Overheard at Work

[RFAAOATB]

Today was the CTO's birthday. His executive assistant ordered a cake from Magnolia Bakery. I think it was probably a 12 or 14 inch round cake--not large at all. She said it cost $80!!!!! I know it was probably the company's money and not hers but holy shit who pays $80 for a fucking cake???

Corporate expense accounts apparently.  Do fancy bakery employees make more than Dunkin Donuts empoyees?  $80 might actually be the true cost of a custom cake made for you.

[dragoncar]

I don't really like hot pot, but the times I've gone it's been pretty inexpensive and all you can eat.  Basically don't eat for a few days and fill up.  It could be frugal as long as you don't fill up on veggies/broth/whatever.  THATS HOW THEY GET YOU

[fartface]

Different kind of crazy: I had a co-worker who inherited a condo in NYC, plus a bunch of money.  I mean millions of dollars.  She worked this miserable job and always working extra OT.  One day I went to borrow a pen from her and what did i see in her drawer?  Probably $40,000 worth of uncashed paychecks.  She said she was "saving them for a rainy day".  Far as I know, she died saving for a rainy day.  Good frugality IQ, terrible quality of life filter.

Uhm, Is that allowed? I was under the impression that checks went bad after a specific time, ("stale" I think is the word our payroll uses). Additionally, I know alot of companies set up specific accounts to do paychecks out of. Won't there be a delay when she tries to cash those all at once since the bank will probably want to double-check with the issuer due to their size and age?
Kind of defeats the point of a rainy-day fund if she has to wait for the checks to clear, doesn't it?

Thirty years ago I read the biography of George Washington Carver. Even as a little kid, I was fairly mustachian. His life story was fascinating, but what stuck with me the longest was the fact that he never cashed his paychecks. Just laid them, one on top of another, in his desk drawer...week after week. Eventually, The Tuskegee Institute where he was employed would call and remind him to cash them before they expired. At that point, he usually signed them over to needy people instead of using the money for himself. Pretty amazing.

[Malaysia41]

I could see taking someone there as a gift...say Father's Day?

If the dad really likes to grill for everyone, but then doesn't have to clean the grill, prepare things, etc.

(He may like that part too, but it could work for some people.)

In general though I wouldn't do this style for just steaks.

Study: Average Father Thinks About Sealing In Meat’s Juices 4 To 5 Hours A Day

[Daisy]

The thing that gets me is the 'grill your own steak' places.  I fail to see how that differentiates from grilling at home.  But I know people WHO love it.  It's like a steakhouse, but they let you cook your own steak.  um, What? 
I guess it saves you from having to make side dishes?  The idea baffles me.

Never heard of this concept, is it just a normal steak that they provide to you to grill?

Just normal steak I would think (never went in, because the idea is ridiculous).  Is there any other type (I mean without getting into like Kobe beef or something)? I think anything a restaurant can get a good butcher could get. They do take care of trimming it.

http://www.theopenflame.com/?page_id=3
Add $3 if you want them to grill it.
Though there are apparently some places that don't have that option, based on this blog post: http://www.foodfightradio.com/claire-ification-cook-your-own-steak-restaurants/

So let me get this strait.  You goto a restaurant, pay them more for a steak, and grill it yourself.  That is a brilliant business model. No overhead as far as cooks go.

Crazy to think people do this. Buy a steak grill it yourself at home and save some money... OMG

I've never heard of the grill your own steak places. Do you have to leave a tip in these kinds of places? I guess someone has to bring the plate and raw steak over to you after all.

The best part of going out for steak vs. at home steak is that I've never mastered the skill of making my own medium rare steaks. Restaurants seem to do this well. Other than that, grilling a steak is easy. Count me out of the grill-your-own-steak-and-pay-restaurant-prices club.

I'm also anti-fondue places. Once, I went to a fondue place on the top of a ski mountain for dinner because that's what my friends wanted. It cost $50 per person! And I am cooking my food and smelling like fried stuff afterwards! For that, i'll stay home. Now, this was $50 in the 90s and in a prime location on top of a mountain so I'm guessing the price for that dinner is higher these days. I'm also not a cheese eater so fondue loses its charm on me. Luckily, I've been able to deflect any fondue restaurant invitations since then.

