Tips

I've known people to be able to live off the tips they receive. When I was in college I had a friend who was a Bottle Service Girl at a few clubs in San Francisco. Aside from the hilarious stories she would tell me about cheap and horny athletes/rappers, she also told me that she could pay her rent with just her tips alone. I wish I could've said the same but unfortunately people don't tip on 10 cent copies and the 30 seconds it takes to check them in.

Though it wasn't common I would still manage to get tips. I got way more tips than my coworkers and I never really knew why but they all came with a story.

Mr. Bronze

This guy was "one of those guys" who would get a room for a few hours, bang it out, and leave. He knew that we knew what he was doing so he tipped us. It almost seemed like it was hush money. Either way, he paid in all cash and all of the change was always our tip. He knew that he was going to tip us so he would overpay. If the room total was $149 he would pay $165 and tell us to keep the change. Due to the fact that I worked on the prime "banging days," I would see him alot. I always appreciated it because even after I'd buy dinner, I'd come home with more money than I went in with.

So Much Money

When I worked at the office supply store I once had a customer who needed me to type up a letter for him. He was one of those guys who had so much money that he didn't know what to do with it. He paid people to do menial tasks for him that he could easily do himself but just chose not to. It took me a total of five minutes to type his words on paper. He only needed one copy and he know I had to charge him a 'graphic design charge,' which is when the employee has to do anything with the document aside from copy it. His total probably near three dollars but before he left he told me he "left a little something" for me under the keyboard. After I finished ringing him up I went back over to the computer to see the $2 tip he probably left me. I was wrong. He added a zero to that number. He tipped me $20 on a $3 job. I was thinking that maybe he would realize his mistake and come back for it before the store closed. He never came back. That tip was the right amount and it actually was for me. I was surprised but I also felt bad at the same time. Did he really not know how to type up a short letter? Or was he just that much of a fat cat where he refused to do such a task like type up a letter? Either way, thanks for the $20 Bro!

Canadians, Ay!

There was a guy staying at the hotel and he had a couple of rooms. He was the coach of a high school aged Canadian basketball team. The boys had never been out of Canada before. It was their first time in America and the coach wanted to show them a good time. He asked me for suggestions about things to do other than just go sight seeing in San Francisco. Now there are three things that I love: Basketball, White Boys and Canada. I was happy to help. He took the boys out to dinner and I went to work. I printed out directions, a list of things to do and brochures to Great America, Dave & Buster's, the Pinball Museum and the schedule for local sporting events. I put it all together in an envelope and slipped it under the coach's door. They came back and I received a phone call from the coach thanking me soon after. I appreciated the fact that he appreciated my help and couldn't ask for anything more.

He then came downstairs and gave me an envelope. It contained $50 and $20 in Canadian money. I could not have been more pleased (unless they were passes to the set of Degrassi). He told me how much he really did appreciate me doing that and how good of a person I was...which is a great offset to "God, you're such a bitch."

That's Why They're My Favorites

My biggest tip came from my favorite guests, The Williams. It was December and after they checked in they went to get something to eat. They did this every month. This one time was different than any other because after they came back from eating, they approached me at the front desk.

Mrs. Williams: Give me your hand
Working Girl: Okay.
Mrs. Williams: Merry Christmas

I looked down in my hand to see that she slipped me $100. I told her I couldn't accept that and she refused to take it back. She repeated "Merry Christmas" over and over and went upstairs. They aren't my favorites because they gave me $100... but it does help.

Scary Cab Driver Man

I call cabs all day for guests. One day I called a cab for a few guests needing to go to San Francisco. It was a $75 cab fair and I just picked one of the thousands of cab drivers we have. It seems like that night I picked the right one because he came back in and tipped me for calling him. The reason why he was so scary was because he snuck in, made not a peep and just stood over me until I looked up. I then look up to see a man with a long beard and turban just staring down at me with no emotion on his face. After he handed me money and actually said something, my heart rate finally went down to normal level.

Starbucks

A lot of people are uncomfortable just giving people money so they tip in Starbucks gift cards. I was given a Starbucks gift card for making copies and calling cabs. The most memorable Starbucks tip was for just being me.

Similar to the Williams, I had another couple who came in for the antique show. It again was December and I checked in the Denkokos. They were also some of my favorite guests but were always kind of awkward. They never knew how to continue a conversation. Most of our conversations consisted of "Hello, how are you?" and then a awkward silence for 25 seconds or so. This one time they filled the awkward silence with a "Merry Christmas" and an envelope. The envelope contained a $25 Starbucks gift card. I was overwhelmed and surprised. It was the same night I dealt with the 15 blankets asshole and I was just feeling shitty in general. Their generosity made me tear up a little bit because it really turned my night around.