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May. 30th, 2011 06:39 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
dmxratedAll went to Brian's graduation ceremony yesterday. On the way there, we talked about various things, and also passed some cow farms and other places.
One thing brought up worth noting, Dad told us about his (not-so-stellar) experience with Marie at Friendly's, particularly about the waitress. Can't remember exactly what the deal was with her, but he mentioned trying to decide how much to tip her, or something like that.
I thought that the point of leaving tips was to provide an incentive for good service. As it turns out when I asked, though, we, in fact, even left a tip at that restaurant we had been to on Thanksgiving of 2006, even though they had given us subpar service by seating us in the basement and serving mediocre food. (That's right, I wasn't the only one dissatisfied with that place; we all were.)
As Dad and Brian explained to me, people just leave tips because it's good etiquette, because waitresses are expected to collect them and are paid below minimum wage for that reason. Unless service is really bad, people who don't leave tips are generally cheapskates.
I told them that whenever I commission people on DeviantArt, I offer a 15% bonus to the base price as an incentive to go the extra mile and make any changes I'd like made along the way. Dad told me, however, that things are different when you make a deal with someone, in that you're only expected to pay the full price and no more. Well, that is true, but if they don't fulfill that prerequisite, denying them part of the base payment isn't exactly an option. All you can really do is avoid doing business with them again. (If you think about it, the same is pretty much true with making a purchase, in which you only pay the base price, a tax, and no more or less. Satisfaction with it only factors in if you're able to return it for a refund within a certain amount of time.)
-----
There were so many students graduating at the ceremony that at some point, everyone was scheduled to relocate to various different tents on campus before receiving their degrees. After it ended, food was served buffet-style in an adjacent tent, and I took some brownies, lemon tarts, and cream puffs. Also took a few pictures of Brian with different members of our family, before heading home.
I headed home with Mom and Dad in the car, Brian had to go back to his apartment to sort some stuff out before we picked him up, and everyone else went home separately from us. We had already spent so much time out in the sun (particularly from the first phase, on the bleachers) that the first thing I did when we got home was throw on my swim clothes and take a dip in the lake. Let me tell you, it's nothing like being at the beach. The floor is covered with rocks, and the flat ones that don't hurt your feet are slippery.
-----
Got the Wii and the Xbox all set up, in case anyone would like to play any games on the former. Mom thinks that I desparately want to play with someone, but really, I brought those games in case enough of us want to play them as a group. Brian also told me that it's really no big deal if I don't play either of those games for the Xbox that he has somewhere, although he does appreciate the gesture. I myself am currently content with sticking with Pokemon Diamond.
-----
As of this morning, Cousin Steven had to go home to resume work. Everyone else is still here, though.
One thing brought up worth noting, Dad told us about his (not-so-stellar) experience with Marie at Friendly's, particularly about the waitress. Can't remember exactly what the deal was with her, but he mentioned trying to decide how much to tip her, or something like that.
I thought that the point of leaving tips was to provide an incentive for good service. As it turns out when I asked, though, we, in fact, even left a tip at that restaurant we had been to on Thanksgiving of 2006, even though they had given us subpar service by seating us in the basement and serving mediocre food. (That's right, I wasn't the only one dissatisfied with that place; we all were.)
As Dad and Brian explained to me, people just leave tips because it's good etiquette, because waitresses are expected to collect them and are paid below minimum wage for that reason. Unless service is really bad, people who don't leave tips are generally cheapskates.
I told them that whenever I commission people on DeviantArt, I offer a 15% bonus to the base price as an incentive to go the extra mile and make any changes I'd like made along the way. Dad told me, however, that things are different when you make a deal with someone, in that you're only expected to pay the full price and no more. Well, that is true, but if they don't fulfill that prerequisite, denying them part of the base payment isn't exactly an option. All you can really do is avoid doing business with them again. (If you think about it, the same is pretty much true with making a purchase, in which you only pay the base price, a tax, and no more or less. Satisfaction with it only factors in if you're able to return it for a refund within a certain amount of time.)
-----
There were so many students graduating at the ceremony that at some point, everyone was scheduled to relocate to various different tents on campus before receiving their degrees. After it ended, food was served buffet-style in an adjacent tent, and I took some brownies, lemon tarts, and cream puffs. Also took a few pictures of Brian with different members of our family, before heading home.
I headed home with Mom and Dad in the car, Brian had to go back to his apartment to sort some stuff out before we picked him up, and everyone else went home separately from us. We had already spent so much time out in the sun (particularly from the first phase, on the bleachers) that the first thing I did when we got home was throw on my swim clothes and take a dip in the lake. Let me tell you, it's nothing like being at the beach. The floor is covered with rocks, and the flat ones that don't hurt your feet are slippery.
-----
Got the Wii and the Xbox all set up, in case anyone would like to play any games on the former. Mom thinks that I desparately want to play with someone, but really, I brought those games in case enough of us want to play them as a group. Brian also told me that it's really no big deal if I don't play either of those games for the Xbox that he has somewhere, although he does appreciate the gesture. I myself am currently content with sticking with Pokemon Diamond.
-----
As of this morning, Cousin Steven had to go home to resume work. Everyone else is still here, though.