. Of course, I'd planned to go to be early tonight, and it's rolling up a two on the clock, and I live in Podunk, Michigan, so feel absolutely free to ignore me if you like, especially if the tipping thing's been resolved already. did If it’s a girl valet, flirt, then overtip. If it’s a guy, look down your nose at him, then make sports references, then overtip. Bottom line - overtip, unless someone’s overtly jerkish.

Of course, I’d planned to go to be early tonight, and it’s rolling up a two on the clock, and I live in Podunk, Michigan, so feel absolutely free to ignore me if you like, especially if the tipping thing’s been resolved already.

did

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