“The Pat”, and other ways people avoid tipping.

Once upon a time, the world was a simpler place and people showed respect for each other. When a guest checked into a hotel they were greeted by a bellhop, his smile and cart at their service. And when they arrived at the room, the bags were placed throughout the room with care;  the bellhop confident a tip would be accompanying the customary “thank you”.

  Times have changed. Boy, have they changed.

  Now, when a guest checks into a hotel they may find the bellman isn’t smiling quite as much as he did decades ago. Here’s why.

A growing portion of the traveling population go out of their way to acquire a “wheely thing”, a “trolley”, or a “rolly thing” rather than acquire the services of a hotel employee. When informed of the natural order of things in a full service property some guests will remark , “What, I have to tip you then?”

  Remember, this folks:

 A gratuity is customary, not mandatory. It is a show of appreciation for a service rendered, not a scam by a bellman to take your $5.

  Then there are guests who although they use a bellman, will do almost anything to avoid parting with a few dollars. They will place their hands all over their lower torso, as if searching for a tip, but they never actually mention money.  “The Pat” is designed to make the bellman nervous and send the message that they’ll be walking away empty-handed.

Other methods include male and female partners splitting up and one telling the lucky employee the other has the money, (just a word to the ladies out there; any married bellman knows the wife always has money).

  Some people go to even greater lengths to avoid tipping, but we’ll discuss them another time. For now,  just remember this – bellmen and other service personnel are just like you; working hard every day to squeeze a few measly dollars out of the Man in order to survive in a world that squeezes even harder.

See you in the lobby, kids…

I wonder if she tipped the bellman?