Hey Everyone,
Ever since we talked about our opinions of people making money on social media (the pro's and con's, the rights and wrongs, the in's and out's, etc.,) I've been thinking about other careers that are primarily based on people paying tips or commissions. For example, restaurants, hair, nail, and beauty salons, housekeepers, and a myriad of other service-based careers. I have also been thinking a lot about small businesses that are struggling to stay afloat in today's economy.
A neighbor and I were talking about how we would love to support small businesses and the local farmer's market in the summer, but it's hard to justify paying $15 for a travel-sized bottle of lotion, even if it IS handmade.
I was thinking of how many careers in these kinds of fields might be similar in nature to YouTube -- people choose whether or not your service provides value to their lives, then choose whether or not they want to pay the prices, and then after that, determine how much (if anything) they want to tip the person who served them (waiter, hairdresser, person who carried their luggage, cleaned their house, etc.)
For anyone outside of the USA, we have what's called a "tipping culture" -- many jobs that pay workers sub-par wages, then they are expected to make up for it by receiving tips -- leaving them to the grace of what other people are willing to pay. There are often "suggested" beginning percentages, such as 18% of the bill for a waitress, but people are often allowed to tip whatever they choose.
However, some places now charge mandatory tips or add them to bills above a certain amount or parties of a certain number of people or above (for example, a restaurant that automatically adds 18% to the bill for a party of 8 or more.) Some restaurants are also adding fees to those who order takeout and pick up their own food, because they say they have to make up for the tips their wait staff misses out on when people skip dining in. Starbucks and countless other quick-service, pick-it-up-yourself places now have screen prompts wanting you to "add a tip" when you go to pay, trying to normalize tipping in virtually every situation.
I do worry about people who make a living in such fields, because for someone like me, single and trying to save whatever she can, service-oriented businesses are often my lowest priority.
I can count on one hand the number of times I've eat out in 6 months. I've gotten it down to where I only get my hair cut twice a year (and I know some people go much longer than that, but for myself, it's something I feel I need, so I budget it in.) If it's within my realm of ability, I do whatever I can or need by myself so I don't have to pay for anyone else to do it.
What else can we do to survive in these times, when living costs are rising several times faster than wages?
Yet, I do worry about the people who not only depend on service-oriented businesses to support their families. I often wonder what God has for them when He Himself gave them the personalities and skill to handle that level of customer service (which, most of us know, is a lot harder than it sounds.)
I pray about it because if I can't support their businesses, and the next 1,000 people can't either, who is going to make sure that they get paid, because the Bible says, "The worker is worthy of his wages." (1 Timothy 5:18)
Now, I know we shouldn't worry. I know God leads people to other jobs and provisions. But the people I feel saddest for are the ones who seem specially designed by God for such work and really love it (and you can tell,) but the state of the world is driving them out of areas where they can use their best God-given gifts.
In the previous thread about YouTube creators earning money from their content, one of the pro's many seemed to agree with was that we, as consumers, get to decide whether or not their content is worthy, and whether or not, and how much, we are willing to pay for it.
How is this same philosophy going for other areas of business that also depend on customers deciding their worthiness, and how much someone else gets paid?
I'm interested in hearing about people's situations:
* How is business at your place of employment (or that of your spouse, etc.?) Has businesses picked up or gotten slower? Are their worries of layoffs or cutting hours, etc.? If you're working more, is it because of increased business -- or because they fired 10 people and now expect you to replace all of them?
* Do you work in a field where you depend on tips to feed your family? Have you noticed changes in how much people are willing to tip? What happens when too many people tip you too little for too long? (Have you had to look for another job?)
* If you work in an optional, tip-reliant field (meaning, it's not a necessity, but optional for most people,) have you seen a slow down in business, and does it concern you?
* How do you feel about people getting to decide if your business is worth going to, and how much they should pay you? Of course, I realize this goes for every business. But I'm thinking of say, a grocery store, which is a necessity, vs. a beauty salon, which gets cut out when money is too tight. And I'm certainly not saying we should tip for bad service. Rather, I'm thinking about the gifted, passionate people who love service-oriented jobs -- but can't make a decent living doing so.
I realize these principles apply to ALL businesses in some way. But in the YouTube thread, people seemed to appreciate that they could decide if something was worth the money, and how much they would pay, if anything.
So what happens with the shoe is on the other foot?
What do people have to say when they are on the other side of the coin -- and when others are now deciding whether their work is worth it, and how much they should get paid for it?
