What exactly is the service industry

[Angry Young Man]

Stuff like fast food and supermarkets? And how is it an industry when it's not manufacturing anything?

[Goatse]

Well, fast food joints and supermarkets contribute to the process of delivering food to the population, in the same way that freight train drivers don't produce anything themselves but are vital to the system... right?

[RedAnarchist]

I know its kind of lame to link to Wikipedia, but have you looked at this page - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tertiary_sector_of_industry ?

[Fawkes]

You know there are other forums besides Chit Chat, right? Moved to Learning.

[which doctor]

Originally posted by Romantic [email protected] 15, 2007 05:11 pm
Stuff like fast food and supermarkets? And how is it an industry when it's not manufacturing anything?
They're not manufacturing anything in some cases, but they are still adding value to the products.

[Fawkes]

Originally posted by Romantic [email protected] 15, 2007 05:11 pm
Stuff like fast food and supermarkets? And how is it an industry when it's not manufacturing anything?
It plays a key part in the marketing and distribution of products. Without the service industry, factories would just churn out cars with nowhere to go to be sold or nobody to really advertise their existence.

[Raisa]

The service industry is a group of very underpaid people who wait on your tables and clean them up and cook your food and seat you in restaurants and clean your hotel rooms and take your bags.
Service and hospitality kind of are the same thing.

I worked most my jobs in this industry. And it is an industry cause you bust your ass.

[Comrade Rage]

Originally posted by [email protected] 15, 2007 06:16 pm
And it is an industry cause you bust your ass.
This point raised, is it hypocritical for someone to talk about liberating the workers in this industry without tipping them? I notice a lot of 'progressives' treat people in the service industry like shit, and I've confronted them on that, but what about tipping?

[Schrödinger's Cat]

I notice a lot of 'progressives' treat people in the service industry like shit, and I've confronted them on that, but what about tipping?

Absolutely.

I treat every worker I run across respectfully and tip them as much I can. Not many people realize that tipping isn't restricted to waiters or delivery boys, though, just because of the culture around it.

I think the Wiki article does a good job on explaining the definition.

[Raisa]

Originally posted by COMRADE CRUM+November 15, 2007 11:36 pm--> (COMRADE CRUM @ November 15, 2007 11:36 pm)
[email protected] 15, 2007 06:16 pm
And it is an industry cause you bust your ass.
This point raised, is it hypocritical for someone to talk about liberating the workers in this industry without tipping them? I notice a lot of 'progressives' treat people in the service industry like shit, and I've confronted them on that, but what about tipping? [/b]
You know, for alot of my comrades in england....americans give tips cause the minimum wage for a waiter is 3 dollars and 75 cents. So he makes 25 dollars a day or something like this, plus whatever tips he makes.

It doesnt matter if you tip or not. Sometimes you cant afford to tip. When I was a waitress I didnt care if you didnt tip me, UNLESS you asked me to do all kind of special shit for you.
I understood that poor people have the right to eat in restaurants too and sometimes they just cant tip, and I know who cant and who can.....but dont ask me to do this and that and this for you and not tip.

Tips is just a way the restuarants excuse theirself from paying you.

[Comrade Rage]

Originally posted by Raisa+--> (Raisa)It doesnt matter if you tip or not. Sometimes you cant afford to tip. When I was a waitress I didnt care if you didnt tip me, UNLESS you asked me to do all kind of special shit for you.
I understood that poor people have the right to eat in restaurants too and sometimes they just cant tip, and I know who cant and who can.....but dont ask me to do this and that and this for you and not tip.
[/b]Sometimes I run into this situation, and I can't tip because I have no money, but yeah, then I'd make sure the order wasn't complicated, etc.


Originally posted by [email protected]
Absolutely.


Raisa
Tips is just a way the restuarants excuse theirself from paying you.
That's the dilemma I've been observing. I want to be polite and a good customer to the waitress/waiter but at the same time, these restaraunts want to use it as an excuse to lowball the staff. Even putting tips in 'HELP WANTED' signs "$6.50/hr. plus tips".

I'll probably just keep tipping, WTF.