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Feminism: Sex and gender discussions

Feminism: chat

Original poster

Tipping the maid

41 replies

Maidsrus · 13/06/2018 08:11

I’m so annoyed. Had a fab holiday in Greece. I was leaving a decent €20 tip for the maid ( decent for me anyway, I don’t usually leave that much!)

Anyway, at a time when we’re packed and nearly ready to leave the room, two blokes knock on the door, much earlier than we’ve ever seen them before, to fill the minibar. As one bloke was filling it, he saw the money on the side ( I could see him looking for it) and said - CFAngry- is this for us? My dp said yes I think so and I said no it’s mine!

I knew exactly what they were up to!

So now I’m searching for the real maids but will they even be allowed to keep it!

Dp thinks I’m imagining things

I feel there’s something really not right about them getting away with this. Why are they even allowed to do this? Maybe they are even told by the hotel to do this?

Maybe not one for feminist chat but just anothe example of women getting a raw deal ...

OP posts:
deydododatdodontdeydo · 13/06/2018 08:22

Weren't they just being opportunists?
Do you think they do this every time to snaffle the tip?
What makes you think this?
What makes you think the maid wouldn't be allowed to keep it.
What have they got away with? Nothing it seems.
What makes you think the hotel have told them to do this?
It seems like you are assuming an awful lot from one small interaction.

ILikeMyChickenFried · 13/06/2018 08:26

I wouldn't have let them in, would have asked them to wait until i had left.

Original poster
Maidsrus · 13/06/2018 08:28

They turned up at 9.30 am. We’re usually still sleeping at that time and have never been disturbed at that time. They therefore knew we were leaving that day, and last day is normally tip day

I could see him looking. And what a cheek to ask anyway when we didn’t offer

I’ve put two and two together, but it seems obvious what their game is

OP posts:
TERFragetteCity · 13/06/2018 08:30

It seems like you are assuming an awful lot from one small interaction.

Are you particularly bad at reading people? It is obvious that they are snaffling the tips for themselves.

deydododatdodontdeydo · 13/06/2018 08:45

I must be bad at reading people then. I wouldn't think that if someone was trying to steal someone else's tip it was because they had been told to by the hotel.

Lichtie · 13/06/2018 08:46

So you said no and they didn't get a tip, I don't see the big deal.
Why do you want to tip the maid and not the mini bar stockers.. Is it because they are men and that's why you posted it on the feminist board?

Polly99 · 13/06/2018 08:52

I’m not sure what this has to do with feminism.

Anyway, I get why you’d want to make sure the maid who has serviced your room all week gets the tip rather than the person who fills the mini bar (a much smaller job).

TERFragetteCity · 13/06/2018 09:10

I’m not sure what this has to do with feminism.

You don't think men stealing women's tips is in any way a feminist issue? Women doing the work and the men stealing the bonus.

Do you regularly let men have your work bonus just for a laugh?

LassWiADelicateAir · 13/06/2018 09:38

I agree with OP they probably were looking for a tip. It's an odd time to refill the minibar.

I always put the do not distrurb sign on the door on the last morning I'm in a hotel as I don't want anyone coming into the room until I am ready to go. I wouldn't have let them, or the maid, in.

I don't leave a tip for the maid.

Original poster
Maidsrus · 27/07/2018 05:51

So I’m on the last day of my second holiday this year - (I know I’m very lucky!)

I tipped the maid earlier in the week, so happy about that, but was leaving about £10 in change - we’re in a relatively poor country so I’m sure it would be appreciated. When checking out, the man at reception had to go and “check the room”Hmm

It’s a big hotel and I didn’t think it was for him, but maybe the hotel wants to take the tips? But I wanted the maid to have it!

Anyway I’m getting very hung up about this and had left the tip under a pillow! Can only hope that he didn’t check the room that well!

Surely it’s not just me that notices this?

OP posts:
Looneytune253 · 27/07/2018 06:01

Surely this isn’t a man v women issue? Surely it’s a maid issue?

Teateaandmoretea · 27/07/2018 06:10

Anyway I’m getting very hung up about this and had left the tip under a pillow! Can only hope that he didn’t check the room that well!

Having been a chambermaid myself in the past I wouldn't have kept a tip that was under the pillow, particularly £10 as I'd have assumed it was left accidentally. If I kept it then I would be risking being accused of theft.

But that's what this is about, theft not feminism. But in another way the receptionists were paid the same as the chambermaids/porters/ waiters and never got tips.....

MrsTerryPratchett · 27/07/2018 06:16

In majority world countries I put the money in the hand of the person I want to have it. Waiting staff, cleaning staff etc. In cash. And yes, it is often the women doing the shitwork.