Never heard of hot pots. They sound interesting. I've been to Korean BBQ and I guess I can see SOME benefit to that with the spices they provide.

I much prefer having people cook for me if I am already spending restaurant level prices for food. I haven't found these cook-your-own-meal places to be any cheaper than regular restaurants.

[Lkxe]

I could see taking someone there as a gift...say Father's Day?

If the dad really likes to grill for everyone, but then doesn't have to clean the grill, prepare things, etc.

(He may like that part too, but it could work for some people.)

In general though I wouldn't do this style for just steaks.

I got a flyer the other day from one of the vent cleaning places- They will clean your Dad's grill for just $35!  ( this counts I work from home.)

[AH013]

Different kind of crazy: I had a co-worker who inherited a condo in NYC, plus a bunch of money.  I mean millions of dollars.  She worked this miserable job and always working extra OT.  One day I went to borrow a pen from her and what did i see in her drawer?  Probably $40,000 worth of uncashed paychecks.  She said she was "saving them for a rainy day".  Far as I know, she died saving for a rainy day.  Good frugality IQ, terrible quality of life filter.

Uhm, Is that allowed? I was under the impression that checks went bad after a specific time, ("stale" I think is the word our payroll uses). Additionally, I know alot of companies set up specific accounts to do paychecks out of. Won't there be a delay when she tries to cash those all at once since the bank will probably want to double-check with the issuer due to their size and age?

Kind of defeats the point of a rainy-day fund if she has to wait for the checks to clear, doesn't it?

This is actually the most common form of saving for blue collar workers.  Can't spend what isn't in your bank account (or more accurately what you haven't already cashed in at the check cashing store).  Stick a few paychecks under the mattress and then bust them out at Christmas to pay for your shipping / vacation.
Source: Corporate Treasury Management course in college

[gimp]

If we're still talking about cook your own whatever, here's what I've tried, and my opinions of it.

Hot Pot. How it works:

You get a table, in the middle of the table is a big pot or two; the pots are often divided into reasonably water-tight sections. Each section of each pot has broth in it that you choose. For example, you can choose spicy beef broth and chicken broth - that's why you can get the pot divided so the broths don't mix, and why you can get multiple pots, depending on how many people are at the table. The broths have vegetables and whatever.

Next, they bring you a "menu" (since it's all-you-can-eat, it's basically a checklist) of various things, or you go to a buffet-style table of various things. Usually thinly sliced meats, vegetables, misc stuff like eggs, and more fun stuff like octopus or whatever. You select what you want, the bring it over, you drop it in the water until you decide it's done, you eat it. If you're still hungry, repeat and get new things until you're not. You generally get to try the entire menu, depending on how adventurous you are.

If you know how to make the broth at home, easy... it's called making soup. If you don't, it's not easy at all. Takes time and effort to make the broth base properly. And of course you would eat it as soup at home, and not a hot pot where you cook the stuff then fish it back out to eat.

Fondue. How it works:

They bring over melted cheese or chocolate, put it on a little pedestal with a flame to keep it hot and melted, and various things to dip into it. Dip. Eat. Repeat until you've finished your food. It's not really a you-cook-it deal, more like a you-dip-it deal. Easy to do at home, and much cheaper, but fun.

Korean BBQ with one of those hot plates in the middle. How it works:

You get a table, in the middle of the table is a propane burner (or natural gas or whatever), on top of that is a big seasoned cast iron grate. Generally, it's a lot like hot pot - menu, or buffet-style table - but the food is different. You usually get much thicker slabs of food (whereas hotpot slices to ~1mm, you're looking more at ~5-8mm probably) because you're cooking on a much hotter surface. The food is usually meat, seafood, vegetables; pre-seasoned and marinated. You get what you want, slap it on your thing, wait until you think it's done, and eat it. If you know how to make korean-style meat, it's trivial to do at home. If not, it's quite hard.

