When: August 2013, we stopped in Savannah on our way to Disney World.
Where: Savannah Pedicab
Cost: I forget what the cost was for a timed rides of 30 minutes or 1 hour rides. We just wanted something short, I had nowhere in particular in mind so our sweet driver Joe was just going to take us around town. At first it didn't even look like the 3 of us would fit in that tiny cart, and I didn't think he could pull our combined weight of 450 lbs...let me tell you-those pedals were SQUEEKIN!
My daughter started to seem like she was really not feeling well. The heat was much more intense than her little Michigander body is used to, I knew we had to get her some water and out of the heat asap. The risk of dehydration and heat stroke are very serious, particularly to such a little body. So I asked Joe if we happened to be anywhere close to the historic Leopold's Ice Cream parlor. It was nearby and the best place to take her to cool off. When we arrived Joel asked how much we owed...Joe said "it's trips for tips, whatever you want" our ride in the pedicab was probably not more than 5 minutes and Joel gave him $20. I really liked this 'pay what you think it was worth' methodology. He certainly deserved it, pulling the three of us around in a 200 pound cart, but mostly we were so impressed with this young college student who was incredibly attentive to the urgency concerning our daughter, he was genuinely concerned with her well being and tender when he spoke to her.
In most cases I hate tipping...because I typically receive crappy service, but when there is someone I like, who is actually a hard worker, makes my experience truly enjoyable and someone who treats my daughter like a princess then I LOVE TO TIP GOOD PEOPLE WHO DESERVE IT. If we had had more cash on us, we probably would've given him more! This guy was so sweet in fact, he saw my husband a few hours later around town and went up to him and asked how our daughter was feeling...we were so touched by this thoughtful gesture.
-Disclaimer and sidenote; I don't want you to think I'm a jerk, I admittedly don't like the obligatory art of tipping THUS I typically avoid places where there is an expectation to tip whether or not you've received adequate service. I think tipping should be a bonus, for people who deserve it. And by that I mean that I will forever be stunned that it is a legal and acceptable practice to pay people in the restaurant business 1/4 of the already pathetically low minimum wage. Like most, I've held several positions in my life in the service industry where I depended on tips....and it changes you....to the very core.
Why this is on my list: I actually found this on one of my favorite life list blogs I read, My Bucket List Journey, the author Annette had also recently traveled to Savannah and this was on her list, as soon as I saw that we had a pedicab ride here in the US I added it to the LIST!
Will I do it again? I would only go for another pedicab ride again in Savannah if I we found our driver Joe again as we liked him so much though I suspect at sometime in my life I will enjoy another one of these slow rides...though I imagine it'll be somewhere exotic.
Something I'd recommend? Surely! It's always fun to try new things and if you find yourself in Savannah wanting to take a Pedicab be sure to ask for Joe!
Related Posts:
I'm back I went: Savannah & Disney World
LIFE LIST: VISIT SAVANNAH
LIFE LIST: STAY IN A B&B
You would love England then!! We only tip if we receive good service and there is no obligation to tip! I only tip if i am happy with the service and if i get rubbish service then your getting nothing off me!
ReplyDeleteI thought in American it was kind of compulsory, i read somewhere that you have to tip around 25% of the total bill. Here we tip around 10% if we choose to. Over here you are not seen as mean or awful if you don't tip, people earn a minimum wage so there is no need to supplement their income.
That guy sounds really nice and even though the experience was short, it sounds like you still enjoyed the moment. Glad Zeeva was ok though. That guy has really toned legs!xx
Oh my God, I would LOVE ENGLAND!!! Here are obligated to tip 15%....but it seems like you're viewed as being an ass if you tip less than 20%. AND in some restaurants they just add the tip onto the bill...so it's mandatory...as far as I'm concerned at that point it is no longer a 'tip'.
DeleteEveryone wants a tip here, you get a massage, your hair done, your nails done, your car washed, buy a coffee at starbucks, EVERYTHING. Some people leave tips for the housekeeping at your hotels, people who deliver things to your house, cab drivers, ALL RESTAURANTS WITHOUT EXCEPTION. I'm so sick of it!!! These people are already getting paid...why do I have to pay them more...just to do their jobs! I feel like I rarely get good or even great service at any of these places...oh and my favorite part...THEY STRAIGHT UP ASK YOU FOR A TIP- there is either a jar out with a sign on it, it's written on your receipt or there will be signs posted at the registers....and everywhere else. It's ridiculous...I provide a service, why don't I get tipped, Joel provides a service ensuring everyone's safety, he has a potentially very dangerous job....and yet no tips...but everytime I make a purchase I'm supposed to leave a dollar..or more. UGH! P.s. everyone I know thinks I'm a total jerk for my perspective on tipping.