Coronavirus complaint/commiseration thread.

[schindlerpiste]

That is fine, but you can say the same thing about the server, or restaurant owner. I know at least a few ski bums who do property management to live their dream. These people have been out of a job since the middle of March. I feel for them, as much as I feel for the server.

[skaredshtles]

Sounds like the condo owner might want to consider selling a/some condo/s to improve their liquidity.

[Conundrum]

That is fine, but you can say the same thing about the server, or restaurant owner. I know at least a few ski bums who do property management to live their dream. These people have been out of a job since the middle of March. I feel for them, as much as I feel for the server.

Those folks can't sell their ability to work right now. Property owners have other avenues to reduce debt load and even increase capital on hand if they have equity like selling the investment property.

[Buster Highmen]

I have a terrible problem about all this shelter in place shit.

I don't like to drink the good red wines I've stashed without guests.

My wife, bless her pants, will only drink a teensy glass of wine and I've learned the hard way not to try to finish the bottles by myself.

Sometimes they'll stash overnight OK, but not always.

So generally, I'll save the good ones for the few guests we have.

Which leads to a rapid depletion of the everyday wines.

So now I'm really going to have to start drinking some of the good ones.

Dammit.

[muted]

I have a terrible problem about all this shelter in place shit.

I don't like to drink the good red wines I've stashed without guests.

My wife, bless her pants, will only drink a teensy glass of wine and I've learned the hard way not to try to finish the bottles by myself.

Sometimes they'll stash overnight OK, but not always.

So generally, I'll save the good ones for the few guests we have.

Which leads to a rapid depletion of the everyday wines.

So now I'm really going to have to start drinking some of the good ones.

Dammit.

Drinking your problems away, huh?

[Timberridge]

Those folks can't sell their ability to work right now.

This makes me wonder if prostitution picks up in ski towns?

[schindlerpiste]

Political Asshat where does that come from?

I'd rather tip well and then question it, than complain about people not tipping well and then leaving no tip at all.

[skaredshtles]

<snip> I've learned the hard way not to try to finish the bottles by myself.

Sometimes I doubt your commitment to Sparkle Motion.

Which leads to a rapid depletion of the everyday wines.

So now I'm really going to have to start drinking some of the good ones.

Dammit.

We have a wine shop in town that you can ring up, tell them what kind of wine you like, how much you want to spend on a case, and they'll curate a custom case for you. Then drive up, call 'em, they'll come out and put the case in your car.

You gotta have something like that around your civilized part of the world, no?

[skiJ]

^^^I agree with all of this, but why would a restaurant only offering take-out employ a wait staff? Any way, I was happy to pay a $6 tip on a $44 take-out bill, and am happier, if the $$$ was given to an underpaid and hurting server.
The thing to realize is that everyone (consumer to restaurant owner to unemployed and employed wait staff) is hurting. Mon. was my first experience with curbside. My feeling is that the software used by the restaurant has a place for auto tip % (15%-20%-25%). I know this from eating there over the years.

Having said that, $6 on a $45 bill is a lot, when the person (whether it be chef, wait staff, or other) did nothing, other than walk the meal about 15 feet from the door. If they are doing this 20X in 1 hr., then they are making a great wage.

We can take this further to the small condo owner who had a no cancel policy, but who was expected to give a full refund to the renter who decided to not take the trip because of COVID. If we don't mind giving g 20-25% to a person who walks the food 10-15', why do we expect a cold owner to forego the cancellation policy? Like I said, everyone is hurting.

schindler --

what I believe about the local restaurant business, I see from the customer side :

I agree : 17% on 900. would be a nice wage --
I do not believe from March 20 - April 13, the local restaurant did 900. Gross
( they were only Open two of three weeks ) ;

it is 'shoulder season' here - and until this week, it has been unseasonably cold :
there was snow on the ground until the beginning of May -
Tuesday morning in was 18F .