Cook your own steak type places. How it works:

You usually order off a menu, select your protein and your sides. They cook the sides, bring them over with the uncooked protein, and some sort of cooking apparatus (could be a super hot slab of rock, could be some sort of grill.) You cook the protein to your desired level of done-ness. Depending on the setup, you may find that instead of putting the food on, cooking it, taking it off, cutting and eating it, you instead cut, cook small pieces, and eat right off the cooking thing. It works pretty well. Of course, these tend to be pretty western-style dishes so if you know how to cook western-style food, it's much easier to do it at home. The key is to go to a butcher or fish-monger to get proper meat/fish instead of cheap grocery store cuts. To their defense, though, if you always find restaurant steak not cooked to your tastes, well, this gives you perfect control over doneness.

TLDR the more foreign (to you) the cooking style, the more it makes sense to go to one of these places. The better you can cook it yourself, the less sense it makes.

(This is also why I almost never order stuff like pasta dishes or burgers when I go out. I can make it myself, why pay 4x-10x + tip as much?)

I have been to all of these places and I am not exactly yearning to go back. Then again, I don't eat out terribly often either, I'm just reasonably adventurous.

Also, in case anyone is wondering, all-you-can-eat sushi (with a proper menu and fresh fish, these are hit or miss) is probably my favorite type of restaurant if they do it right. Again, not often, but once in a while... fuck yes.

[klystomane]

Gimp, you need to try the real hotspot/kbbq/sushi, not the North American stuff you're describing.

It's all so delicious.

[Anomalous]

Hot pot is one of my favorite things to eat in China. Never tried it in the US though. Do the US restaurants make you fish all the cooked bits out of the communal pot using chop sticks? There's great entertainment value in watching the clumsy American (me) try to grab various bits out of the boiling stock with chop sticks.

I've always assumed that the Chinese-style meals where you pick food out of communal dishes would be some kind of health code violation in the US. I've never been to authentic Chinese restaurants in the US though (never lived in a city big enough to have any.)

[mickeyj]

I love hotpot!

In Singapore, there are many hotpot and bbq (and even those with combinations of both) restaurants with various styles. You can have it in Chinese, Korean, Japanese and even Thai style. They are ala carte versions where you pay for what you order, and buffet versions where you pay a fixed amount ($20-$40) and you can eat all you want.

They are all super delicious! The Chinese style have herbal and sichuan spicy soup base while Thai Mookatas has a basic chicken soup base and a unique bbq pot design where all the juice from the bbq meat would drip into the soup making it more tasty over time.

The problem here is that while I love eating hotpot, it's quite expensive and I tend to overeat so I only do it when there's a special occasion or gatherings with friends and family.

[grantmeaname]

Fondue. How it works:

They bring over melted cheese or chocolate, put it on a little pedestal with a flame to keep it hot and melted, and various things to dip into it. Dip. Eat. Repeat until you've finished your food. It's not really a you-cook-it deal, more like a you-dip-it deal. Easy to do at home, and much cheaper, but fun.

You've never had broth or oil fondue? That's what we do (at home) every year for Christmas and it's definitely you-cook-it: raw pork, chicken, steak, and cut up vegetables that you cook and eat. It's not dipping strawberries in chocolate or broccoli in cheese, which are more like a party thing and less like fondue. It's killer with broth or oil, you should try it sometime.

[Avidconsumer]

Hot pot is one of my favorite things to eat in China. Never tried it in the US though. Do the US restaurants make you fish all the cooked bits out of the communal pot using chop sticks? There's great entertainment value in watching the clumsy American (me) try to grab various bits out of the boiling stock with chop sticks.

I've always assumed that the Chinese-style meals where you pick food out of communal dishes would be some kind of health code violation in the US. I've never been to authentic Chinese restaurants in the US though (never lived in a city big enough to have any.)

I've actually put down a fork before to use chopsticks because its easier to eat with them. I think Hotpot is one of those times. Picking up small items seems easier with them.

[JLee]

Today was the CTO's birthday. His executive assistant ordered a cake from Magnolia Bakery. I think it was probably a 12 or 14 inch round cake--not large at all. She said it cost $80!!!!! I know it was probably the company's money and not hers but holy shit who pays $80 for a fucking cake???

