You are not wrong and point out some social norms that are recent and frankly, **** me off. You can't do anything that upsets someone, including telling an employee how they're making mistakes or that their performance may reflect their ability to keep this job. They expect to be paid just for showing up and they deserve extra for doing something! B!S! Mostly millennials, I am one, sadly, but I can say I was hating millennials before it was cool, like 1st grade cir.1991. I was raised poor, around rich kids. I lived w/ dad who was never home, workaholic, selfish, he had been a Marine, he worked as a welder, we raised horses, and he was educated in everything that went with that. Constructive criticism came from the back of his hand. I basically had to be a mind reader. But I identify more w/ gen-x-ers. Most of what I had I made from nothing. I could figure out just about anything. I could gerry-rig, improvise, and fake through any problem or situation. I admired individuality and rejected conformity because it was those kids that harassed me for living in a trailer home, for the vehicles we had, because I didn't have a computer or video games, for calling out ******** on anyone, and for making my own stuff instead of buying what everyone else had. I was small, skinny, and had trouble realizing how ****** most people were to someone they just met or why they would spend so much effort being deceitful and backstabbing for what gain I'm still unsure... And that I was surround by these types of people. I am no stranger to being a scapegoat. Funny thing, by 2nd grade I realized the bullies were FOS or too dickless to put their money where their mouth is. Along w/ this it became evident that kids twice my age/twice my size, could not hit nearly as hard as my dad, or kick as hard as a horse. So, I quickly lost fear of what they would say or could do to me. I also had less reason to hold back my words of how I felt about them and their unwarranted treatment of me. They also didn't consider my lifestyle of bucking hay and constant heavy lifting, chasing/ handling/ avoiding death by/ up to 1500lb animals, building fence in 110*F weather, gardening, hunting, etc.,... or just keeping up with my dad on a normal day, (who I believe is half elk, quick as a whip, and at nearly 70 could still kick my 38yo ***), all came with expectations that lacked any sympathy for injuries and pain that would have most adults throwing in the towel. While simultaneously it required speed & agility of body & mind, discipline and control of emotion, and... well, by the time I was 9yo, I could deadlift 120lbs(I weighed 70lbs)... and I was/am boney like a trout. So when they hit me, the pain in their hand, tears in their eyes, and the horror on their face as they struggled to comprehend how I was still standing unfazed was humorous. Then I hit back, and I'll admit I likely was unaware of just how strong I was and I can tell they were hurt, but they run off crying and I get in trouble like they didn't just do the same to me in a unwarranted attack while I'm defending myself. I guess I can hit so hard as to undo what they previously did. So I was labeled a bad kid for defending myself and I would tell whomever, teacher, parent, etc., where they can stick their favoritism and support of a bully.... So I totally understand what you're saying... FF 30 years...
Well, point to be is,... Now these are the PEOPLE... ADULTS... (physically speaking only) that are doing this. And it's no wonder. No one told them they were wrong, even when they deserved getting their teeth knocked out! The fact that it's suggested on every receipt, even the people at the check out asking, "would you like to round your total up to blablabla." There's drive throughs here that are the same. I'm thinking they didn't do anymore than the people at McDonald's and we don't expect to tip those people. A tip existed in lines of work where the employer who's taking all the risk of space rent, food cost, insurance, second mortgage, 16 hrs a day kinda thing, doesn't have to pay out to people who aren't providing good service. They are, in restaurants, required to make sure you make min. wage if tips don't add up. The bigger problem may be that employers can't just fire someone if they don't meet standards or are not acting in the owners best interest. Now days no one cares about customers because "I get paid either way so screw them." Face buried into dumb-phone. I think more things should be like back in the day picking berries on a farm. The job pays $2 a bushel. If you work hard and move fast you can make $20 an hour. If you screw around and don't care, you can make $2 an hour. Choice is yours. But there's so many things messed up. When America lost pride in work and craftsmanship. The fact people want the cheapest crap from china that breaks every 10 minutes instead of paying top dollar for a well made whatever that when used properly and taken care of will last a lifetime.
The other thing is these jobs are advertised as [$100 a day plus tips - Tips ~ $100 to $500 daily depending on client, hunt, etc.] In Idaho Outfitters have to not only cover expenses, travel costs, licenses, expensive equipment, (do you know what a 12x14 canvas tent, wood stove, and frame cost? what the maintenance cost and labor? How much they weigh? Cost of horses to pack, year round food, land, trailers, tack, training, etc., Truck that can haul trailer? A new Dodge 2500 base model is maybe $80k, tires, fuel,... Outfitters have to lease forest land, be licensed[this includes having experience, knowledge of the area(100's of square acres of terrain, trails, creeks, etc., knowledge of game, rules and laws, know weather patterns, medical treatment.] An injury that is not a big deal when the ambulance is 15 min away can kill when your a day or two from a hospital in good weather. You want them to know how to keep you safe and alive. They have to make sure the guides they employ have these skills as well. As well as knowing how to find, track, read, anticipate, and successfully harvest game. That's when more work starts. Knowledge of cleaning, butchering, food safety, packing, shipping of perishable goods. Cost of trail cams and year round monitoring of animals and their habits to successfully put clients on targeted game. It's not like fishing. You're not chasing down an elk. You have to know where they're gonna be before they're there. And they don't follow daily, weekly, or even yearly patterns like most animals. The factors that drive their behavior and patterns is infinite and changing. Same with other animals. Knowing about food sources, predators, fires, other hunters. It's a little easier if they're on a private 5k acre ranch, but many also deal with general season competition. Plus it's not just the guide taking you into the field. There is often many people working behind the scenes. The people who live here and hunt yearly, have spent $1,000's and hours, collecting equipment, and learning from being in the field. For me it's always hunting season, just rarely the part where I can harvest. But when I'm camping and fishing in the summer I'm looking nat the area, food, what's around, tracks. When I'm cutting firewood I'm looking at areas that are recovering from fire, streams that have dried up, the amount of food traffic, weather patters, practicing shooting, making sure my equipment is in working order, checking new areas in case I can't get my usual tags or better opportunities, expanding my knowledge, skill, etc. like getting archery validation, getting a muzzleloader to utilize other options. This is a lifestyle and my heritage and that's not something you should be able to buy into cheaply. That's how large groups of people lose their livelihood.
When house building costs go up, do you blame the contractors, or the fact that the cost of lumber doubled because the hippies got an area of forest close by closed to logging? Fuel prices drive most things. Maybe should blame the Saudis for purposely keeping oil supply low and the president for the embargo on Russia which caused us to get 10% of our oil from the Saudis. Or the difficulty to get off oil dependance to the extreme high cost of changing our infrastructure to a more renewable fuel like hydrogen, electric, biodiesel, etc. For some people, most I know, It's not as simple as "my boss wont give me a raise so I will quit today and tomorrow I'll get the same job next door and they will pay me. Also, have you ever started a business from next to nothing with no capital? I'm gonna guess no because you would not put it like you're returning a shirt for one of another color. Also most if not all only have so many outfitter located tags. Which means there are only so many outfitter licenses available, like a liquor license. They need a minimum number of clients or the business cannot be profitable. Or every outfitter would be going out of business every season.
I would not return a tip, however I wouldn't count the amount either. One person tips $500 because he has more money than he knows what to do with it. Another person tips $100 but this means making next months car payment isn't guaranteed. Which was more grateful? It's the gesture or should be. Sure the $$ helps, but it's also supposed to be a symbol that they recognize you're doing a good job, trying, and working hard at it. I might be insulted if someone didn't accept my gratuity unless it's policy or conflict of interest.
