Passing on a public service announcement on behalf of the core group of Beermeeting regulars: Hi, (If you haven't been a recent beermeeting attendee, feel free to stop reading this now, before you see how irritated I can really be. No need to take the stress.) On behalf of myself and the core-group of beermeeting attendees: At the last beermeeting, one or several folks SKIPPED OUT on their tabs, or portions of them - to the tune of a $60 shortage, left for those of us who remained, to cover. We're not sure if this is an act of ignorance, carelessness or simple theft, but it has happened several times and it is now going to *stop*. It is beyond insult to take money out of the pockets of your friends & colleagues, and it's an outright embarrassment that this should happen among a group that prides itself on knowledge, volunteerism and openness. I sincerely hope this is more a function of bad math than thievery, so in case that it might be the former issue, here's a few points on calculating your tab: - Know the actual costs of what you ordered, and the quantity of drinks you consumed.. don't forget the appetizers, or the side of fries. If you think you had "3 or 4", you had 5. If you need to round, round UP. - Remember that if you make a financial error, it is most likely to be in your own favor. That's basic human nature; know yourself for what you are. - In Minneapolis, sales tax on liquor and food can be in excess of 10% in some areas. If you don't know the local tax rate, ask your server or bartender. Guessing is for birthday parties & Christmas. - Gratuity in the range of 15-20% will be added, automatically, by the establishment, for parties of our size. Being a lousy tipper is neither an excuse nor an option in these cases. If you have a personal objection to tipping, stay home. To sum up, if you run a $19 tab, and slap down a $20, you are not thinking clearly - as in, thinking we are your parents or other benefactors.. None of us are even remotely inclined to support you financially, so keep that in mind. So, that all said. What do you think the chances are that we can all act like the responsible adults, being to which we purport, and find a way to NOT burn our friends for their hard-earned cash this next time around? We remain cautiously optimistic. That's all. Legendre, Lamer, Jima, Phemale, AdaByron, Ein, and anyone else who feels a little cheated _______________________________________________ Twin Cities Linux Users Group Announcements - Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota http://www.mn-linux.org tclug-announce mailing list tclug-announce at mn-linux.org https://mailman.real-time.com/mailman/listinfo/tclug-announce