My sister made the wedding cakes for my other sister's wedding earlier this year.  I think she was over $80 in ingredients alone.

Then again, the same one "professionally" done would apparently have been ~$800.  O.O

It was probably the best cake I've ever eaten.

[greenmimama]

Today was the CTO's birthday. His executive assistant ordered a cake from Magnolia Bakery. I think it was probably a 12 or 14 inch round cake--not large at all. She said it cost $80!!!!! I know it was probably the company's money and not hers but holy shit who pays $80 for a fucking cake???

My sister made the wedding cakes for my other sister's wedding earlier this year.  I think she was over $80 in ingredients alone.

Then again, the same one "professionally" done would apparently have been ~$800.  O.O

It was probably the best cake I've ever eaten.

Who pays $80 when Costco sells delicious cake for $17!! Seriously their round chocolate layer cake is so good, it probably serves 30 people because it is so rich you can cut the pieces really small.

[frugalnacho]

Who pays $80 when Costco sells delicious cake for $17!! Seriously their round chocolate layer cake is so good, it probably serves 30 people because it is so rich you can cut the pieces really small.

[Scandium]

Different kind of crazy: I had a co-worker who inherited a condo in NYC, plus a bunch of money.  I mean millions of dollars.  She worked this miserable job and always working extra OT.  One day I went to borrow a pen from her and what did i see in her drawer?  Probably $40,000 worth of uncashed paychecks.  She said she was "saving them for a rainy day".  Far as I know, she died saving for a rainy day.  Good frugality IQ, terrible quality of life filter.

Uhm, Is that allowed? I was under the impression that checks went bad after a specific time, ("stale" I think is the word our payroll uses). Additionally, I know alot of companies set up specific accounts to do paychecks out of. Won't there be a delay when she tries to cash those all at once since the bank will probably want to double-check with the issuer due to their size and age?

Kind of defeats the point of a rainy-day fund if she has to wait for the checks to clear, doesn't it?

This is actually the most common form of saving for blue collar workers.  Can't spend what isn't in your bank account (or more accurately what you haven't already cashed in at the check cashing store).  Stick a few paychecks under the mattress and then bust them out at Christmas to pay for your shipping / vacation.
Source: Corporate Treasury Management course in college

well that won't work too well anymore. Who actually gets physical paychecks anymore? Isn't it all direct deposit at this point?

[frugalnacho]

well that won't work too well anymore. Who actually gets physical paychecks anymore? Isn't it all direct deposit at this point?

My company won't do direct deposit because it costs extra money.  I don't really understand why it costs more money to have dd though, it doesn't make any sense.  Some how issuing physical checks to everyone, and having everyone physically cash those checks is all totally free, but dd would cost an extra fee for each person on the payroll.  It's madness.

[Scandium]

well that won't work too well anymore. Who actually gets physical paychecks anymore? Isn't it all direct deposit at this point?

My company won't do direct deposit because it costs extra money.  I don't really understand why it costs more money to have dd though, it doesn't make any sense.  Some how issuing physical checks to everyone, and having everyone physically cash those checks is all totally free, but dd would cost an extra fee for each person on the payroll.  It's madness.

What? That is madness. So printing checks and putting them in envelopes, and mailing to any remote offices cost less than doing account transfers? How? Last I checked my bank charged zero to do a transfer..

If someone wanted to pay me with a piece of paper I have to cash every time I'd be pissed.

[solon]

well that won't work too well anymore. Who actually gets physical paychecks anymore? Isn't it all direct deposit at this point?

My company won't do direct deposit because it costs extra money.  I don't really understand why it costs more money to have dd though, it doesn't make any sense.  Some how issuing physical checks to everyone, and having everyone physically cash those checks is all totally free, but dd would cost an extra fee for each person on the payroll.  It's madness.

I used to work for a company like this too. On payday, the paymaster would walk around the office and personally hand each employee a live check. Then, everyone would take a break and walk to the bank.

