Shopping in NYC

Everyone should visit New York once and see the sights but in my view its not worth going there year after year[/quote]

Oh my God I so disagree with that, myself and partner have been 4 times in the last 4 years and brought our son 3 of the times. We love it and would never get sick of it. Its a great city with a great buzz to it and so more to it than just shopping.
 
Juggler - you obviously never went to work in the US as a teenager on a J1! Anyone in a job regarded to be in a 'service' line of work where they could reasonably be expected to receive tips only needs to be paid a reduced minimum wage - which when I worked as a waitress was $1.27 (I just checked online this has gone up to a whole $2.17 an hour now), needless to say I wouldn't have been able to live on my pay cheque which came to $32 a week. Plus you have to declare tips - on which you are taxed. Which often meant my pay cheque was a minus figure - ie: I owed revenue rather than getting any wages. Just something to think about when your begruding paying a tip at the end of service - this is all these people are getting paid.
And as for the 'I'm you best friend thing' its better than trying to get service in Dublin when you have to listen to the whole escapades of the person serving you's night out before they finally begrudgingly take your money for whatever you want to buy. In that light give me fake any day. At least they're 'pretending' to do their jobs!
 
square1 said:
Juggler - you obviously never went to work in the US as a teenager on a J1! Anyone in a job regarded to be in a 'service' line of work where they could reasonably be expected to receive tips only needs to be paid a reduced minimum wage - which when I worked as a waitress was $1.27 (I just checked online this has gone up to a whole $2.17 an hour now), needless to say I wouldn't have been able to live on my pay cheque which came to $32 a week. Plus you have to declare tips - on which you are taxed. Which often meant my pay cheque was a minus figure - ie: I owed revenue rather than getting any wages. Just something to think about when your begruding paying a tip at the end of service - this is all these people are getting paid.
And as for the 'I'm you best friend thing' its better than trying to get service in Dublin when you have to listen to the whole escapades of the person serving you's night out before they finally begrudgingly take your money for whatever you want to buy. In that light give me fake any day. At least they're 'pretending' to do their jobs!
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Agree wholeheartedly - wages in the service industry are notoriously low and these guys depend on tips for their bread and butter. In my experience the best service here is from non-nationals who take their jobs seriously. I am happy to pay for good service anytime.

Foxylady - "Everyone should visit New York once and see the sights but in my view its not worth going there year after year"

A very general statement and perhaps it doesn't suit your particular taste, but many people are very happy to return to Courtown, Galway, Benidorm....., year after year
 
miselemeas said:
"Everyone should visit New York once and see the sights but in my view its not worth going there year after year"

A very general statement and perhaps it doesn't suit your particular taste, but many people are very happy to return to Courtown, Galway, Benidorm....., year after year
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Er, presumably that's why they said "... but in my view..."
 
Well all I can can say is I feel sorry for the newly wealthy Irish on their New York shopping trips begrudging a tip to hotel porters and waiters as if they never went anywhere else in their lives.

If you grew up in the 80s like me, a "trip" to NYC had nothing to do with shopping, more to do with just trying to get a job, get started, get ahead.

No doubt the tip begrudgers just brazen it out and look the other way until the porter leaves the room.
 
I have to agree with Thejuggler with regards tipping. After a week in Manhattan I was resenting it too. The first page of almost every menu details what they consider a decent tip i.e. 18%.
 
thejuggler said:
The whole "I'm you're best friend in the world - have a nice day" thing grates with me.
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I have to say, I actually liked that. False an all as it is, it's a million times better than the surly, disinterested shop staff u can get in Ireland

With regards to the tipping, one restaurant we were in it was printed on the receipt about the suggested tip and they had circled it and written Thank You! I must say it really didn't bother me. A friend who lives there said that the rule of thumb for restaurant tipping us usually twice the tax. So that's what we generally gave.

This was my first trip and I absolutely loved it, could definitely see myself going back again (and again!) - if only to do the things that we didn't get around to doing this time.
 
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