Holiday “Tips”

I still have a lot to learn about the city. While chatting with people at a holiday gathering yesterday, I learned that the going Christmas tip rate for doormen in “white glove” apartment buildings is $250. WHAT! And I’m not talking $250 split among all service staff; I mean $250 per person! I realize that service people live on tips and good work should be recognized, but when you do the math for a doorman working in a 100 unit building that’s quite a haul. Then again, if you are one of the Goldman Sachs employees splitting $16.5 billion in bonuses perhaps you can afford huge tips for your doormen!

Offering a different kind of tip, I read on the front page of the Wall Street Journal yesterday that the UK department store Marks and Spencer has specially trained “stocking fellas” to help men pick out lingerie for their wives and girlfriends this Christmas. You have to pay to read the WSJ article, but check out the M&S press release and website. Ingenious!

Finally, if you haven’t been watching much tv lately, check out this holiday commercial for BMW. As a general rule, I DETEST Christmas car and jewelry commercials, but this one is just too funny to not watch. Even more amazing is the story of how the home movie ended up in a commercial. The link above tells the story.