There were about 200 employees. Each person spent about half an hour of paid company time. So I estimate 100 person/hours each pay cycle was dedicated to depositing checks. I'm not sure what the company would have spent on DD, but surely it couldn't have been as much as it was spending on live checks.

[frugalnacho]

well that won't work too well anymore. Who actually gets physical paychecks anymore? Isn't it all direct deposit at this point?

My company won't do direct deposit because it costs extra money.  I don't really understand why it costs more money to have dd though, it doesn't make any sense.  Some how issuing physical checks to everyone, and having everyone physically cash those checks is all totally free, but dd would cost an extra fee for each person on the payroll.  It's madness.

What? That is madness. So printing checks and putting them in envelopes, and mailing to any remote offices cost less than doing account transfers? How? Last I checked my bank charged zero to do a transfer..

If someone wanted to pay me with a piece of paper I have to cash every time I'd be pissed.

Well they don't have to mail any out, it's all distributed by hand in our only office.  But yea, it's madness.  I think it's just the banks trying to capitalize on a service you want and are willing to pay for despite making it easier and cheaper for them.  Kind of like ticketmaster charging me a convenience fee to purchase tickets through their automated system and print them out myself.   You have an unmanned, automated system that exists on the internet...it's the cheapest and most efficient form of ticket sales possible, you require no infrastructure and minimal employees, and yet you are charging me extra for using this service that is obviously superior to any other way you could distribute tickets.  AND you have the balls to charge me an additional fee to print it out myself, even though it saves you the hassle and expense of doing it?! It's totally bonkers.  Straight greed.

[MgoSam]

well that won't work too well anymore. Who actually gets physical paychecks anymore? Isn't it all direct deposit at this point?

My company won't do direct deposit because it costs extra money.  I don't really understand why it costs more money to have dd though, it doesn't make any sense.  Some how issuing physical checks to everyone, and having everyone physically cash those checks is all totally free, but dd would cost an extra fee for each person on the payroll.  It's madness.

I used to work for a company like this too. On payday, the paymaster would walk around the office and personally hand each employee a live check. Then, everyone would take a break and walk to the bank.

There were about 200 employees. Each person spent about half an hour of paid company time. So I estimate 100 person/hours each pay cycle was dedicated to depositing checks. I'm not sure what the company would have spent on DD, but surely it couldn't have been as much as it was spending on live checks.

There would still need to be someone that gives each person a copy of their paystub. Even if they are on salary that pays them exactly the same amount, employees still need a copy (believe that this might be a requirement by law). If people are salary, there may be disputes about hours or vacation time or other things. We have half our employees with DD and they get copies of their paychecks.

[solon]

well that won't work too well anymore. Who actually gets physical paychecks anymore? Isn't it all direct deposit at this point?

My company won't do direct deposit because it costs extra money.  I don't really understand why it costs more money to have dd though, it doesn't make any sense.  Some how issuing physical checks to everyone, and having everyone physically cash those checks is all totally free, but dd would cost an extra fee for each person on the payroll.  It's madness.

I used to work for a company like this too. On payday, the paymaster would walk around the office and personally hand each employee a live check. Then, everyone would take a break and walk to the bank.

There were about 200 employees. Each person spent about half an hour of paid company time. So I estimate 100 person/hours each pay cycle was dedicated to depositing checks. I'm not sure what the company would have spent on DD, but surely it couldn't have been as much as it was spending on live checks.

There would still need to be someone that gives each person a copy of their paystub. Even if they are on salary that pays them exactly the same amount, employees still need a copy (believe that this might be a requirement by law). If people are salary, there may be disputes about hours or vacation time or other things. We have half our employees with DD and they get copies of their paychecks.

The other places I have worked gave us a website where we could download the paystubs ourselves. Which I do early in the morning on payday, before work, so it's on my own time.

[Scandium]

well that won't work too well anymore. Who actually gets physical paychecks anymore? Isn't it all direct deposit at this point?

My company won't do direct deposit because it costs extra money.  I don't really understand why it costs more money to have dd though, it doesn't make any sense.  Some how issuing physical checks to everyone, and having everyone physically cash those checks is all totally free, but dd would cost an extra fee for each person on the payroll.  It's madness.