Ever since we talked about our opinions of people making money on social media (the pro's and con's, the rights and wrongs, the in's and out's, etc.,) I've been thinking about other careers that are primarily based on people paying tips or commissions. For example, restaurants, hair, nail, and beauty salons, housekeepers, and a myriad of other service-based careers. I have also been thinking a lot about small businesses that are struggling to stay afloat in today's economy.
A neighbor and I were talking about how we would love to support small businesses and the local farmer's market in the summer, but it's hard to justify paying $15 for a travel-sized bottle of lotion, even if it IS handmade.
I was thinking of how many careers in these kinds of fields might be similar in nature to YouTube -- people choose whether or not your service provides value to their lives, then choose whether or not they want to pay the prices, and then after that, determine how much (if anything) they want to tip the person who served them (waiter, hairdresser, person who carried their luggage, cleaned their house, etc.)
For anyone outside of the USA, we have what's called a "tipping culture" -- many jobs that pay workers sub-par wages, then they are expected to make up for it by receiving tips -- leaving them to the grace of what other people are willing to pay. There are often "suggested" beginning percentages, such as 18% of the bill for a waitress, but people are often allowed to tip whatever they choose.
However, some places now charge mandatory tips or add them to bills above a certain amount or parties of a certain number of people or above (for example, a restaurant that automatically adds 18% to the bill for a party of 8 or more.) Some restaurants are also adding fees to those who order takeout and pick up their own food, because they say they have to make up for the tips their wait staff misses out on when people skip dining in. Starbucks and countless other quick-service, pick-it-up-yourself places now have screen prompts wanting you to "add a tip" when you go to pay, trying to normalize tipping in virtually every situation.
I do worry about people who make a living in such fields, because for someone like me, single and trying to save whatever she can, service-oriented businesses are often my lowest priority.
I can count on one hand the number of times I've eat out in 6 months. I've gotten it down to where I only get my hair cut twice a year (and I know some people go much longer than that, but for myself, it's something I feel I need, so I budget it in.) If it's within my realm of ability, I do whatever I can or need by myself so I don't have to pay for anyone else to do it.
What else can we do to survive in these times, when living costs are rising several times faster than wages?
Yet, I do worry about the people who not only depend on service-oriented businesses to support their families. I often wonder what God has for them when He Himself gave them the personalities and skill to handle that level of customer service (which, most of us know, is a lot harder than it sounds.)
I pray about it because if I can't support their businesses, and the next 1,000 people can't either, who is going to make sure that they get paid, because the Bible says, "The worker is worthy of his wages." (1 Timothy 5:18)
Now, I know we shouldn't worry. I know God leads people to other jobs and provisions. But the people I feel saddest for are the ones who seem specially designed by God for such work and really love it (and you can tell,) but the state of the world is driving them out of areas where they can use their best God-given gifts.
In the previous thread about YouTube creators earning money from their content, one of the pro's many seemed to agree with was that we, as consumers, get to decide whether or not their content is worthy, and whether or not, and how much, we are willing to pay for it.
How is this same philosophy going for other areas of business that also depend on customers deciding their worthiness, and how much someone else gets paid?
I'm interested in hearing about people's situations:
* How is business at your place of employment (or that of your spouse, etc.?) Has businesses picked up or gotten slower? Are their worries of layoffs or cutting hours, etc.? If you're working more, is it because of increased business -- or because they fired 10 people and now expect you to replace all of them?
* Do you work in a field where you depend on tips to feed your family? Have you noticed changes in how much people are willing to tip? What happens when too many people tip you too little for too long? (Have you had to look for another job?)
* If you work in an optional, tip-reliant field (meaning, it's not a necessity, but optional for most people,) have you seen a slow down in business, and does it concern you?
* How do you feel about people getting to decide if your business is worth going to, and how much they should pay you? Of course, I realize this goes for every business. But I'm thinking of say, a grocery store, which is a necessity, vs. a beauty salon, which gets cut out when money is too tight. And I'm certainly not saying we should tip for bad service. Rather, I'm thinking about the gifted, passionate people who love service-oriented jobs -- but can't make a decent living doing so.
I realize these principles apply to ALL businesses in some way. But in the YouTube thread, people seemed to appreciate that they could decide if something was worth the money, and how much they would pay, if anything.
So what happens with the shoe is on the other foot?
What do people have to say when they are on the other side of the coin -- and when others are now deciding whether their work is worth it, and how much they should get paid for it?
