Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Tips(y).

Salah satu alasan kenapa saya malas mengunjungi salon disini adalah urusan tip.
tipping.

Bukan karena saya pelit.
Bukan karena saya males.
Bukan karena saya enggan.
Bukan juga karena saya gak punya uang.

Saya malas karena saya tidak mengerti apa alasan memberi tips di Indonesia.

Pertama, yang namanya tip itu diberikan secara sukarela oleh customer atas penghargaan akan rasa puas terhadap service yang sudah diberikan. Tapi disini tip itu menjadi sebuah KEHARUSAN yang kalau tidak dilakukan akan membuat kita merasa gimana-gimana.

Kedua, tidak ada aturan baku mengenai seberapa banyak kita harus memberikan tip disini. Misalnya saja, jika aturan tip adalah 15% dari biaya service, seandainya saya potong rambut di salon dan membayar Rp 400.000,- untuk potongan rambut tersebut, apakah saya harus memberikan tip dengan jumlah Rp 60.000,-? WOW! Lalu di saat yang sama biasanya saya harus membayar tip untuk pencuci rambut dan pengeblow rambut juga. Untuk ke salon saja saya harus merogoh kocek minimal Rp 100.000,- hanya untuk tip? Buat saya, jujur itu buang-buang uang saja. Bukan pelit, tapi itu realita yang tidak realistis.

Okay, saya ingin mendapatkan service yang baik dan kalau bisa hubungan antara hairdresser dan pelanggan yang baik tanpa harus merogoh kocek untuk tip sebesar itu disini, tapi rasanya kok susah?

Di SG saya biasa potong rambut dengan harga $50 sudah termasuk cuci rambut, blow variasi, dan juga tidak perlu memberi tip karena saya sudah kenal baik dengan hairdressernya (awal kali kesana juga tidak perlu memberi tip). Karena kadang pemberian tip di SG sana bisa jadi sebuah insult karena memang jarang ada pemberian tip di salon.
Saya bukan seseorang yang pelit tip jika memang servis memuaskan, tapi dimana dulu konteksnya. Jika saya pergi ke sebuah restoran dan pelayannya sangat memuaskan, saya tidak segan memberikan sisa kembalian atau tip yang sesuai untuk si pelayan. Karena memang kadang total bill yang ada belum termasuk service tax, atau juga kadang memang servisnya benar-benar memuaskan dan bikin saya betah lama-lama disana.
FYI, excellent service is so rarely found here!

Berikut contekan tips untuk tipping (taken from here):

Food ServiceBarista
No tip required, though many suggest throwing coins into the tip jar.
Bartender
$1/drink (or 15% of total bill). Pre-tip for better service.
Delivery person (including pizza)
10%, $2 minimum 
Maitre d’
$5-$25 for special efforts
Takeout
No tip required unless something special is done
Waiter
15% for adequate service, 20% for exceptional service. For poor service, leave 10% or less. It’s okay to leave nothing for exceptionally poor service, but only if you’re sure it’s the waiter’s fault.
Hotel Staff
Bellman/Porter
$1 to $2 per bag, $5 minimum. (Or, just as many places say $1 bag, $2 minimum.)
Concierge
$5-$20 depending on the service. $20 if he does something exceptional. Nothing for directions.
Housekeeper
$2 to $5 per night, paid daily or as a lump sum at checkout. (Most sites suggest you tip daily.)
Parking Valet
A wide range of opinions. Everyone agrees that you should pay when your car is retrieved. Some say to pay when it’s parked, too. Most sites say to tip $2, though some suggest $5.
Room service
$5 minimum (unless gratuity is included in check)
Travel
Bus driver (not mass transit)
$1 to $2, if she handles luggage
Cab driver
10%, $2-$5 minimum
Chauffeur
10-15%
Gas station attendant
Nothing. Or $2-$4. There’s no agreement. (I’ve never seen anyone tip a gas station attendant ever.)
Porter/skycap
$1 per bag. $2 for heavy items, or if porter brings luggage to counter.
Personal service
Barber/Hairstylist
Again, little agreement: 10-15%, 15-20%, etc. One person recommends $5 to each individual who shampoos or blow-dries your hair!
Manicurist
15%
Spa service
15-20%
Masseuse
10-15%
Shoe-shiner
$2 or $3
Other
Building superintendent
Varies —read more.
Coat checker
Most sites recommend $1 per coat, though one said $2 to $5 upon retrieval.
Furniture deliverer
It depends. Most of the time $5-$20. Some recommend simply offering cold drinks. 
Grocery store bagger
One site recommended $1-$3, though I’ve never seen one tipped in my life.
Mover
$10-$25 per person 
What about tipping at holidays? Tipping service people with whom you have regular contact can build goodwill. I found these recommendations:
Holiday Tips
  • Babysitter: one week’s pay
  • Doorman: bottle of wine or box of chocolates
  • Garbage collector: $15 to $25
  • Gardener: one week’s pay
  • Housekeeper: one week’s pay
  • Janitor: $15 to $25
  • Mail carrier: $15 to $20 (up to $20 non-cash)
  • Nanny: one week’s pay
  • Newspaper delivery person: $15 to $25
  • Parking attendant: $15 to $25
  • Personal trainer: $20 to $50 (tip discreetly)
Some points regarding tipping etiquette:
  • If you use a coupon or gift certificate, calculate your tip based on the total before discount.
  • Tip above the norm if:
    • Service is exceptional,
    • You’ve been a burden, or
    • You are a regular client.
  • Don’t tip if it’s not deserved. Poor service should not be rewarded.
  • In some circumstances, if you offer an initial tip — especially a large initial tip — you’ll get better service.
  • If you take up a restaurant table for a long time, tip extra.
  • Tip discreetly.
  • When in doubt, tip.
Dan kalau kata Kompas, lain lagi ceritanya.
Jadi yang mana yang benar?
Benarkah karena pengaruh budaya luar kita jadi kebiasaan memberikan tip?
Atau perlukah tip itu untuk menghargai servis baik yang telah kita terima?

