realjohnboy wrote:Good evening.
I have mentioned before that I am in the retailing racket and my group of stores is one of 104 or so which participate monthly in a survey run by the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond. The Richmond Fed covers MD, DC, VA, NC, SC and part of WV.
I get a two page report summarizing activity in the region for the current month in a handful of activities (revenue, # of employees, shopper traffic etc), compared to the two previous months. An accompanying graph shows monthly and three month moving averages of the Revenue Index.
Looking bleak. Both graphed lines dropping off sharply since April.
Gas and food prices are really beginning to hurt retail sales.
Mervyn's, as noted earlier here, went into bankruptcy (not liquidation; rather reorganization). Two issues for them as I understand it. Squeezed between the lower end WalMart and the higher end stores and, secondly, heavily located in economically hard-hit CA.
Also today, I note that a TX based chain of restaurants (operating under the Brennigans or Steak and Ale flags) abruptly shut down all of their bunch of outlets. A 1000 or so jobs went along. The article, which I found on Forbes, mentioned a few other chains that seem to be in trouble, including Outback Steakhouse (which is the only one I can recall).
These places tend to be cash cows when the economy is good, but they are highly leveraged, so when prices rise and traffic drops off, they are very vulnerable.
My sales are down about 6% YTD. I can tell you more about that if anyone is interested. -rjb-
I used to be a waiter at Steak and Ale during college; given the rise in the price of beef, it's not surprising to me that they went under.
I'd like to hear more; I'm interested.
Cycloptichorn
Cycloptichorn wrote:
I used to be a waiter at Steak and Ale during college
Cycloptichorn
Everyone should have to serve a term as a waiter or waitress in a restuarant, Cyclo. How many drunk patrons, obnoxious people who would leave you a penny for a tip because they thought that would amuse their friends. Brings back memories.
Of course those were offset by many, many generous people who appreciated the job you were doing. They probably had waited on tables.
I learned tipping when I worked at a night club in Chicago as an assistant maitre' d. TIP = To Insure Promptness.
i hate not tipping, but poor folk and broke for no reason aye!
I never knew you did that, Tak. When was that?
I worked at a steakhouse in Capetown, SA. The Stagecoach. They all, for some reason, had western American names. Maybe 25 tables.
I was good. Believe it or not, back then when I was young, I had fairly long (by SA standards) blonde hair, and I had my US southern accent. The menu was limited, so I could take an order from a table of 8 without writing anything down (proving I was attentive). Of course, I had to write it down for Les, the grill man, but the customers didn't know that.
And I bought a really cheap, really cheap, "gold" wedding band so that. if asked, I could say my wife and I were saving up money to get back to the US. I was good.
It was in the late fifties. The night club was owned by my friend's parents, Club Waikiki, on Wilson Avenue. I was very poor back then, and he sort of adopted me as his brother, and took me golfing and night-clubbing on his dime. The guy was a poor manager of money, but generous to a fault. I later introduced him to his wife in San Francisco, and they had a daughter, but they eventually divorced. He moved to Hawaii, and last I heard, he drowned during a fishing trip about 15 years ago.
Good times!
I never waited tables, but I was a door man that doubled as site security at a club in Miami and a marina in Coconut Grove.
I was a farm boy fresh from Indiana and I spoke no Spanish, the year was 1984.
What an experience, hard work, long hours, but there was never a dull moment and the tips were outstanding.
I met so many excellent women and had much fun. Good times!
I fully respect anybody that has completed a tour or two serving on the front lines
of the food and entertainment business and I tip those that serve me very well.
Re: Good times!
Miller wrote:H2O_MAN wrote:I tip those that serve me very well.
As do I...
I tip those who serve me - between 15% to 25%.
What do you want, a medal, ci?
okie, Do you take dumb pills every day?
I use smart pills, ci, which tells me not to tip stupid waiters and waitresses. Besides, why don't they go get a real job for a change?
Most of our economic problems in this country are due to tipping, not George Bush.
Just kidding, ci. In all seriousness, if you tip 15 to 25%, I know I probably tip around 20 to 30%, you cheapskate.
I hope you sleep well tonight, knowing you are a skin flint, and probably made a waiter or waitress go home broke, probably couldn't even buy gas to get home, probably living under a bridge, you tightwad.
I don't feel like a skinflint at all; I know for a fact that my tipping satisfies most of the waiters and waitresses that serve us. It's a good thing I'm not here to satisfy your stupidity.
cicerone imposter wrote:I don't feel like a skinflint at all; I know for a fact that my tipping satisfies most of the waiters and waitresses that serve us. .....
I notice you say "most" of the waiters and waitresses. That could be 51%, but what about the possible 49% or minority of the waitresses and waiters that aren't satisfied, because you shorted them, ci?
The rich get richer and the poor get poorer. No compassion. You make the devil himself, George Bush, look like a saint.
Tipping is performance based; when I like something, I usually add a dollar or two, when I don't, I subtract one.
Cycloptichorn
Do Tell, cyclops! You are full of such intricate knowledge of such complex issues, it amazes me! Up until now, I had no clue what a tip was.
okie wrote:Do Tell, cyclops! You are full of such intricate knowledge of such complex issues, it amazes me! Up until now, I had no clue what a tip was.
okie, I now understand why you post such stupid ideas; you make tipping complex when in fact it's one of life's simple issues. The amount of my tips may just be an average, but it's adjusted according to the service I receive. Nothing difficult about it!
Re: Good times!
cicerone imposter wrote:Miller wrote:H2O_MAN wrote:I tip those that serve me very well.
As do I...
I tip those who serve me - between 15% to 25%.
It all depends on the quality of personal service received.
Did they listen? Did they remember? Did they make the extra effort?
