Dear Collectors, Give Your Mailman A Christmas Gift!

I've just started working at Pizza Express - we're all about being sociable and friendly to the customer and creating that relaxed / no rush atmosphere. It's a nice environment.

My favourite pub is called "Sporko" - it is situated in an old house with many rooms, with 1 to 2 heavy wooden tables with benches in every room giving you plenty of space to feel separated. Every room has a TV which is connected to a dvd on which the owner plays metal concerts or clips (anything from Purple, Rainbow, to Slayer, but the guy have taste for German and Finnish power metal, so the chance of seeing Rage, Helloween, or Nightwish is always bigger than anyting else).

It is hard to get a table without reservation, but once you sit (given you are not some pub-parasite ordering coffe and cola and smoking 20 cigs for the night without consuming anything else), you can stay as long as you want, drink until you drop under the table, sing along, chat with your buddies, or anything. Very cool place where I always fell happy leaving big tips!

Sounds awesome!! That's where I want to be!!

scottmitchell74 wrote:

Stormspell......I would LOVE that leisurely European pub style service and there's only one place in my town that has that at some level. It's modeled roughly after that pub type set up and the spacing and lighting and decor gives that feel. I agree with you...the rush-rush pace here is annoying!

And that's because the waiters want you OUT! Haha. The quicker you leave, the faster someone else sits down and tips you. =) Unfortunately most of my overseas retaurant experiences were near Air Force bases were stupid Americans made tipping a custom. And also because Americans suck, when you'd go somewhere away from Air Force bases, people treated you rudely. Haha.

The only time I ever ate well overseas was when I was teaching a Korean family English and they would take me to dinner, or at the hotel I lived in for 6 months in Italy; the restaurant downstairs was fantastic, and since the owner was making a ton of money from our government (there were 15 of us there in a 20-room hotel), he treated us like royalty. Haha.

scottmitchell74 wrote:

Sounds awesome!! That's where I want to be!!

There's a place right outside of Aviano, Italy (forget the name of the town) called Abraxas that's very similar. They don't have TVs, but they do play metal music the whole time. And they've got a glass encasement that has a huge python in it and a giant sword!

I loved that place.

I get mostly junk mail (coupons for places I don't eat at and a plethora of credit card offers) so I have no reason to tip my mailman.

this thread should be moved to Unsound.

I'm not too fussed on :kickbutt: Australia Post :kickbutt: right now either!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Eyesore wrote:

And that's because the waiters want you OUT! Haha. The quicker you leave, the faster someone else sits down and tips you. =)

Absolutely! They see you like some walking wallet and doesnt think of anything else, but how to get your money and send you out asap!

That's why I like Eastern Europe - it may be poor place with not so good living standard, but you can go to a pub and be treated like normal person.

Like for instance in Sofia city where I used to live before coming here, we had a pub in the neighbourhood which was like a complex of a lot of small summer-houses. Each of those has one table for 10-12 people inside, TV with cable TV, DVD, and a mini audio system so you can bring your own CDs/DVDs and play them. And there is a call button on the table, so if you need the waitress, you press it and she comes. A great place to go with your firends and spend friday evening.

Once you got used to such places its very hard to go to the Applebee's feeding conveyer and feel comfortable

I dont know if you will get treated bad ifyou make it known you are an American. If you go to the Black sea or mountian ski resorts you may get cheated by some adventuorous waiters, or be handed the "special" menu (at Sea resorts some restaurants have regular menues in Bulgarian leva prices for domestic clients, and another one, translated in German or English, and in Euro prices, which are about twice expensier and designedto be given to rich tourists . But in Sofia city there are no such practices so you should be okay. In fact if you go to any night club and make it known you are an American you would be like some huge chick magnet - everyone in Bulgaria thinks USA is the land of dreams, and all chicks dream of marrying a rich American... keep a hand on your wallet pocket at all times though, as some chicks may settle for a lot less

I live in China at the moment, and MAN what a service! Because there are so many people who need work, you get so much service, it becomes downright ANNOYING! haha. I was out to dinner with the family some months back, and there were so many waiters, it was unbelievable. No exaggeration, there were about 4-6 people taking your order at every table (and with their half-ass English, it get's REALLY frustrating!). After we ordered, one of them even stayed at our table the whole time, scooping up our food for us. We INSISTED she didn't have to, but she nearly got offended. Also, when we first came to china, we didn't know that in the stores that were meant for "rich" foreigners ("Jenny Lou's, etc.), if you have more than say, 2 bags, they deliver it straight to your house. We lived right across the streat, and THREE MEN came to carry my 6 filled bags (it was a Friday, what can I say? ) over to where I lived. We had just come to China, so I did not know if it was normal. I tried to tip them, but they got offended. hehe.