Kalau saya sih jujur pinginnya ada aturan baku dan tertulis bahwa tipping itu hanya dilakukan secara sukarela, bukan "kebiasaan" atau "keharusan".
Tidak ada acara bete kalau tidak diberikan tip lalu di kunjungan berikutnya servis seenaknya.

Saya benar-benar malas jika harus ke salon, mengendap-endap atau sembunyi tangan memberikan uang ke tukang cuci rambut, si pemotong rambut, dan tukang blow. *phew*

Thursday, January 5, 2012

supermarket frenzy.

For some people who know me quite long enough must have known that I LOVE SUPERMARKET!
I ADORE SUPERMARKET!
For some unknown reasons I just love visiting supermarket, any kind of it.
Maybe because there are a LOT of things on rack.
Or maybe because there are colorful items everywhere.
Or maybe just the overwhelming feeling surrounded by different goods.
I don't know, I love hang around in supermarket, whether it's just to spend time me waiting for something/someone, or to look around for some new items.

I used to love watching one tv show where several contestants were challenged to shop in a supermarket within several minutes and given budget.
I LOVE THAT SHOW SO MUCH that I used to wish that one day I would join that show.

Now to put that aside, it's not really what I want to talk about today.
Few days ago I went to supermarket quite in a rush in the evening because I forgot to buy Caesar's minced meat (he only wants to eat his dry dog food with a mixture of wet boiled minced meat), since it was almost closing time, you can see that all lines were packed.
And I always wonder why would a supermarket, big ones, build so many cashier tables yet they never open all if them especially in a crowded time.
It's just simply stupid.
When I was in Singapore, every cashiers were lined up with many people yet they managed to do things quickly, thus there was no necessarily super long queue, which I think it's not efficient.
So since I needed that item badly, I forced myself to patiently queue.
(No, fyi I don't like queuing for stupid reason like that).


Most of the time I experience, encounter, see, here in Indonesia, people don't like to queue, they FIND 1001 ways to either cut the queue, force the queue, or force themselves to slide in people's line.
Whatever it is, most of Indonesian people are not patient YET they have no manner.
So while I was queuing, the family whom standing in front of me consist of a husband, a wife, and two daughters.
What happened was, the mother was queuing and the other family members went around the supermarket to get things, so when all the members were gathered together, their basket were already full of things --which I thought the opposite therefore I queued there in the first place.
Nevermind, that thing doesn't bother me too much.
Then came another family pack with a trolley queuing behind me.

That.....when the problem came.
The problem that I seldom be able to hold back myself not to speak sarcastically.

