Interesting info on Tips for servers/bar tenders

[skyking]

I work at the Orlando Airport and the other day I found an envelope sitting on the table where I was eating my lunch. I looked around and of course my interest hit me. I opened it up and it was pay stub from RCCL to a crew member who was obviousely flying out. The pay check covered two weeks of pay, as it was clearly stated on the pay stub. It also clearly stated he was bar staff:

 

It said

 

Gratuities 15% Total Pay: $1,221.89

 

 

I was shocked when I saw this, also he had a dry cleaning deduction of like $20.00. BUT I admit those servers/bar tenders deserve every penny.

[jakenashleysmom]

Thats really sad. I think $600 a week is close to poverty level, isn't it?:(

[skyking]

Thats really sad. I think $600 a week is close to poverty level, isn't it?:(

 

REALLY?????? Considering they have free room and board, and free food. OHH AND YOUR RUDE!

[Silvery Seas Cruiser]

I'm not sure I understand how his gratuities were figured. I thought there was a gratuity added to each drink service. So if Hubby orders a red wine and I order a mojito some percentage is added to the total cost of that one order for a gratuity.

 

So I figured that the gratuities would be based on how many drinks the bar tender actually served. But the pay stub you found looks as if the bar tender is given 15% of his PAY as a gratuity. Maybe I'm not understanding correctly. But that way, it wouldn't matter how many drinks the bartender served.

 

I also wonder what happens in the case in which the bar tender makes the drink, but a separate server delivers the drink as would be the case in the auditorium for example. How do they divi up those tips?

 

It is amazing how many tips that bartender earned but what was his base pay? I'm sure it wasn't much for as hard as those folks work and the long, long hours they toil on board.

[TEXASMUNK]

probably to a country where the annual income may be less than $1,000. He had weeks pay for $1,200?

 

The tips get pooled for bar staff and divided so no worries that a wine deprived anyone of a specific tip.

[charleysmom]

Thats really sad. I think $600 a week is close to poverty level, isn't it?:(

 

More like $600 a month for poverty level. A little over $1,500 a month is considered the top range of low-income. In the US anyway.

[phoenix1181]

There are some things that shoulldn't be shared and, IMHO, this is one of them. :(

[Spender Nui]

I'm not sure I understand how his gratuities were figured. I thought there was a gratuity added to each drink service. So if Hubby orders a red wine and I order a mojito some percentage is added to the total cost of that one order for a gratuity.

 

So I figured that the gratuities would be based on how many drinks the bar tender actually served. But the pay stub you found looks as if the bar tender is given 15% of his PAY as a gratuity. Maybe I'm not understanding correctly. But that way, it wouldn't matter how many drinks the bartender served.

 

 

 

The 15% is based on the cost of an individual drink.

 

I also wonder what happens in the case in which the bar tender makes the drink, but a separate server delivers the drink as would be the case in the auditorium for example. How do they divi up those tips?

 

Not sure but I think the server gets the tip.

 

 

 

It seems to me the "Gratuities 15% Total Pay: $1,221.89" are a combined salary and gratuity number.

 

Not a lot of $$ by many of us but a small fortune in some of these countries ...... and if we keep going the way we are we'll will be there too ... very soon.

[TEXASMUNK]

Attempting to compare US incomes to other nations.

 

"Poor" in Haiti means not knowing where you next meal is coming from.

"Poor" ranges in the US from hungry to not having expanded cable service and a 7 year old car.

 

How we classify poor depends on who is doing the classification! Remember the "War on Poverty"? If you take all the tax dollars spent on this program, every poor person in the US would be a multi millionaire.

 

So caution using the image you have of someone deprived of HBO versus a family in a mud hut in Haiti waiting for the bread winner to bring home his or her "fortune" for having worked a 3 month or 6 month contract on a cruise ship

[curley23]

REALLY?????? Considering they have free room and board, and free food. OHH AND YOUR RUDE!

 

 

It is not as nice as one would believe. They work 7 days a week, and except for a few port days, depending on the shifts, or station they work, they are working 10-12 hrs or more per day. They sign 6 mo contracts at a time, with 2 months off in between. Would you do that for about say 25K per yr, less what ever their country taxes them on their income? It really is close to poverty level, although most come from very poor countries to start with, where there really is no employment. The free room and board really means nothing. A lot of them have families back home, and their money goes back to support them.

[dirtgirl]

Um, you opened up someone's mail? :(

 

That is a Criminal Code offence up here.

[Spender Nui]

Attempting to compare US incomes to other nations.

