-
The New Rules of Tipping
Tweet Share on Facebook January 7, 2008 Comment (57)We all know that waiters should get somewhere around 20 percent of the final bill. But what about newspaper delivery workers? Or the housekeeping staff at a hotel? Feeling perpetually confused about tipping myself, I turned to Judith Bowman, a protocol consultant and author of Don't Take the Last Donut, to go over the basic rules.
Can you please explain your basic tipping philosophy, including how you know when to tip and how much?
Tipping is not mandatory. Literally translated, to "tip" means "to ensure promptness." [But] tipping is also a way of saying thank you for services rendered.There are no absolutes in terms of whom one should tip. However, generally speaking, service providers should be tipped anywhere from 18 to 22 percent. The 10 to 15 percent tip is archaic. That said, the elderly individual on a fixed income who offers $1 to the maitre d' should be applauded, and the service staff should accept the gesture as graciously as they would a $50 gratuity. Overtipping is never a negative, however, as this serves to help ensure prompt service, particularly if one is a regular customer.
-
A Financial Makeover for Britney Spears
Tweet Share on Facebook January 4, 2008 Comment (44)Court papers have revealed that Britney Spears saves none of her $737,000 monthly income, instead spending it on two mortgages, eating out, entertainment, and other living expenses. While most of us have substantially less cash to throw around, the same basic principles that money experts dole out to us normal folks apply to celebrities, too. Here are some tips for Britney that her fans also might find helpful:
Start saving 10 percent of that monthly income immediately. Manisha Thakor and Sharon Kedar, authors of On My Own Two Feet: A Modern Girl's Guide to Personal Finance, recommend setting up your bank account for automatic deposits so you aren't even tempted to spend the money that should be going into savings.
-
Premovie Ads Frustrate Viewers
Tweet Share on Facebook January 3, 2008 Comment (15)When I went to see Nicolas Cage in National Treasure: Book of Secrets over the weekend, I found myself stuck in a half-hour of previews and a Disney short before the movie even started, not to mention advertisements for local businesses before the previews began. The 9:30 p.m. showing of the movie itself didn't get underway until 10 p.m. Having paid $10.50 for my ticket, I thought it unfair of the theater to subject me to what are essentially advertisements for a full 25 percent of the film's running time. Why should consumers pay to see ads, which are designed only to make us spend more money?
It turns out I'm not the only one irked by the practice. Other bloggers have expressed similar frustrations. And we're likely to find ourselves sitting through even more commercials in 2008. The Cinema Advertising Council reports that advertising in movie theaters is experiencing double-digit growth each year, partly because research suggests it is one of the best ways to reach young and affluent consumers.
The industry's research also suggests that most people aren't bothered by movie theater advertisements. In one study, 63 percent of moviegoers said they did not mind advertising before the movie begins, although that percentage declined with age. By age 50 and over, only half of the survey participants said they did not mind the ads.
Readers, do you mind watching advertisements before movies? Do you think it's fair for theaters to broadcast commercials to paying customers?
-
Credit Card Users Win Cash
Tweet Share on Facebook January 2, 2008 CommentTens of millions of credit card users received letters in the mail over the past couple of months informing them that they may be eligible for a refund of the currency conversion fees paid during overseas transactions. The settlement was the result of a lawsuit alleging that Visa, MasterCard, and Diners Club did not disclose the 1 to 3 percent fees they charged on foreign transactions.
The paperwork, though, can be somewhat confusing. Some recipients even suspected the mailing was fraudulent. To help you figure it out, here are answers to some common questions about the lawsuit.