This fat lady, were standing behind me, a bit to my right back, what happened was, she pushed her trolley TOO much further that the edge of the trolley hit my body.
one time.

Then came her daughter, which was fat as well, tried to slide in the line beside the trolley (you know it's just too much), so the trolley was moved further somemore.
two times.

I managed to keep calm and just constantly look at them occasionally, with a super warning eyes "IF YOU JUST DARE TO MOVE THAT TROLLEY AGAIN AND TOUCH ANY PART OF MY BODY I WILL DEFINITELY FLATTEN ALL OF YOUR FAMILY MEMBER WITH A BULLDOZER"
And instead of keeping their trolley an inch away, as if they didn't do it the line would be cut in or whatsoever, the daughter pushed the trolley for the third time!
For goodness sake I didn't want to rage in anger like a Godzilla, but it was too much!
I looked at the mother and I told her, "Even if you keep pushing your trolley you won't get any faster than anybody else so PLEASE stop pushing your trolley at me!"
GEEZ!
With an ugly unpleasant face she finally told her daughter not to push the trolley again.
HALLELUJAH!

I don't get how most people don't understand the value or the meaning of PERSONAL SPACE.

You cannot just do things you-know-that's-wrong and just simply keep quiet or merely "oh" or merely look at me like you're an innocent little kid who would probably pull my hair to my scalp and simply laugh hysterically (trust me, my niece often does it and it's not funny).

NO
NO
NO
NO!

You cannot simply step in other's people little space and ignore it.
How hard it is to say sorry?
If you are so reluctant to say "maaf" just say "sorry"
I know "maaf" is sooooo super hard to say as if you were born with English as your mother tongue
BRAVO!
Just say sorry won't hurt you in any way, really.
In contrary it might save you from any sarcastic response or action.

As in the ATM machine queue line, don't step too further near the person using the machine, give a space at least 1 meter or more, no matter how hectic or crowded the situation is, you cannot stand too close, moreover with your breath in my neck.
NO WAY!

No matter if you have little kids who are extremely wild or naughty, whenever your son/daughter does something wrong that invades other's people personal space or annoys people, you're the one who should say sorry and immediately teach your child to behave nicely.
You don't have to punch or hit your children for Godsake.
At least you say sorry in the first place, FIRST RULE!

I guess people should learn how to behave and know good manners in the first place before they start worrying about global warming or learning about eco green.
SERIOUSLY.
(I mean, sarcastically)


That's the first issue.
The second one happened when I was on the way back to home from my 7 days trip to central Java last week.
My family waited for my cousins to arrive at the rest area (we arrived first) in the parking lot.
We all finished our business (eat, toilet business) and headed back to car and decided to just wait inside because it was pretty crowded in the area.
The care on the right side of ours has just left, another car came and parked there.
What happened was, the person who sat in the front left opened his door and hit the side mirror of my car (which already in closed position, which should be safe enough not to bother the next car's door-opening way).
Just like that, and nothing happened.
No sorry facial expression.
No sorry came out of his mouth.
Nothing.
He knew there were people in my car.
The machine was on, moreover.

They were gone.
Came back in a few minutes.
Oh I noticed the man was a little bit more careful (good thing).
When suddenly I heard another loud sound from the side door, a girl opened her car's door with all might and hit mine.
GREAT.
I kept looking at her, expecting a little bit sorry expression.
What came out of her mouth was only "eh".
And then she got inside and done.
NOTHING HAPPENED.

You know it's like you walk and accidentally bump someone, most of people here will only say "eh" or "oh" or instead give a sour pouty face as if I am the one who bumps them.
You cannot do that in any way, in any situation.

I never stop encouraging people to learn how to say SORRY and THANK YOU.
What hard it is to just say one or two little words: "Maaf" and "Terima Kasih"?
Instead of just OH-ing, EH-ing, or giving a shit sour face?

Btw one of my 2012 resolutions is: being more sarcastic to people with no manner; no sorry, no thank you.

Seriously next time I experience someone bumps me and just pass by, no sorry, or give me a sour ugly face I will definitely tell them "your face look like shit and you just bumped me and NO SORRY? Have a good day!"
I know I probably be seen like a crazy maniac, but then if I don't start, when will people realize it's a wrong thing to do?

cheers,
melissa