 

"Poor" in Haiti means not knowing where you next meal is coming from.

"Poor" ranges in the US from hungry to not having expanded cable service and a 7 year old car.

 

How we classify poor depends on who is doing the classification! Remember the "War on Poverty"? If you take all the tax dollars spent on this program, every poor person in the US would be a multi millionaire.

 

So caution using the image you have of someone deprived of HBO versus a family in a mud hut in Haiti waiting for the bread winner to bring home his or her "fortune" for having worked a 3 month or 6 month contract on a cruise ship

 

 

And your point is ????????

[Alaskabound725]

Hi we'll be on the Rhapsody of the sea 7-25

I'm sorry but I've never been on a cruise. Please tell me, Isn't there a total at the end of the cruise or day telling you what you spent. Shouldn't the tips be added at the end of the day or week 15% of the total?i know we can prepay our gratuities before the trip. (is this worth it, and will the crew get their worth):confused:

susie

 

Would like to get in touch with others on this trip that have a teen. Ours is 15

[curley23]

I'm not sure I understand how his gratuities were figured. I thought there was a gratuity added to each drink service. So if Hubby orders a red wine and I order a mojito some percentage is added to the total cost of that one order for a gratuity.

 

So I figured that the gratuities would be based on how many drinks the bar tender actually served. But the pay stub you found looks as if the bar tender is given 15% of his PAY as a gratuity. Maybe I'm not understanding correctly. But that way, it wouldn't matter how many drinks the bartender served.

 

 

 

The 15% is based on the cost of an individual drink.

 

I also wonder what happens in the case in which the bar tender makes the drink, but a separate server delivers the drink as would be the case in the auditorium for example. How do they divi up those tips?

 

Not sure but I think the server gets the tip.

 

 

 

It seems to me the "Gratuities 15% Total Pay: $1,221.89" are a combined salary and gratuity number.

 

Not a lot of $$ by many of us but a small fortune in some of these countries ...... and if we keep going the way we are we'll will be there too ... very soon.

 

The 15% that gets tacked on to every drink sold is pooled and split by all bar staff employees. If you give someone a tip over the 15%, it will go directly to that server.

[skyking]

Um, you opened up someone's mail? :(

 

That is a Criminal Code offence up here.

 

UMMMM NO it was not mail...GEEEZ people are clueless!

 

It was an unmarked envelope.

[um5xno1]

So I figured that the gratuities would be based on how many drinks the bar tender actually served. But the pay stub you found looks as if the bar tender is given 15% of his PAY as a gratuity. Maybe I'm not understanding correctly. But that way, it wouldn't matter how many drinks the bartender served.

 

I also wonder what happens in the case in which the bar tender makes the drink, but a separate server delivers the drink as would be the case in the auditorium for example. How do they divi up those tips?

 

I was a bartender through college. There is usually a predeteremined tip split. If a server sells a drink they would get a tip, but are required to "tip out" the busser for clearing the dirty table, and the bartender for making the drink. Bartenders with thier own tips, plus server "tip out" are required to "tip out" thier bar backs for bar set up, ice, etc.

 

I would imagine, there is a predetermined pooling of tips, and the shift manager would, according to thier contracts, split the total pooled tips over the scheduled workforce for the night.

 

It can get complicated with cash tips, but in a cashless society like a cruise ship, all the tips that are put on the customer ship card are trackable and easily split according to the ships employee contracts. Cash tips, as always, I assume, can be pocketed and not reported and are just "gravy" for the particular person.

 

Having been in this situation before, I ALWAYS tip cash and give my recipent the choice to claim it or pocket it.

[dirtgirl]

UMMMM NO it was not mail...GEEEZ people are clueless!

 

It was an unmarked envelope.

 

 

No, not clueless. I work with the police. If I found someone's pay stub, I would never post what I saw on Cruise Critic.

[RoofingPrincess]

Hi we'll be on the Rhapsody of the sea 7-25

I'm sorry but I've never been on a cruise. Please tell me, Isn't there a total at the end of the cruise or day telling you what you spent. Shouldn't the tips be added at the end of the day or week 15% of the total?i know we can prepay our gratuities before the trip. (is this worth it, and will the crew get their worth):confused:

susie

Susie,

there are three different types of tips.