I used to work for a company like this too. On payday, the paymaster would walk around the office and personally hand each employee a live check. Then, everyone would take a break and walk to the bank.

There were about 200 employees. Each person spent about half an hour of paid company time. So I estimate 100 person/hours each pay cycle was dedicated to depositing checks. I'm not sure what the company would have spent on DD, but surely it couldn't have been as much as it was spending on live checks.

There would still need to be someone that gives each person a copy of their paystub. Even if they are on salary that pays them exactly the same amount, employees still need a copy (believe that this might be a requirement by law). If people are salary, there may be disputes about hours or vacation time or other things. We have half our employees with DD and they get copies of their paychecks.

Well then that's not the law here because I haven't seen a physical paystub in years. I can log into the ADP payroll system to look at a pdf of it though. Which is makes sense since we've not in the 1970s anymore..

[fantabulous]

well that won't work too well anymore. Who actually gets physical paychecks anymore? Isn't it all direct deposit at this point?

My company won't do direct deposit because it costs extra money.  I don't really understand why it costs more money to have dd though, it doesn't make any sense.  Some how issuing physical checks to everyone, and having everyone physically cash those checks is all totally free, but dd would cost an extra fee for each person on the payroll.  It's madness.

What? That is madness. So printing checks and putting them in envelopes, and mailing to any remote offices cost less than doing account transfers? How? Last I checked my bank charged zero to do a transfer..

If someone wanted to pay me with a piece of paper I have to cash every time I'd be pissed.

Well they don't have to mail any out, it's all distributed by hand in our only office.  But yea, it's madness.  I think it's just the banks trying to capitalize on a service you want and are willing to pay for despite making it easier and cheaper for them.  Kind of like ticketmaster charging me a convenience fee to purchase tickets through their automated system and print them out myself.   You have an unmanned, automated system that exists on the internet...it's the cheapest and most efficient form of ticket sales possible, you require no infrastructure and minimal employees, and yet you are charging me extra for using this service that is obviously superior to any other way you could distribute tickets.  AND you have the balls to charge me an additional fee to print it out myself, even though it saves you the hassle and expense of doing it?! It's totally bonkers.  Straight greed.

Kind of like Bank of America's "Disdain for customers" fee. Totally makes sense that improperly compared (costs of printing only vs costs of direct deposit) would work out to be I would estimate $42 cheaper per pay period.

[Davids]

I look at it this way I don't care how I get paid as long as I get paid on the day I am supposed to get paid. Direct Deposit, physical check, cash, whatever. Hell with a physical check I would just pull my checking account's app on my smartphone and do the deposit right there instead of going to bank.

[TrMama]

This wasn't overheard at work, so much as it was the topic of a mandatory HR meeting for all employees. The subject of the meeting was, "Why health insurance premiums are going up and health benefits are going down". Subtitle: Our HR people can't do math.

The intro contained 2 fascinating bits of info:

1) The average employee age has increased from 44 to 46 over the past 2 years. Since we haven't hired anyone in the past 2 years I thought that made sense. The HR people were mystified by the fact we all got 2 years older over the past 2 years.

2) Our utilization rate is higher than average (aka we claim more health expenses relative to our premiums than other companies). Since the company employs at lot of engineers (aka people who are good at math) I didn't find this shocking either. Apparently, my coworkers know how to milk the system. Again, the HR people were mystified.

The really scary part was when HR lady #1 told us she was shopping around to see if she could find us a better deal on our defined benefit retirement plan. However, she didn't seem to have any idea on what to look for. I suggested a plan that offers a greater range of funds (more than the 12 crappy ones we have now would be nice) and funds that don't have MERs greater that 3%.

I also suggested that forcing us to buy life insurance on our kids was pretty crappy and I'd love to opt out. I was admonished for not knowing how expensive a funeral was. "It's over $17K!" I was speachless. I was afraid if I admitted that a) my children are very unlikely to croak, b) my family doesn't do funerals anyway and c) I have cash on hand to pay for even the fancy funeral that their heads would just explode.

