So it's in effect is a shared tip. Although your server will only see a portion of that "shared tip", they will also see a portion of other service charges. I'll keep that in mind when providing direct tips.
So it's in effect is a shared tip. Although your server will only see a portion of that "shared tip", they will also see a portion of other service charges. I'll keep that in mind when providing direct tips.
In reality, everything you purchase at any business establishment has some aspect of that payment going towards paying wages for all the business' employees. The service charge is designed to allow all those that had a hand in providing the service you purchase to benefit from your purchase. While you have every right to reward for good service, in reality those direct tips rarely make it it to all those involved. For instance, in a restaurant you tip the server, but who tips the chef, the prep staff and the dishwasher - the server may not be sharing that tip although the server did not provide the dining experience you enjoyed all by themselves.Originally Posted by NEGRILJAIL
And what of the groundskeepers who makes the place look nice to create the atmosphere, the painters and maintenance crew who keeps the lights on and the water flowing or the people who keep the tablecloths and napkins clean and pressed - all these folks helped to provide the dining experience that you enjoyed. The service charge was implemented as a way to allow all those folks to benefit, and not just the person who had the interaction with their patrons.
Jamaican payroll accounting software include the calculations for the service charge, so once the data is entered for the purchase, the service charge is calculated and at the end of the pay period, everyone shares in the benefit with a very minimal amount of time required to administer the allocation. It is a rather painless procedure...
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My wife is the operations director at a dinner theatre here and they do the pooled tip thing here. Its only fair in my opinion as the support staff setup the servers on the floor to be successful. In Jamaica if someone provides outstanding service I recognize the efforts accordingly. To us it may not seem like a lot but those tips can make the difference for some. I am just glad that I am able to provide the reward for their hard work.
Some people were born in the wrong century....I was born in the wrong country!
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we'll just have to agree to disagree .. i see absolutely no reason ..with good service and a tip of 20% ..to have to shell out 1500 ja on a 5000 ja bill..I do however expect menu prices to reflect ambiance ..gardening .. chef skills ..etc etc etc ..
service charges keep workers wages down .. it (service charge) is a collective and assumes that every aspect (worker) is equally adept and efficient ... see socialism/communism ...a good chef should receive a must larger base salary than a good waiter/ess ..the good waiter/ess more than the janitor ..otherwise where's the incentive ? just sayin'
Itemized or not you are still paying their wages as a paying customer.... So what is there really to hate?
Knowing that people really depend upon the tourism for their income, I try to tip fairly. I don't always spend that much on drinks and meals out, but what I will do before I go home is seek out a favorite server or barmaid at the beach bar I spend time at and slip them $5, 10 or 20 not for service at that time but "Just Because."
It never hurts to be nice to those who are nice to you.
NegrilJail,
The service charge is a statutory 10%, so on a ja$5000 tab, the service charge is ja$500 - if you choose to pay an extra $1000 - that is up to you.
As for the socialism/communism comment, I notice that you are from Canada. Being Canadian, you have universal healthcare provided by all citizens by the government. I am curious, do you refuse to use the Canadian healthcare system since it is essentially socialism/communism? Just asking...
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Rob thank you for the straight up info. I like knowing that everyone gets a share and tipping for good service on top of that makes sense to me.
Don't waste your time with explanations, people only hear what they want to hear.
Don't want to hijack the thread but every country has forms of socialism, including the USA. Education, Fire Departments, Police etc.. Some more than others that's all. Do Americans refuse fire protection because it's essentially a form of socialism? That an abosolutely terrible arguement!
Craig123,
Exactly. Jamaica decided years ago to implement a small policy that the government felt would allow more of its citizens to benefit from the tourism industry. They did it in such a way that all employees benefit and still leaves room for individual effort to be rewarded. The government felt it was a win-win situation.
NegrilJail feels that the policy is unjust because it has socialist/communistic effect. I was just pointing out that even in his country, there are socialism/communism policies at work, and to maybe not judge the Jamaican policies so harshly...
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