One set is for your cabin attendant, waiter, assistant waiter, and head waiter. On Royal Caribbean, you can pay the standard amount (an amount determined by the cruiseline) before you even board the ship *or* you can fill out a form asking to have these added to your onboard account *or* you can tip in cash. If you choose one of the first two methods, on the same day near the end of the cruise when the tipping envelopes are left in your cabin, vouchers for you to put in those envelopes will also be left (and you can add cash to the envelope as well if you feel someone has gone "above and beyond"). If you choose to tip in cash, you may want to take a look at TPKeller's website which calculates the "standard" tipping amount based on your cruiseline, number of days, number of passengers, etc, and then even tells you the number of bills of each denomination you'll need to take:

http://cruisetip.tpkeller.com/

Whenever you order a drink in a bar (even soda), a 15% gratuity is automatically added to the bill; there is also a line for you to add extra tip if you choose.

And if you order room service, it is customary to tip the delivery person in cash.

[skyking]

No, not clueless. I work with the police. If I found someone's pay stub, I would never post what I saw on Cruise Critic.

 

OHHH PLZZZ get over yourself would ya...People discuss cruise line workers tips ALL THE TIME on these boards.

[Dick in Falls Church]

Somehow, if the pay was as low as some feel it to be, I suspect you wouldn't find as many on their 3rd, 5th, etc contract--or those who have been at sea for 15 years.

 

Granted, since pay is based on the dollar, they've taken a pretty good hit lately. However, our waitress on one cruise said if she had stayed home in India, she'd be making about $300 a month working for the government. This would be in her field, and she has a master's degree in Government management (or something like that). So far, she has put her sister through college, bought her mother a new house (no dirt floor, and a roof that doesn't leak). Yes, she'll probably quit when the biological clock strikes, but not now.

 

Do they work hard, and long hours? You betcha. Golly, so do some of our soldiers, for not much more.

[curley23]

I was a bartender through college. There is usually a predeteremined tip split. If a server sells a drink they would get a tip, but are required to "tip out" the busser for clearing the dirty table, and the bartender for making the drink. Bartenders with thier own tips, plus server "tip out" are required to "tip out" thier bar backs for bar set up, ice, etc.

 

I would imagine, there is a predetermined pooling of tips, and the shift manager would, according to thier contracts, split the total pooled tips over the scheduled workforce for the night.

 

It can get complicated with cash tips, but in a cashless society like a cruise ship, all the tips that are put on the customer ship card are trackable and easily split according to the ships employee contracts. Cash tips, as always, I assume, can be pocketed and not reported and are just "gravy" for the particular person.

 

Having been in this situation before, I ALWAYS tip cash and give my recipent the choice to claim it or pocket it.

 

Next time you are on the ship notice that there are no bussers, bar backs,etc. the bartenders get all of their own stuff, even sweep and mop the floor at closing time. Also you will generally not see waitstaff at the bar getting their order from the bartender. All servers, are bartenders. the people waiting on tables, working the theatre, the pools, etc have their own stations behind the the bars. Just watch where they walk to . They make their own drinks, clean their own tables etc. and they will all split the automatic 15% that is added to your bill. If you give them additional cash, they are allowed to keep it, or if you write an extra amount on your bill, that goes directly to that individual, just like giving them the cash. They actually have a pretty good system.

[dirtgirl]

OHHH PLZZZ get over yourself would ya...People discuss cruise line workers tips ALL THE TIME on these boards.

 

 

I'm over myself. You found someone's pay stub, and posted what you saw. If that's ok with you, whatever. How would you feel if someone found you pay stub, and posted what you made, so everyone could comment on it?:rolleyes: The employees all work long, hard hours. I admire what they do, and what they put up with. Have a nice evening.;)

[CorL]

Thats really sad. I think $600 a week is close to poverty level, isn't it?:(

 

 

THAT'S WHAT I LIVE OFF OF!!

[MNfamilycruiser]

I'm over myself. You found someone's pay stub, and posted what you saw. If that's ok with you, whatever. How would you feel if someone found you pay stub, and posted what you made, so everyone could comment on it?:rolleyes: The employees all work long, hard hours. I admire what they do, and what they put up with. Have a nice evening.;)

I guess I don't see a real problem with this.

 

Doesn't the Parade Magazine (comes with our Sunday paper) do that at least once a year - post what people in different careers/jobs make? They frequently put people's names and faces in there (and probably get permission to do that). But obviously people are curious about this subject.

 

He didn't post a name - just a job in a certain company.

 

It's not like people can NOT tip the bartenders right? Or they are going to stop drinking? They might not give the extra cash for exceptional service - but my guess is that information will not affect the behavior of most of us.

 

The OP also posted a similar sentiment to yours:

BUT I admit those servers/bar tenders deserve every penny.

__________________

[David4]

There was a time when I would have been thrilled with $600 a week.