The waitress answers the phone when I call to place my order, and presents my order when I pick it up --
I highly doubt her job status has changed and that the business - that is losing money but trying to contribute to the community - is paying her more from revenue they don't have : vendors still have to be paid ; utilities still have to be paid.

I am not going to try to compare RealEstate to FoodService --
You are clearly thoughtful and have been involved in several more ventures than I --

the idea of not tipping service staff at restaurants. . . again,
I offer my comments only as my suggestions :
Each gets to choose -

I will not be counting on Short-term Rentals in a tourism market to fund my retirement : the volatility would shorten my life significantly ( - and I have always had an aversion to Risk ) ...

Good luck. Please - please, please - Tip.
( or prepare your own meals... )

Be well,
( Please ) Be Safe...

peace. skiJ

[mcphee]

So, that just tells me that you have never owned multiple rental units.

LOL. Constantly deferring maintenance and repairs while increasing rent is not a real job.

[Buster Highmen]

Sometimes I doubt your commitment to Sparkle Motion.


We have a wine shop in town that you can ring up, tell them what kind of wine you like, how much you want to spend on a case, and they'll curate a custom case for you. Then drive up, call 'em, they'll come out and put the case in your car.

You gotta have something like that around your civilized part of the world, no?

You actually think I'd let someone else "curate" my wine selection?
cretin.

[Danno]

I have a terrible problem about all this shelter in place shit.

I don't like to drink the good red wines I've stashed without guests.

My wife, bless her pants, will only drink a teensy glass of wine and I've learned the hard way not to try to finish the bottles by myself.

Sometimes they'll stash overnight OK, but not always.

So generally, I'll save the good ones for the few guests we have.

Which leads to a rapid depletion of the everyday wines.

So now I'm really going to have to start drinking some of the good ones.

Dammit.

+++ VIBES +++

[skaredshtles]

You actually think I'd let someone else "curate" my wine selection?
cretin.

For every day wine? Why not? Fuck, man - it's better than drinking all your "good" stuff, ain't it?!?

[oftpiste]

Grocery outlet for daily drinkers, baby. A few gems surrounded by many turds, but a fun game nonetheless. And when you find a gem you go back for 2 cases since it's probably all of 6$.

I have a terrible problem about all this shelter in place shit.

I don't like to drink the good red wines I've stashed without guests.

My wife, bless her pants, will only drink a teensy glass of wine and I've learned the hard way not to try to finish the bottles by myself.

Sometimes they'll stash overnight OK, but not always.

So generally, I'll save the good ones for the few guests we have.

Which leads to a rapid depletion of the everyday wines.

So now I'm really going to have to start drinking some of the good ones.

Dammit.

[glademaster]

You're making a lot of assumptions. What about the guy who depends upon the condo income to put food on his table? You know, the retired guy who would rather invest in real estate than the stock market, or the guy who owns a real estate management company with 5-15 units, where he makes his money based upon 25% of the rental. These guys still have to pay dear HOA fees and RE taxes. That guy is now pulling in no money, and was expected to return 100% of non-refundable $ to a consumer.
Everyone is hurting. I'm glad that people are happy to help others when they can, but unsure why the process is selective.

That guy can't afford a condo in the mountains then, or his property management business. He never should have gotten into them in the first place. If you cannot afford to let any property you own other than your primary residence sit empty except for when you are using it, you cannot afford to own more than one property. End of discussion. Nothing more to be said on the matter.

No sympathy whatsoever for someone who put themselves in that position by being overextended.

[schindlerpiste]

I guess the same would be said for the condo owners in Fl. , Caribbean or any owner who had a no cancellation policy.
So the consensus seems to be over tip on food because people need the money, and expect a total refund even if you contract for no refund because if the homeowner doesn’t give it to you then he shouldn’t be in that business in the first place. Seems unfair but OK.

[PB]

I have a terrible problem about all this shelter in place shit.

I don't like to drink the good red wines I've stashed without guests.

My wife, bless her pants, will only drink a teensy glass of wine and I've learned the hard way not to try to finish the bottles by myself.