LassWiADelicateAir · 27/07/2018 08:41

Surely it’s not just me that notices this?

I don't leave tips for the cleaning staff but , no , I have never come across staff wanting to check/ fill the minibar / receptionist checking the room. I don't know what sort of hotels you are staying in.

lostlemon · 27/07/2018 09:12

Why dont you just give the money directly to the person? You dont have to wait until the end of your stay. we recently went away and I gave money to the cleaning staff on a couple of occassions, afterall it's more likely that different staff are cleaning on a rota.

Racecardriver · 27/07/2018 09:15

Hate to state the obvious OP but male maids are not uncommon these days. It's obvious what the mini bar guys were trying to do but the reality is this could happen anywhere any time you do not directly hand a tip to your intended recipient.

Honeyroar · 27/07/2018 09:20

I don't see it as a feminist issue, its management stealing from employees issue - the sec doesn't come into it, the maid could be male (i stay in hotels regularly and see plenty of male maids).. I do think it's bad though.

Perhaps the answer is to leave the tip the day before you leave in an envelope? That way the reception/minibar checkers don't get it. (Although in a best case scenario perhaps tips go into a pot and maids/minibar checkers/maintenance staff all get a share..?)

deydododatdodontdeydo · 27/07/2018 10:17

You are getting hung up about this, but a simple solution if you want to tip the maid is to actually tip the maid!
In small hotels with not much staff, I have known the receptionist to check the room, but never in a big hotel.
Really can't see a feminist issue here.

IDontEatFriedTurtle · 27/07/2018 11:01

Why do you want to tip the maid and not the mini bar stockers.. Is it because they are men and that's why you posted it on the feminist board?

Confused you tip the maid because they are cleaning up after you, throughout your stay.

Not for the guy who stocks the bar for the next person one time (who probably was NOT meant to be there while the OP was there).

Not sure it's necessarily a feminist issue but I'd be pissed off.

rainbowsandsmiles · 27/07/2018 15:59

Why do you want to tip the maid and not the mini bar stockers.. Is it because they are men and that's why you posted it on the feminist board?

This is what I was thinking - what does it have to do with being men?
So you want to tip the maid but not the people re-filling the mini bar.
Fair enough, that's up to you but it's not really a feminist issue, more of a who you do or don't want to tip one.

LassWiADelicateAir · 27/07/2018 17:51

The OP's point is quite clear and it is a feminist issue.

The point she is trying to make is that the people who clean the bedrooms in hotels are overwhelmingly female.There might be male janitors and kitchen cleaners but the bedroom cleaners are almost always women. I often stay in hotels on my own. If I have forgotten to put up a "do not disturb" sign I don't mind the female cleaner walking in on me. I would be less sanguine about a male cleaner. I can't think of a single occasion I have seen a male room cleaner.

The 2 men carrying out the (entirely pointless) refilling of the minibar before she had even left appear to have been on the look out for the tip meant for the person who had been cleaning the room as was the bloke at reception.

I've never come across behaviour like this by hotel staff (frankly the 2 blokes trying to refill the minibar when I was still using the room would have been told to go away and would not use that hotel again)

Whilst the OP seems to have picked 2 very odd hotels the point she is making is clear.

Honeyroar · 27/07/2018 18:35

It's very common to see male chamber maids. I see them all the time. Are we saying the minibar checkers only stole the money because it was a female chamber maid and wouldn't have done if it had been a male chamber maid? Then it would have been sexism. Otherwise it's just staff being stolen from/badly treated.

rainbowsandsmiles · 27/07/2018 19:01

I don't mind the female cleaner walking in on me. I would be less sanguine about a male cleaner

Why? If they were a genuine cleaner?
Plus I've seen male cleaners too like the previous poster.
Why should men being cleaners or minibar fillers be automatically someone to be suspicious of or that you don't want walking into your room?

LassWiADelicateAir · 27/07/2018 19:18

It's very common to see male chamber maids. I see them all the time

Well I haven't. I cannot recall a single occasion when the person coming into the room to clean it was a man.

As for walking into the room, well I can think of at least one occasion when the female cleaner let herself in when I was in loo and naked. I don't want a male cleaner coming into a hotel room when I'm partially undressed.

rainbowsandsmiles · 27/07/2018 19:21

As for walking into the room, well I can think of at least one occasion when the female cleaner let herself in when I was in loo and naked.

More than one occasion when the maid has walked in on you naked and on the loo? That's bad luck.
Don't you ever lock it?
There's definitely male cleaners around, I've seen a few.