I could see the batteries being changed and the transaction took maybe three minutes tops.
On the counter between me and the service area was a tip jar, the first I have seen in a store in Guam. Did I receive service? Yes. Was it extraordinary? No. And of course, like everything else, the cost of changing batteries has risen.
We are a media organization, but we are also in the service industry and aim to give our clients the best experiences. The cost of doing business has risen for us too. However, there’s no tip jar on our Reception counters.
When do you tip and when do you not tip? These days, there’s a service charge on your bill if you dine in most restaurants and at several places in Guam it’s risen to 20% from 10%. I know some people tip less when the charge is 20%.
I’m under-impressed when a waiter comes over to ask if everything is okay. Most of us in Guam are not shy if there’s a problem, and I think asking that question is Waitstaff 101.
Regular readers will know I’m fond of quoting statistics, so here are some on tipping.
According to the Pew Research Center’s November 2023 survey “a broad majority of Americans” said they’re being asked to tip service workers more frequently than in the past.
About seven in 10 adults said tipping is expected in more places today than it was five years ago. Pew said it has been called “tipflation.”
Americans told Pew that only about a third find it extremely or very easy to know whether or how much to tip for different types of service. And 21% said it’s more of a choice, while 29% say it’s more of an obligation. Forty-nine percent say it depends on the situation.
People in Guam are generous. They’ll give money to charities, money to panhandlers, support GoFundMe efforts, car washing fundraisers and I think typically tip well in restaurants.
But what defines good service? You know if you receive it and you know if you don’t.
At the Guam Business Magazine Executive of the Year Gala at the Hyatt on Jan. 24, it was difficult for the staff to serve because the hundreds of guests in the ballroom were moving around to greet each other. (If you check out the Photo Gallery of the event on mbjguam.com, you’ll see what I mean by hundreds.)
And yet the Hyatt team took that in their stride — maneuvering and delivering plates efficiently and fast. My thanks also go to the Glimpses Media Team for their hard work on the Gala and all its moving pieces.
Finally, farewell to Tommy Bejado, an icon Guam’s music industry, and founder of Stelstar Productions. Our thoughts are with Deborah Weger and the family.
And welcome back to Editor Jacqueline Guzman, who has returned to the Glimpses Family after developing her career elsewhere and is working with the news team and me. Jackie spent a day “inhaling” cannabis industry news at the Cannabis summit on Jan. 29, and you can read her update on that and the rise of CBD stores in this Journal. mbj
— Maureen N. Maratita is the publisher at Glimpses Media. Glimpses Media includes the Marianas Business Journal, Guam Business Magazine, The Guam Guide, Wave 105.1 FM, Power98 and Route99.