[Kris]

Today was the CTO's birthday. His executive assistant ordered a cake from Magnolia Bakery. I think it was probably a 12 or 14 inch round cake--not large at all. She said it cost $80!!!!! I know it was probably the company's money and not hers but holy shit who pays $80 for a fucking cake???

My sister made the wedding cakes for my other sister's wedding earlier this year.  I think she was over $80 in ingredients alone.

Then again, the same one "professionally" done would apparently have been ~$800.  O.O

It was probably the best cake I've ever eaten.

Who pays $80 when Costco sells delicious cake for $17!! Seriously their round chocolate layer cake is so good, it probably serves 30 people because it is so rich you can cut the pieces really small.

For real, Costco cake is the bomb.  I couldn't believe it the first time I tried one.

[Ghzbani]

I work in IT for a large insurance company with a wonderful boss. However, my boss said something today that really threw me for a loop:

Boss: There's no way I can retire on just $6 million.

Me: Whoa. That's way more than you need to retire on. Throw that in a Vanguard fund and you'll never work another day in your life.

Boss: Well you don't spend like I do.

Me: Not at all. I'll send you a link to a blog that you might find interesting. (This one if you haven't guessed.)

Boss: What is it about?

Me: It's all about frugality, minimalism and making the most of your money.

Boss: Pass. I want to live in the here and now.

:-\

I literally just did the calculation on 2 different calculators (my computer calc and my desk calc) just to make sure I wasn't off but...WOW. That comes out to like 240K per year. How can you not live off that?!?! That could support 8+ mustacian households! I know (admittedly young) attorneys that don't make that much.

[chicagomeg]

Today was the CTO's birthday. His executive assistant ordered a cake from Magnolia Bakery. I think it was probably a 12 or 14 inch round cake--not large at all. She said it cost $80!!!!! I know it was probably the company's money and not hers but holy shit who pays $80 for a fucking cake???

My sister made the wedding cakes for my other sister's wedding earlier this year.  I think she was over $80 in ingredients alone.

Then again, the same one "professionally" done would apparently have been ~$800.  O.O

It was probably the best cake I've ever eaten.

Well sure but a. Your sister didn't have access to.wholesale ingredients and b. I'm sure it served more people than this thing.

[Tjat]

Coworker: I just really don't like eating leftovers. It just seems like a lot of work to cook extra.
Me: uh huh (I was in a bad mood)
Coworker: Yeah, plus the whole tupperware thing grosses me out. I heard they give you cancer if you use them in the microwave
Me: <as I dump my tupperwared lasagna onto a paper plate to heat up> really?

Coworker: Proceeds to heat up a lean cuisine

[fb132]

Coworker asking me to void his transaction (I am the only one who has the keys to cancel any transactions):"Hey, can you cancel my bill, I wanted to buy Rockstar (energy drink) and some chocolate bars, but my credit card is maxed out."

When he told me that, I did my very best to keep my mouth shut. At least the credit card company did the right thing and stopped borrowing him more money.

[hdatontodo]

The other places I have worked gave us a website where we could download the paystubs ourselves. Which I do early in the morning on payday, before work, so it's on my own time.

I like that my company lets me see my paystub on Wednesday for what I'm going to get paid on Friday. The amount varies since I get paid OT now. My money's tight since I'm trying to knock off my mortgage by January, and I like to see how the OT helps out my cash budget months down the road.

[Squashy]

Sent over the office listserv today:

Beginning as early as June 1, the intersection at [location redacted] will be closed, for an unknown period of time, for utility relocation work.
This may interfere with your Starbucks runs (gasp!), but never fear, detours will be in place.

Starbucks is a 10-minute walk away...and we have fancy espresso machines with fancy coffee beans available for free at the office.

[Indexer]

well that won't work too well anymore. Who actually gets physical paychecks anymore? Isn't it all direct deposit at this point?

My company won't do direct deposit because it costs extra money.  I don't really understand why it costs more money to have dd though, it doesn't make any sense.  Some how issuing physical checks to everyone, and having everyone physically cash those checks is all totally free, but dd would cost an extra fee for each person on the payroll.  It's madness.