Sometimes they'll stash overnight OK, but not always.

So generally, I'll save the good ones for the few guests we have.

Which leads to a rapid depletion of the everyday wines.

So now I'm really going to have to start drinking some of the good ones.

Dammit.

You're not alone.
Solution: https://www.coravin.com

[Benny Profane]

LOL. Constantly deferring maintenance and repairs while increasing rent is not a real job.

Well, it's still running a small business. Even slumlording.

[Benny Profane]

That guy can't afford a condo in the mountains then, or his property management business. He never should have gotten into them in the first place. If you cannot afford to let any property you own other than your primary residence sit empty except for when you are using it, you cannot afford to own more than one property. End of discussion. Nothing more to be said on the matter.

No sympathy whatsoever for someone who put themselves in that position by being overextended.

You do realize that your grandchildren's tax dollars have just been used to "bail out" corporations that were so tapped out that, after paying management a king's random for a decade now, didn't seem to have the means to survive a bad quarter?

[zartagen]

Besides being an idiotic case of whataboutism, the airbnb cancellation vs. tipping waitstaff argument is completely invalidated by the fact that the homeowner OWNS A HOME. Waitstaff workers probably don't. There is a huge socioeconomic difference here, so there is no comparison.

[glademaster]

You do realize that your grandchildren's tax dollars have just been used to "bail out" corporations that were so tapped out that, after paying management a king's random for a decade now, didn't seem to have the means to survive a bad quarter?

Yes, and I find that far more galling than an overextended moron trying to run a STR business because it's the only way he can afford the second property.

[RootSkier]

So the consensus seems to be over tip on food because people need the money, and expect a total refund even if you contract for no refund because if the homeowner doesn’t give it to you then he shouldn’t be in that business in the first place. Seems unfair but OK.

Totally exactly 100% the same. You are a genius.

[oftpiste]

Respectful disagreement. By that logic you could say that anyone who makes any investment would be overextended if the investment somehow becomes extraordinarily devalued through no fault of their own.

Recklessness on the part of the investor would make you right , but a normal, cautious person trying to prepare for the future by investing in a rental uses (yes, I'm presuming here) reasonable models and expectations to establish it as an investment with certain reasonable expectations of its performance, just like anywhere else you might park money.

I imagine many have savings or retirement accounts that if suddenly lost through force majeure would significantly damage their lifestyle. If not now, certainly in the future.

That guy can't afford a condo in the mountains then, or his property management business. He never should have gotten into them in the first place. If you cannot afford to let any property you own other than your primary residence sit empty except for when you are using it, you cannot afford to own more than one property. End of discussion. Nothing more to be said on the matter.

No sympathy whatsoever for someone who put themselves in that position by being overextended.

[Core Shot]

We are getting takeout twice a week from our local establishments.
Everybody still working is on reduced hours.
So I'm tipping 35%. It's not a lot of money to me in the final analysis, and the people working in these restaurants can certainly use the money.

Good on ya mate.
That’s a healthy tip for dining in. But super generous on take out.
I’m going to up my game on take out tips.
I don’t eat out much anyways. But why not throw a few more bucks to the working poor when I do order out.

[schindlerpiste]

Absolutely.
I'm curious though. Let's say that you haven't had your Sushi fix since the beginning of March and you can't take it any longer. You decide that you need to go to your favorite sushi place and pick-up 8 rolls and 20 pieces of nigiri for you and your roommates/family. Splurge!! The bill comes out to $300. It's your turn to pick up. A young man walks from the front door of the restaurant to the curb where you are parked with a paper bag. Do you give him $400? If you have roommates, do you just ask them to contribute the price of the meal + the 25%+ tip? Well, Sushi is a bad example, because people frequently tip the fish cutter. You can substitute sushi for other ski town over-priced restaurant.

If you would do this, then I give you props, but you are a better man than me. I work too hard for my money, and I haven't worked quite some time.