Jump to content

EastCoastGuy

Members
  • Posts

    176
  • Joined

  • Last visited

Posts posted by EastCoastGuy

  1. 19 minutes ago, manmed said:

    If you expect quality to improve in these spas,  the owner should charge more for the massages to usual and customary levels, pay the masseurs a lot more, provide adequate training and feedback.  Handouts rarely work. There would be no incentive to improve if you're getting what you want with minimal effort.  I've had disinterested masseurs who barely put effort in the massages, mechanically finish the massage, and still expect a 100% tip.  Generosity will certainly make that attitude flourish.

    You are so right! This is true for most service industries. Businesses should charge realistic prices so that their employees, who are doing most of the work, receive good compensation, and so customers know the real cost. Tips should be to reward outstanding service, not to top up the wages of an underpaid employee. The industry needs to be de-stigmatized. 

  2. I don’t think the fruit analogy really applies. Wine might be better. Some actually improve with age, while others are best sampled sooner rather than later. 
     

    I have experienced gentleman in their 60s and 70s who were magnificently handsome, and I have experienced college-age guys with the skill and wisdom of a sage.

  3. 23 hours ago, sniper said:

    You can often find bargains* if you're not comcerned with  the masseur's age. Some of the older guys keep their rates low to keep busy, and they tend to be better skilled in my experience.

    *note I am not suggesting you attempt to negotiate down, I'm just saying some of the older guys have lower base rates.

    Some of the older guys give the best sessions, both therapeutic and beyond. 

  4. 53 minutes ago, Phillyman said:

    That sounds like heaven to me!!!  Is he still in practice?

    I don’t think so. He’s not in any of the directories any longer, and I no longer have his contact information. If he were still there, I would travel just for another session.

  5. Several years ago I had an excellent session with a masseur in Chicago. He began by putting me in the shower and giving me a head to toe, front to back, top to bottom, inside and out body shampoo. This was followed by gentle exfoliating scrub. By the time he how old me dry and put me on his table, I was both relaxed and throbbingly erect. He followed this with a three hour session, which included hot stones and ended with another body shampoo. One of the best sessions ever!

  6. 11 hours ago, Luv2play said:

    All of which proves that universities, besides being seats of learning and scholarship, are also businesses.

    Very true. Large research universities are the  primary source for research and development in science, technology, and health care, especially fields like biotechnology, cyber security, quantum computing, and materials science. Gifts from donors don’t usually come near to the amount of funding from government and private grants. 

  7. 47 minutes ago, Kevin Slater said:

    I assume he's referring to the indirect cost rate of doing government research.  It is common practice for universities to apply an additional fee on top of research grants they receive to cover costs borne but not directly attributable to specific research projects (e.g. library usage, building maintenance, payroll administration).  The IDC rate can often be in the 80% range.

    Kevin Slater

    Yes, that is what i am referring to, although it’s not just government grants and not just universities. 

  8. 10 minutes ago, RyanDean said:

    Yeah, as @EastCoastGuy notes above, this is pretty standard administrative practice in large not-for-profits (ie those with endowments &/or those that allow for targeted giving). And, yes, this applies to class gifts as well (though not at the individual-giving level, but when more typically when the dedicated class gift transfers in full to the institution). Anything within a couple percentage points of 5% (give or take) shouldn't send up too many red flags. 

    CharityNavigator.com can give a clear picture of how much of your donation actually goes to programs/services but, for universities, all targeted donations tend to (now) be managed by the development office. Targeted gifts used to be managed by departments/programs but, too often, got raided for purposes beyond the donor's wishes -- which led to some big lawsuits -- so now university development offices tend to be charged with some measure of oversight for all targeted funds to guarantee that they are disbursed in accordance with the donor's intent.

     

    Grants are “taxed” even more than gifts. The administrative overhead for gifts is usually in the range of 2-8%. For grants it is often 40% or higher, sometimes over half. 

×
×
  • Create New...