I think “cheap” has several definitions, one of which defines the minority of you guys (thank god) who are somehow OFFENDED that someone might make $x/hr, so to consciously FUCK with that income stream (yet you have no idea the stress of their job and their livelihood isn’t somehow holding you back professionally) you decide that you won’t contribute toward it in any way. No, your malicious ass sitting in the server’s section for an hour enjoying your meal is not somehow “covered” by their meager minimum wage for covering that section.
If you are somehow offended by this system, find some fucking way to change it.
Again, I want to reiterate that what OG stated about the servers’ hourly wages is SKEWED because they serve at a CASINO, where gamblers can be high off a big win and are more likely to tip an obscene amount that they otherwise would not tip when eating at a non-casino place.
Seriously, skills are another reason why some people choose to stick to certain professions. The manual laborer might make far less than a server–keep in mind that we have often compared these two across ALL parts of the country, not Server A and Laborer B in the same Town X, with the same cost of living–but the laborer’s profession might not be considered “entry level” and, with more experience, the laborer may get more lucrative offers. I’m not saying anybody can go out and serve at a nice restaurant (most want 3-5 years of experience), but how much more “skill” do you gain versus the laborer?
Let’s run with the number for the server’s annual salary that I put up earlier: ~$38k (pre-tax)
Renting an apartment in the Bay Area (most well-managed places) generally requires that you make 3x the monthly rent in pre-taxed income. I know because I’ve leased them to people, and 3x is regarded as the industry standard (even though many places might go below this to boost vacancy numbers for the property portfolio).
$38,000/yr x (1yr/12mo) = $3,166/mo
3xrent (qualifcation) = $3,166 / 3 = $1055/mo
I swear to god, that will not get you more than a studio in just about any area where I am. Are you guys REALLY pissed at a server who can barely afford a fucking STUDIO ? Seriously?
That’s the same as a chick shooting down a guy because she thinks he probably gets “enough pussy,” and she wants to bruise his (supposed) ego.
Or intentionally fouling another athlete in a game (and hard) because you’re jealous of their athleticism/fame, and want to put a damper on their career.
Or a cop giving a speeding ticket to a driver in a brand new sports car because the cop wants to “leave a mark” on the ego of the driver, making sure the driver–presumedly well off–doesn’t ever think he/she can “get away” with driving fast, even though he/she might have only been going a few miles over the limit.
I’m not saying the above NEVER happens, but when they do, I’m pretty fucking sure NONE of you would say that recipient “deserved” it.
If the server was bringing in strippers for a house party every Tuesday and porterhouse steaks and lobster for lunch every day to work, maybe you’d have a point in being angry at them for their “income.” Maybe. Again, it’s nobody’s fucking business how someone else lives, and to want to shaft them as a means to flip them off, then YOU are the one with the fucking issue.
Another point for the econ circle jerk that seems to be going on:
You guys understand that the value of a job is NOT solely defined by its hourly rate, right? You understand that CAREER POTENTIAL is another dimension that is NOT determined by the starting hourly rate?
A manual laborer might make $10/hr to start with, but they could end up making $30-40/hr, owning a business and hiring other laborers, or just branching out/off in that same damn field and making progressively more income over the years.
A server might just be a really good server, but what’s the “career potential” of serving? Serving at another restaurant? At a fine dining restaurant? Yes, managing might be an option, but the career potential is severely limited by comparison.
How does each position look on a resume? What’s the VALUE of each position on a resume or in terms of overall reputation to a future employer? Again, neither of these can be determined by simply looking at hourly wage.
I would argue the “value” in the manual labor falls outside of its (starting) hourly rate.
Again, we are not collectively giving out “financial aid” to servers/bartenders and trying to determine what they might “need” to get by on.