5-6 years ago, i was so crazy to buy CDs from abroad. i have ordered over 100 CDs every month. at that time, every day postman come to my home. sometimes he was so angry because the package is so heavy. he also asked my mother what your son's job is. and sometimes he found me in the town, and told me to take your mail right now. since international mail is unusual in my town and he was not careful, he put every internation mail into my home without reading the address carefully. so at that time, i used to receive the magazine "National Geografic" every month without paying. i want to say sorry to the original receiver in my town.

pricekillers001 wrote:

i used to receive the magazine "National Geografic" every month without paying. i want to say sorry to the original receiver in my town.

Haha, that's a cool story!

National Geographic are bloody pesters though! My mom adores them, so when they sent her a "discount coupon" to subscribe a friend for 3 issues, she used it to subscribe me without asking me first. So I got the "free" 3 copes (for which she had paid btw) and then just started recycling their montly invitations to subscribe... this was 3 YEARS ago and I still receive their invitations! Its unbelievable! I send several back to them politely telling I'm not interested, so they can save the paper, but to no avail...

Nowadays I just laugh bitterly every time I get their next letter. I find it so ironic that a magazine, which pretends to be the flag of environmental consciousness and nature preservation, would WASTE a whole FOREST by sending me TONS of useless paper in hope to get my buck...

Mglaffas81 wrote:

I live in China at the moment, and MAN what a service! Because there are so many people who need work, you get so much service, it becomes downright ANNOYING! haha. I was out to dinner with the family some months back, and there were so many waiters, it was unbelievable. No exaggeration, there were about 4-6 people taking your order at every table (and with their half-ass English, it get's REALLY frustrating!).

I went to a Chinese restaurant last night and didn't receive anywhere near this level of service. Buncha slackers.

However, their English was just as half-ass as the people you encountered in China (although did you really EXPECT to find Chinese people who could speak fluent English, in CHINA?).

I only tip if it's earned, but most people in the waitstaff give great
service, so it's usually not an issue. I used to work at a pizza joint,
so I always tip good. I know what that extra couple of bucks means to
them.

Tall Tyrion wrote:

I used to work at a pizza joint,
so I always tip good. I know what that extra couple of bucks means to
them.

I used to work for Pizza Hut for a few years as a youth and it really pissed me off that the delivery guys got paid what I was paid as a cook, plus mileage, plus tips. Because of this, I rarely tip a pizza delivery guy. Bastards.

many of the pizza delivery places around here have a built in tip of 1.50-2.00 which is fine but one place failed to mention it so I give way to large of a tip for awhile as the place is down the street and around the corner.

My fave pizza place is right around the block, so I always call in the order and then go pick it up. Hence, no need to tip anybody.

I'll give my mailman a reach around for his superior work this year. That should be payment enough.



...and I'll just wait for this post to be edited.....

tipping in the uk is not an expected thng like in the us. i never do it excpet in restaurants that are really good

You know Gooch, you are meant to tip proper restaurants in the UK. Not fast food places like McD's or whatever, but actual restaurants like Pizza Express for instance expect tipping. Then again, I never know how much to tip, so it's usually not a huge amount - thought that counts, maybe?

I never tipped the mailman when I lived in my apartment, but in our new home the mailman lives across the street, so my wife feels obligated to give him a tip at Christmas. If it was up to me, I'd still say "Bah, humbug!"

Tipping at restaurants is just common courtesy, especially since I don't want my chicken parm to be tea-bagged by the busboy.

MetalGuy71 wrote:

I never tipped the mailman when I lived in my apartment, but in our new home the mailman lives across the street, so my wife feels obligated to give him a tip at Christmas. If it was up to me, I'd still say "Bah, humbug!"

Tipping at restaurants is just common courtesy, especially since I don't want my chicken parm to be tea-bagged by the busboy.

Thanks alot, now I have to erase a picture in my mind of a waiter doing that! Have you ever seen the movie Waiting? The stuff they do to the food in that movie is just awful .

MetalGuy71 wrote:

I never tipped the mailman when I lived in my apartment, but in our new home the mailman lives across the street, so my wife feels obligated to give him a tip at Christmas. If it was up to me, I'd still say "Bah, humbug!"

Tipping at restaurants is just common courtesy, especially since I don't want my chicken parm to be tea-bagged by the busboy.

That is why you hold all complaints until the food you want is in front of you and be as nice as possible until then.