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Originally Posted by Dead-Air
I can't tell you, because I don't actually know. However, I'm pretty sure they likely did offer benefits. As I don't think they were publicly traded, stock options would not likely be a reality. Was there profit sharing? I have no idea, but I think they probably treated their workers well. Certainly better than Starbucks did when they put them all out on the street.
As for your tirade against tipping, I'm sure if you buy coffee or whatever and don't tip out of the generosity of your philosophical self-righteousness, that the server will thank you for your nobility in toppling neo-fuedalism by stiffing them. Yeah, fucking, right.
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they likely did? more likely did not-- most small businesses, and i really mean most, offer 0 worker's benefits. i'm talking especially those that have only a handful of employees. notice that a 500-employee company is still considered a "small business", so coffee shops, small restaurants, etc,-- dream on. i've worked in all manner of independet retail establishments and i've never come across such a chimera as "employee benefits". about "probably" etc--
look at this:
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Thanks to soaring insurance premiums, many small-business owners say health insurance is a luxury they simply can't afford. [...] Indeed, while 98% of large firms (defined as 200 employees or more) provide health insurance for their workers, only 59% of small firms do. Back in 2000, the figure was much higher with 68% of small businesses offering their employees health benefits. As you might expect, the smallest firms (those with just three to nine employees) struggle the most with affordability and only 47% of them provide any type of coverage.
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http://www.smartmoney.com/consumer/i...story=20050921
about treating their employees right, etc -- starfucks has something like 90% employee satisfaction-- unheard of in any industry. you know what the pro-union employees complain about? being sprinkled with hot milk. OHMYFUCKINGAWD!! THEMILKKK!!!! please... most people hate their jobs and here you have a company with 90% job satisfaction.
about tipping-- i tip, and generously, and never less than $2 regardless of the amount of my consumption (say, i buy a beer for a buck fifty, i tip two bucks). having once been a waiter for all of 2 months (wow, a record), my heart goes out to the poor fuckers who have to do a song and dance to asshole customers in order to make a living, so i tip around 25% in restaurants. but personally i would rather pay extra upfront and give all workers a living wage, rather than make them whore their smiles for change. but i guess you can't beat a system of incentives like that if you want good customer service. "be nice, or else..." sounds to me like you'd rather have pet monkeys that you can throw money at, you little prince of the petty-bourgeoisie.
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hey dont get me wrong. i like small independent well-run establishments too. i hate macdonalds, etc-- but crapping on starbucks just because they are good at what they do is dumb.