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Time and a Half

Posted by Herb7734 7 years, 5 months ago to Economics
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In days of yore I was in the retail business.I still have many friends and aquaintences in retail. One of the happy things about the Christmas season was that instead of hiring additional workers for the longer hours that I must have stayed open in order to be competative, I extended the hours of my current help, paying them time and a half for working over the 40 hour week. Now, keep in mind that it would have been considerably cheaper for me to hire additional part-time help. Keep in mind that the additional moneyearned by my regular help, paid for their Christmas and was looked forward by them in order to purchase many things without the need to finance them that they have been waiting all year to get. But there has been a radical change in the outlook of employees since I was in business. According to my friends still laboring in the management side of retailing, the help would rather stick to their regular hours than put in the extra work in order to get the extra pay. What? If I proposed this when I was in business the help would likely have gone on strike. I inquired do yo still pay them more for the extra hours? Yes, they sure do. then what is the problem. It turns out that there simply is bot enough payment to entice them to work the extra hours. This, to me explains everything one needs to know about the current labor situation in America. I think that every worker in every industry except in the USA welecomes the opportunity to make the extra money during the holidays.Thi really saddens me.

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  • Posted by Herb7734 7 years, 5 months ago in reply to this comment.
    I knew I could trust you to explain the rule
    And keep me from looking like a fool
    Or just a lowly silly tool
    A quietly morbid lurking ghoul.
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  • Posted by $ Olduglycarl 7 years, 5 months ago in reply to this comment.
    Ah...so you "Don't" 'want to by his ding dongs', (insert the proper accent)...that dialogue came from a movie I saw...I think it was the one where a robot became conscious of itself.

    As for the peninsula heading down to Antarctica...only if it exhibits "south" magnetics and follows our north pole to meet up with the south pole somewhere in the "Indian" Ocean.
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  • Posted by Herb7734 7 years, 5 months ago in reply to this comment.
    Once I turned 80, I gave up looking things up. I let others do the research while I just blurt out my opinion as gospel and give myself the World's Formost Authority(WFA) title..
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  • Posted by Herb7734 7 years, 5 months ago in reply to this comment.
    No matter what the restaurant, my tipping philosophy is 20%, 15%, 10% depending on the quality of service and I must say that here in Florida it is mostly 20% because the service at most places is very good.
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  • Posted by Dobrien 7 years, 5 months ago in reply to this comment.
    "The exception [that] proves the rule" is a saying whose meaning has been interpreted or misinterpreted in various ways. Its true definition, or at least original meaning, is that the presence of an exception applying to a specific case establishes ("proves") that a general rule exists. For example, a sign that says "parking prohibited on Sundays" (the exception) "proves" that parking is allowed on the other six days of the week (the rule). A more explicit phrasing might be "the exception that proves the existence of the rule."
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  • Posted by Herb7734 7 years, 5 months ago in reply to this comment.
    And here I've been trying mightily to remember my Yiddish from childhood while you've been cheating all along.
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  • Posted by Dobrien 7 years, 5 months ago in reply to this comment.
    Or C. The big business government cronyism has made starting and running a small business nearly impossible compared to thirty or forty years ago.

    The curse you speak of is if you make more you will lose more in benefits . Unless the increase is substantial.
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  • Posted by $ gharkness 7 years, 5 months ago in reply to this comment.
    Actually, I don't doubt that you do (and if I did, who cares?) I put EVERY expense that I can on my credit card to get cash back. And yes, I pay it off. That's rule number 1 in my household, and since I am in charge of the money I get to make sure it happens.

    But my point was more generally pointed to the idea that if people are indebted to the tune of (average) $33k, they are not paying it off at the end of the month, no matter what they are saying. No personal insult or assessment intended.
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  • Posted by Herb7734 7 years, 5 months ago in reply to this comment.
    We pay off our credit cards every month. no ongoing debt at rapacious interest rates. For us (BW & I)using a credit card is merely a bookkeeping convienience .
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  • Posted by Herb7734 7 years, 5 months ago in reply to this comment.
    If they cut off the entire Indian peninsula, do you think it might float down to Antartica?Anytime I hear an Indian accent, I immediately hang up. I have had such bad results dealing with them that I no longer can tolerate it.
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  • Posted by Herb7734 7 years, 5 months ago in reply to this comment.
    You've obviously never been served by a really good waiter/waitress.They can make suggestions that can enhance the meal, refill the coffee without you asking, and much more. All with a pleasant smiling demeanor.
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  • Posted by $ Thoritsu 7 years, 5 months ago
    This is what happens when the life of everyone is good enough, and people don't aspire to something more. Particularly if minimum wage is high enough. The result is mass apathy and comfort...until there is a time of need, or another thing "everybody" (entitled) should have.
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  • Posted by $ Olduglycarl 7 years, 5 months ago in reply to this comment.
    When I delivered the "Los Vegas Panorama" and played two shows on the weekends during the late 70's, I only tipped the "Topless" ones...
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  • Posted by $ Snezzy 7 years, 5 months ago in reply to this comment.
    Ah, di freyd fun Google zets! Ikh ton dos mit der hilf fun visn daytsh, ober mit keyn eydishkeyt bay ale.

    Etlekhe fun di bester verter in english zenen fun loyf fun eydish.

    Dervayl, iber di konservative treehouse emetser hot nor gezagt az der donald iz aundzer ershter eydish prezident.

    Hey, be thankful I didn't put in the Yiddish in Hebrew characters that Google Translate gave me. My own knowledge of Yiddish is limited to words like shlemiel and shlemazel. Ikh heb a goyishe kop auf meyn goyishe layb.

    It is amazing how much of a mess Google Translate can make of this stuff!
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  • Posted by term2 7 years, 5 months ago in reply to this comment.
    I live in Las vegas, and you are right- the waitresses ARE terrible. They are used to serving tourists who dont often return to be served by the same waitress. Its all about TIPS here, which I think should be NOT given. I never tip at a buffet regardless of the service. I think their income should be determined by their employer, not me. The employer sets the wage, and the level of service. I dont want to be involved.
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  • Posted by freedomforall 7 years, 5 months ago in reply to this comment.
    The automated call takers are not as frustrating as the human ones that are programmed to follow a script that has nothing to do with the problem ;^)
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  • Posted by term2 7 years, 5 months ago in reply to this comment.
    Isnt that just a programming problem though? People are not so good t correcting errors either. All the robot has to be is BETTER than the human. The free market will figure that out I think.
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  • Posted by $ Olduglycarl 7 years, 5 months ago in reply to this comment.
    Boy...you must have bad waitresses where you live.
    We have a lot of great ones in New England...loads of laughs and fun. I never considered it an intrusion, a great waitress becomes part of the family after a while...They really enjoy the work...maybe that's the key to a successful dinning experience.
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  • Posted by $ gharkness 7 years, 5 months ago in reply to this comment.
    Easily! But if you ask them, they all "pay it off at the end of the month." I don't know who they think they are kidding.....
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  • Posted by $ Olduglycarl 7 years, 5 months ago in reply to this comment.
    Like dodo doo-doo...the auto answering voice, has no clue when you insist on speaking to real live person...and after an hour you end up with someone from India that only speaks Swahili !!!

    Wishing that whole system, including the swahili speaking person from India would just quietly go extinct!
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  • Posted by Herb7734 7 years, 5 months ago in reply to this comment.
    Doo-doo is a word used instead of shit. Dodo is a rather ugly extinct bird that couldn't fly. Hmmm. maybe Dodo is appropriate.
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