Are you overly generous?

[Jmustang1968]

One thing I have been accused of being overly generous about in the past is my buying practices at yard sales/flea markets .

I usually pay asking price, and I have been known to pay extra if I run across an amazing deal. I come from a family of hagglers so they all kind of think I am insane .

Yeah, if I am already getting a bargain I dont bother haggling. If the price is borderline or if I grab several items I will try to work some deals.

[SpoonyBard]

One thing I have been accused of being overly generous about in the past is my buying practices at yard sales/flea markets .

I usually pay asking price, and I have been known to pay extra if I run across an amazing deal. I come from a family of hagglers so they all kind of think I am insane .

This. I get a lot of people around town that come to me looking to flip games so they can pay for whatever they need to pay for at that very minute. Sometimes I give them more than they're asking if it's absurdly low (especially if it's for my collection) and they really need the cash. Or if someone I know sells me something that I know they don't really want to part with, I usually tell them i'll hold onto it indefinitely and sell it back for the same price whenever they want it (shockingly no one has actually taken me up on this yet).

On the other hand though, if i'm at a rummage sale and stumble on a deal that i'm only picking up for trade bait - i'll haggle them as low as I can.

[aaron]

oxymoron, have you ever held a job/lived on your own/been responsible for your own finances (at least to a point)? genuinely asking so that i don't jump to conclusions.

sorry i brought up tipping, guys! some of you guys really hate servers, it seems.

[alienjesus]

Is tipping just an American thing? my sister spent a semester in Italy and she said no one tips there, its just not a thing. I'd be curious to know what other countries where tipping is expected.

In Britain the minimum wage applies to anyone, and most restaurants add a service charge to your bill anyway. Tipping is pretty rare for most people, unless they earn quite a bit of money.

[Luke]

service charge

Those and delivery charges prevent tips, and the managers know it.

A common practice with pizza chains in my area is to tack on a "ghetto tax". If they're delivering a pizza to a neighborhood full of minorities, they slap on an extra two bucks on the bill because they don't expect a tip.

[aaron]

relevant reading: http://jacobinmag.com/2013/09/against-tipping/

[Jmustang1968]

service charge

Those and delivery charges prevent tips, and the managers know it.

A common practice with pizza chains in my area is to tack on a "ghetto tax". If they're delivering a pizza to a neighborhood full of minorities, they slap on an extra two bucks on the bill because they don't expect a tip.

Every pizza place I've ordered from since mid 2000s when gas prices went up have this fee. It isn't a ghetto tax but a delivery charge that they specify is not a tip substitute. They do this at all of them.

[Luke]

Every pizza place I've ordered from since mid 2000s when gas prices went up have this fee. It isn't a ghetto tax but a delivery charge that they specify is not a tip substitute. They do this at all of them.

You misread. They (large chains) have both a delivery fee + a ghetto tax. It IS a ghetto tax they tack on top of the $2.50 delivery charge.

"I'm not getting a tip from any house on MLK blvd., so we add a ghetto tax". Words I've heard before. The "delivery fee" goes to the store, the "Ghetto tax" is pocketed.




I had to go to Wal-Mart today (just about out of a.w) and since McDonalds is in the same commercial area, I picked up a McDouble (and now I'm sleepy). Tipped the cashier two bucks for the hell of it. At first she didn't get it, "You have two dollars change". 'Keep the change'. "You have two dollars...ohhhhhhhh! Thank you!".

[Jmustang1968]

Oh ok I thought you were talking about the delivery fee.

[Nemoide]

So outside of the realm of tipping, what are people's habits about giving to nonprofit organizations?

I pay dues in a fraternal organization, but generally don't give beyond that. When radio stations I listen to have pledge drives, I try to make sure I give. But I don't really give to any charities per se. I don't like the idea of my money going to organizations I'm not totally on board with; I never put a cent into those Salvation Army buckets around Christmas.

There's also for-profit crowdfunding sites like Kickstarter and Indie Gogo: I like funding projects I like that need the funding. When I see something with 10x the amount of their goal, I normally pass over them and aim to pledge to less successful projects.
Oh and AnimeSols is a crowdfunding site that I like supporting - they aim to get obscure old anime on DVD and this is something I can get behind; so far their successes have been few and only barely met the goals.
But since I made a decent amount of money through Kickstarter, I feel kind of obligated to "spread the wealth" amongst other creative types.