R
rainpants
Guest
How much do you usually tip for food brought to your room? And do you tip upon delivery or cleanup, or add it to the amount you give your attendant at the end of the trip?
I think for "SWA" you mean, TA-S, which stand for "Train Attendant-Sleeper". Old, old, old days, they were called "Porters". Many simply use the abbreviation SCA for "Sleeping Car Attendant" now.........I had read to tip when upon 'cleanup'.
When the SWA (?) had delivered the food, she quickly thrust the large bag at me, saying "There you go", and quickly disappeared.
She didn't return for three hours, and wanting to make space in my roomette, I did what the couple in the roomette across from me did
which was to place the large white bag with the food trash on the floor at the door to my roomette.
When the SWA did return, she quickly walked by and scooped up the the bags and kept going.
So I gave her the tip when she switched my roomette into night mode.
I would benefit from a list of Amtrak acronyms. What's the diference between "Train Attendant-Sleeper" and Sleeping Car Attendant"?I think for "SWA" you mean, TA-S, which stand for "Train Attendant-Sleeper". Old, old, old days, they were called "Porters". Many simply use the abbreviation SCA for "Sleeping Car Attendant" now.........
Nothing, only the name. TA-S, is IIRC, Amtrak's "official" title for that job. (Or the Union's title)I would benefit from a list of Amtrak acronyms. What's the diference between "Train Attendant-Sleeper" and Sleeping Car Attendant"?I think for "SWA" you mean, TA-S, which stand for "Train Attendant-Sleeper". Old, old, old days, they were called "Porters". Many simply use the abbreviation SCA for "Sleeping Car Attendant" now.........
I understood AMTRAK service staff are well paid, unlike service staff in US restaurants. Am I mistaken?As a long-time Amtrak employee, I never heard the acronym SCA (Sleeping Car Attendant) until I started to frequent this forum. Perhaps it is used on Amtrak in other parts of the country. Officially, the title is Train Attendant -- Sleeper. In my personal opinion, SCA has a more natural feel to it.
Regarding tips, I was at a family-style restaurant last night and saw that the two women at a nearby table ran up a $40 bill, and tipped the waitress an insulting $1.50. This server waited on me as well. I normally pay attention to the little things that servers do, and I had observed that this waitress served them, and me, courteously, with a friendly demeanor. She was prompt and accurate, and checked on her customers often enough to ensure good service, but not so often as to become a pest. In short, she did her work in a manner that warranted a decent tip.
My bill was about $12, and I tipped her $5. This would normally be a bit more than expected, but I felt bad for her. On my way out, I told her I had seen what happened, and assured her it wasn't her fault.
Tom
Tom,We've had this discussion before. You are right, at least partly. In this country, hospitality workers --- particularly food servers --- are often very poorly paid, and the deficit is expected to be made up by the customer through tips. That doesn't always happen, unfortunately. In comparison with others in the hospitality industry, Amtrak workers receive a pretty good wage. However, Amtrak onboard workers are not paid for every hour on the train. For example, the Auto Train schedule calls for the employees to arrive for work between 11:00 am and 1:00 pm on day 1, depending on the job assignment. The employee is away from home and family until released at 9:00 am on day 3 (if the train is on time). That's 43 to 45 hours. The employee is actually paid for only about 27-29 hours per trip (depending on the job assignment). These times may have changed recently, but they are close.
While the hourly wage is pretty decent in absolute terms, and in comparison with wages paid to others in the food service and hospitality industries, it should be obvious to anybody who has recently gone shopping that the Amtrak worker is not getting rich in today's economy.
I have said before that, per Amtrak policy, the passenger does not have an obligation to tip. However, tipping on trains is traditional in the U.S. and is a way for the customer to thank the employee for good, attentive service, and for putting up with all the personal sacrifices that an onboard employee makes in the natural course of a day working in this unique and demanding environment.
If a passenger neglects to tip an Amtrak employee, I can forgive it much more easily than I can forgive the skinflint women mentioned above, who couldn't find more than $1.50 in their overstuffed purses, for the hardworking waitress who gave them such good, attentive service.
By the way, whenever I took advantage of a motel day room for a rest on my layovers, I always left a tip for the cleaning person, as well as the van driver.
Tom
Agreed.I tip whatever I'd tip for a restaurant meal. Plus or minus good, so-so, bad or annoying service.
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