Marketplace Discussion:

[Roy Hersh]

Prices are still relatively low, so are you a Port buyer or just drinker in 2010?

[Glenn E.]

Buy! Buy! Buy!



And then buy another refrigerator!

[Marc J.]

Buyer! Recently I've seen some GREAT deals and with prices being where they are I believe that this is the time to stock up.

Marc

[Michael Whitehead]

buying as i sink deeper into insanity.

i swore i would not buy any later vintages than 1997. i'm simply too old and by the time the 00's and 03's come around, if i am still alive, i am sure i will have doctors order to NOT consume alcohol.

[Roy Hersh]

Michael,

You are still so young, at least your body is.

[Glenn E.]

You are still so young, at least your body is.

You may only be young once, but you can be immature forever!

[Roy Hersh]

Back on track, it is nice to see a mild downtick in the Euro the last two weeks. I hope this weakening keeps up for awhile ... like a year or two.

[Roy Hersh]

Has anyone here ever "tipped" their FedEx or UPS driver during the holidays as a thank you for all that they haul to your doorstep during the year?

[Eric Menchen]

Has anyone here ever "tipped" their FedEx or UPS driver during the holidays as a thank you for all that they haul to your doorstep during the year?

No, but I have thought about it. The other factor is lately it doesn't seem to be the same driver, and there is the UPS driver, the FedEx driver, the FedEx Ground driver. I wonder if he or she likes Port.

[Glenn E.]

Has anyone here ever "tipped" their FedEx or UPS driver during the holidays as a thank you for all that they haul to your doorstep during the year?

No, but I have thought about it. The other factor is lately it doesn't seem to be the same driver, and there is the UPS driver, the FedEx driver, the FedEx Ground driver. I wonder if he or she likes Port.

Same here. I have at least 6-8 different drivers that show up with various packages.

I'm a bit of a tipping scrooge anyway. The American custom of tipping is just another excuse for the companies to underpay their employees and push part of their cost of doing business onto the consumer without having to increase their prices. It is so bad in the restaurant industry that Americans are confused when they go to Europe where tipping is what it should be - a small bonus for exceptional service.

[Reidar Andersen]

I love this debate... Americans and their superhorrible tipping, and they bring it around the world and destroy other places too ..

Here in Europe, not happy with your work ? Quit and see if someone will pay more or go on strike.. Last is best.. It works always here..

When you buy a hotel room I expect that cleaning is included... Not, give me a bucket, bedsheets and a hefty discount ( min 50 % )

I am in the US 5 times a year. I tip only if something extra-ordinary has happened, or it is included in the bill. Fair then..Have you accpeted $ 6 an hour, it is your choice..

Do you get another bottle of port/madeira if you tip the FexEx/UPS guy ?????

Maybe then , I give in...

[Eric Menchen]

I am in the US 5 times a year. I tip only if something extra-ordinary has happened, or it is included in the bill. Fair then..Have you accpeted $ 6 an hour, it is your choice..

Herein is a part of the problem. In the US, the federal minimum wage for tipped employees is lower than that of non-tipped employees.

Do you get another bottle of port/madeira if you tip the FexEx/UPS guy ????? Maybe then , I give in...

I wish

[Reidar Andersen]

Good point Eric, but whatever salary , tip or not, it is not my, the customer*s headache . I bought a service, piece of food or a hotelroom .

I have experienced that restaurant waiters have given me, due to my accent, a discreet card telling me what I should tip .. He( always a "he" ) come back to pick up the payment. A big "0" as tip on the tab and a torn suggestion card. Extreme rudness.

I am not bad as I looked earlier, but I give usually 10 % . If I am happy in a no tipping country (f ex Asia ) I give more. than 10 %.. These people are poor and don't expect anything. And I see a happiness and glow in their eyes... Then I feel I undertipped..

[Glenn E.]

In the US, the federal minimum wage for tipped employees is lower than that of non-tipped employees.

That's a huge part of the problem. We need to get that fixed ASAP because it's just a subsidy for the restaurant industry.

[Marc J.]

Can't say that I've tipped my FedEx driver, but after bringing numerous wine packages over the years he asked "what's up with the wine?" so a friend of mine poured him some 10 year old tawny. He was hooked!!! He had no idea that wine could have those types of flavors and he wanted to know where he could pick some up...

Marc

[Peter W. Meek]

Has anyone here ever "tipped" their FedEx or UPS driver during the holidays as a thank you for all that they haul to your doorstep during the year?

My UPS guy arrives here almost daily (at a residential address, and with a 1/3 mile driveway), so yes, I tipped him well.

[Peter W. Meek]

In restaurants, I tend to overtip. I think that even at a "greasy spoon", $5 for the table is not too much for personal service. If the service is indifferent or poor, I may reduce the tip to an exact percentage, to the penny, to indicate that I am not giving generously, but under protest. I also distinguish between the wait-staff performance, and the things that are out of their control, like kitchen or policy problems; in those cases, I vote with my wallet - I dine elsewhere. As others have noted, food service employees are hugely underpaid in the US.

I also tip in cash, even if I put the meal on plastic. Most restaurants hold credit-card tips until the end of the pay period. The IRS taxes their tips, and assumes that they have been tipped a certain percentage on every tab, or taxes what they actually get, whichever is more. My generous tipping helps make up for those who tip less than the IRS assumes, and cash keeps my excessive tips "off the book".

I have worked tables in the past, as waiter and as busboy; I know what the usual run of customers is like. Anyone who can remain pleasant under that barrage gets my support. I also set a very high value on personal service.

In my favorite restaurant, I grossly overtip. At New Years, I give $20 to everyone on the staff (~50), along with a home-made card which mentions a bit about my experiences in the restaurant during the past year, and thanks them for their part in making it possible. While they may not wait on me directly, their generally good performance creates the working environment that permits those who do wait on me regularly to do a good job and maintain a pleasant demeanor. (I eat dinner at this restaurant at least twice a week. That makes $20 equal to 20 cents a visit; not a huge amount for helping to make the restaurant a pleasant place to eat.)

When abroad, I try to stay within or near the local norms, but I have to say, it hurts me to do so.

[Roy Hersh]

If the retail shopping spree in the USA continues to pick up steam for the next week or so, we could see further strengthening of the USD vs. the Euro. It was $1.52 around Thanksgiving and is now under $1.44 at the moment. Doesn't sound like much but it is at the lowest spot since the end of the 3rd quarter

[Luc Gauthier]

I'm glad you specified " relatively " Roy .
At the moment 1 Euro = 1.51 cdn .
I think I'll just keep bashing the SAQ and visit Moses once in a while .

[Moses Botbol]

Can't "stop" buying, I wish I could. Throw a deal at meal with a little peer pressue and I crumble.