Customer Service an Oxymoron in the USA

[tone]

came here first 11 yrs ago

haha agreed, didnt say it was better here

its just the typical issues against tipping

just that i dont like the system, thats its loaded with "youre a good person if you tip well" and "a really good person if you tip ridiculously"

i'm still well aware of what i'm missing here from seattle, dont get me wrong

[matsuki]

came here first 11 yrs ago

haha agreed, didnt say it was better here

its just the typical issues against tipping

just that i dont like the system, thats its loaded with "youre a good person if you tip well" and "a really good person if you tip ridiculously"

i'm still well aware of what i'm missing here from seattle, dont get me wrong

I still think you're awesome if you don't tip at all (when the server sucks that is)

[tone]

haha right on

thing is, part of the point of this is, just the facial expressions of some of these customer facing peeps in the states. ridiculous looks on them

i didnt force anyone to make coffee - though i am grateful, and sometimes its amazingly good. and for them, its maybe less stress than the stomach cancer causing stress i haves to do to get my cheddar

[IparryU]

I still think you're awesome if you don't tip at all (when the server sucks that is)

very true... but if the waiter is doing their job tip 'em. don't be a cheap prick cause you think tipping is a society thing and you shouldn't give them money to avoid conforming...

Being a waiter sucks... it is not like Mickie Dee's where you just take an order and push out the food... you have to... be their bitch.

And whoever does not tip bar tenders, fuck off.

[tone]

wow

tip me then too, i spend days working on what i do for clients.

its not like selling/providing alcohol is one of the most straightforward business formulas in human history

youre making it a class thing - like im a cheap ass. dude, i could fucking tip all day if i liked doing it. i dont like the mandatory choice about it

[Screwed-down Hairdo]

very true... but if the waiter is doing their job tip 'em. .

And, therein sums up the problem of tipping, IMHO. If the waiting staff member is doing their job, why shouldn't their employer -- the ultimate beneficiary of the labor provided -- pay them?

don't be a cheap prick cause you think tipping is a society thing and you shouldn't give them money to avoid conforming...

Unfortunately, the world is full of Mr. Pink-type cheap pricks. And who suffers? The poor bloke/shiela on the frontlines copping the shit and working for minimum wage and dependent on goodwill from people too greedy to give it.

And whoever does not tip, fuck off.

FTFY. Evil, exploitive system that I detest, but I'm sure it's not going to be revolutionized by a few wankers on a board supposed to be about Japan. The poor fuckers dependent on the tipping system deserve every cent they can get.

Employment practices in the Untied States can be borderline obscene, but because they instil greater power to those who already wield it, they usually end up being adopted elsewhere and fuck it over for everyone else (or, of course, the work can just be shipped out to the Third World, where everyone is absolutely dying to be exploited...).

My rage for the day, comrades...

[matsuki]

very true... but if the waiter is doing their job tip 'em. don't be a cheap prick cause you think tipping is a society thing and you shouldn't give them money to avoid conforming...

Being a waiter sucks... it is not like Mickie Dee's where you just take an order and push out the food... you have to... be their bitch.

And whoever does not tip bar tenders, fuck off.

If they are awesome, I give them an awesome tip. If they are just so so, standard 15%. If they suck and ruin my dining experience, they get no tip.

Bartenders I always tip in the states as they tend to hook it up.

[IparryU]

Bartenders I always tip in the states as they tend to hook it up.

there are some good japanese bartenders, but most of the places i have been too that are "japanese bar" style are made 100% by the book.

for example, i order a jack coke, guy gives me 35cc jack and fills it up with coke... ok as it is by the book, so i tip him JPY500. Get 3 other rounds and still the same shit... WTF

Now when it comes to something like a dry martini, that average tanaka, does a pour, dab of dry vermouth, a 10 second stir, and pour... for 1500 yen i would expect a minute stir... made a bad mistake tipping they guy after the first one and when the next round came up... still shit.

So after that... no more Japanese bars unless it is in Ginza.

[tone]

totally agree there

i know theyre cheap but there is little value in the 299 izakaya places shochu drinks that are weak as fuck and get weaker and the night goes on

[gaijinpunch]

Two Rooms is the biggest offender. 1300 yen for drinks (including beer... wtf?!) and of course, there's a long wait when it's crowded... and the drinks aren't that strong. I get really fucked off by the kids beers they serve in some places for 700 yen. I'm getting cheap, as I now bury about 2 Chuhi on my way to any club/bar.

The best illustration of why the tipping system in the US is tops, was Halloween a few years ago. A friend and I stood there, nut to butt at the bar for like 10 minutes. He just looked back and said, "this is why you tip."

I know, it isn't the best system, but my guess is most self-respecting white people aren't going to serve food/drinks for $8/hr.

[IparryU]

Two Rooms is the biggest offender. 1300 yen for drinks (including beer... wtf?!) and of course, there's a long wait when it's crowded... and the drinks aren't that strong. I get really fucked off by the kids beers they serve in some places for 700 yen. I'm getting cheap, as I now bury about 2 Chuhi on my way to any club/bar.

The best illustration of why the tipping system in the US is tops, was Halloween a few years ago. A friend and I stood there, nut to butt at the bar for like 10 minutes. He just looked back and said, "this is why you tip."

I know, it isn't the best system, but my guess is most self-respecting white people aren't going to serve food/drinks for $8/hr.

the good bartender they had left...

Fonda de la madrugada has a good bartender (Martin). He makes good drinks and puts a bit extra in for no cost if you ask for it to be "a little strong". No tip required either. Food there is expensive.

[xenomorph42]

Two Rooms is the biggest offender. 1300 yen for drinks (including beer... wtf?!) and of course, there's a long wait when it's crowded... and the drinks aren't that strong. I get really fucked off by the kids beers they serve in some places for 700 yen. I'm getting cheap, as I now bury about 2 Chuhi on my way to any club/bar.

The best illustration of why the tipping system in the US is tops, was Halloween a few years ago. A friend and I stood there, nut to butt at the bar for like 10 minutes. He just looked back and said, "this is why you tip."

I know, it isn't the best system, but my guess is most self-respecting white people aren't going to serve food/drinks for $8/hr.

Most respecting white people????? WTF?

[Iraira]

my guess is most self-respecting white people aren't going to serve food/drinks for $8/hr.

Oh, this is gonna be good..................

[Mike Oxlong]

[Christoff]

Unless you are selling some sort of niche items that are unavailable elsewhere, that mindset won't keep you in business long term.

Tell this to AT&T, Sprint, Verizon, Time Warner, Cox, or any other American fortune 500.

[IparryU]

[gaijinpunch]

Oh, this is gonna be good..................

That's to say, a set $8/hr. Most people in the service industry in the US are there for the upside of the pay. Take that tipping culture away, and waiting tables now drops in rank somewhere between jizz mopper and data entry clerk. The fact is, it's a pretty brutal job... worse than retail since hiding in the stock room is way more difficult.

*Disclaimer: I say white people to just mean foreigners in general, from a Japanese stance. It has a nice ring to it.

[matsuki]

Tell this to AT&T, Sprint, Verizon, Time Warner, Cox, or any other American fortune 500.

...haha or unless shit like that is the industry standard?

[gaijinpunch]

Fonda de la madrugada has a good bartender (Martin). He makes good drinks and puts a bit extra in for no cost if you ask for it to be "a little strong". No tip required either.

I once barely made it to a cab out of Shinjuku 2-chome one night and only had about 4-5 drinks. Still think someone dosed me. No rectal discomfort in the morning so that was good.

Food there is expensive.

Fo-shizzle... and very little non-meat alternatives. Only went once. Not my bag. Same owners as La Colina, right? I've had way better luck there.

[tone]

that whole drink spiking stuff is an interesting side subject i would be interested in hearing more about in a side thread. crazy shit

i had a thought today - and this is the opposite of the thread - is being overstaffed making prices higher or quality of the actual product lower here?

here there are often 3x as many people as needed, smiling, bowing, ready to quickly wipe my ass just in case. is that part of why so much shit, when you get down to the actual consumable, doesnt live up to what i hoped it to be quality wise...

[Christoff]

...haha or unless shit like that is the industry standard?

The American industry standard.

[wuchan]

I know, it isn't the best system, but my guess is most self-respecting white people aren't going to serve food/drinks for $8/hr.

Sone douches just don't get it....

I used to bartend weddings for no pay. My friend was running a catering company and I would take care of the bar free of charge.. to him. On average I would pull $1k in tips off the books per wedding.

I know people in the states that pull in $3k a night in tips alone bar-tending.

[gaijinpunch]

After partying a day at the Tao Beach Party in Vegas, I realized those bartenders make a fucking KILLING. The cocktail hos as well.

Anyway, how's this for American service?
http://edition.cnn.com/2011/10/15/justice/new-york-fast-food-beating/index.html?eref=mrss_igoogle_cnn

[McTojo]

Welcome back to reality in the not-so-civil US of A

Well, Bucky. How does it feel to be on the other side? I'm sure you have a better appreciation for the country you left. Japan was always better.

[james]

Well, Bucky. How does it feel to be on the other side? I'm sure you have a better appreciation for the country you left. Japan was always better.

pros and cons to living anywhere and everyone's situation varies. different strokes for different folks; a wanker like yourself should understand at least that much.

[wuchan]

Well, Bucky. How does it feel to be on the other side? I'm sure you have a better appreciation for the country you left. Japan was always better.

Japan:
Watery beer
three flavors of food: salt, salt and salt
shit but polite service

[Coligny]

hmmmmm miso soup icecream...

[Samurai_Jerk]

After partying a day at the Tao Beach Party in Vegas, I realized those bartenders make a fucking KILLING. The cocktail hos as well.

Anyway, how's this for American service?
http://edition.cnn.com/2011/10/15/justice/new-york-fast-food-beating/index.html?eref=mrss_igoogle_cnn

That guy should have been given a medal not arrested.

[Samurai_Jerk]

shit but polite service

Exactly. People mistake polite service for good service. The service in restaurants in Japan is crap unless you go to high-end places or you're a regular at a mom-and-pop place.

[omae mona]

Exactly. People mistake polite service for good service. The service in restaurants in Japan is crap unless you go to high-end places or you're a regular at a mom-and-pop place.

SJ, what classifies as "good" for you? Maybe I'm not picky enough, but especially when I'm not at a high-end place, all I really expect is for them to be polite, fast, and not screw up my order. I guess I feel like I get all of that more often in Japan than back home. But maybe my standards are low... are there other services I should be expecting?