What? That is madness. So printing checks and putting them in envelopes, and mailing to any remote offices cost less than doing account transfers? How? Last I checked my bank charged zero to do a transfer..

If someone wanted to pay me with a piece of paper I have to cash every time I'd be pissed.

Well they don't have to mail any out, it's all distributed by hand in our only office.  But yea, it's madness.  I think it's just the banks trying to capitalize on a service you want and are willing to pay for despite making it easier and cheaper for them.  Kind of like ticketmaster charging me a convenience fee to purchase tickets through their automated system and print them out myself.   You have an unmanned, automated system that exists on the internet...it's the cheapest and most efficient form of ticket sales possible, you require no infrastructure and minimal employees, and yet you are charging me extra for using this service that is obviously superior to any other way you could distribute tickets.  AND you have the balls to charge me an additional fee to print it out myself, even though it saves you the hassle and expense of doing it?! It's totally bonkers.  Straight greed.

I use to work in banking, and the banks WANT everyone on direct deposit... BADLY.  What do people with checks do?  They go bug tellers.... who get paid 25-35k a year.  Tellers are an expense.  Bankers bring in business, bankers pay for themselves... and the tellers.  Less checks means a lower teller/banker ratio required to keep the bank functioning which means more profits.

Its been forever, but I did help a few small companies set up direct deposit when I worked in banking.  It is normally a fixed cost for the service plus a very tiny cost per employee.  I want to say it was a monthly charge of $40+$1/employee(but it has been awhile).  So if you have 5 employees it is kind of a waste because the owner can just write 5 checks each week.  If you have 500 employees it is a no brainer because you are paying $1.08 per employee for a service that cuts other costs(checks, envelopes, labor to put the checks in the envelopes, etc.) and makes your employees happy.  $1 to make employees happy without raising their pay is huge to a business owner.

[Squirrel away]

My husband keeps telling people at his work that they can contribute more to their pension than the 5% they do now, to little response.

One person said he might do that when he gets closer to retirement?! He is almost 50!

Coworker: I just really don't like eating leftovers. It just seems like a lot of work to cook extra.
Me: uh huh (I was in a bad mood)
Coworker: Yeah, plus the whole tupperware thing grosses me out. I heard they give you cancer if you use them in the microwave
Me: <as I dump my tupperwared lasagna onto a paper plate to heat up> really?

Coworker: Proceeds to heat up a lean cuisine

Lol.:)

[I'm a red panda]

I look at it this way I don't care how I get paid as long as I get paid on the day I am supposed to get paid. Direct Deposit, physical check, cash, whatever. Hell with a physical check I would just pull my checking account's app on my smartphone and do the deposit right there instead of going to bank.

I don't care when I get paid as long as I get my vacation accruals on time.  As long as they pay me everything I am owed by the end of the year, I'm good.

[infogoon]

My company won't do direct deposit because it costs extra money.  I don't really understand why it costs more money to have dd though, it doesn't make any sense.  Some how issuing physical checks to everyone, and having everyone physically cash those checks is all totally free, but dd would cost an extra fee for each person on the payroll.  It's madness.

My city government is similar -- I can pay my property taxes, water bill, or other city services via a check for the price of postage, or I can pay them online via ACH for an additional "convenience fee". I like to think that spiteful cheapskates like me who keep paying by check are preserving the job of some civil service envelope opener in the bowels of City Hall.

[tmac]

We pay $1.50 per paycheck to do a direct deposit. We email pay stubs to the employees. It's all done directly from the financial software and is much less effort for me than printing, stuffing in envelopes, and mailing (which we'd have to do because we're in a different location). And I only have 5 people on payroll. If I had a hundred, I'd absolutely insist on direct deposit.

[Scandium]

My company won't do direct deposit because it costs extra money.  I don't really understand why it costs more money to have dd though, it doesn't make any sense.  Some how issuing physical checks to everyone, and having everyone physically cash those checks is all totally free, but dd would cost an extra fee for each person on the payroll.  It's madness.

My city government is similar -- I can pay my property taxes, water bill, or other city services via a check for the price of postage, or I can pay them online via ACH for an additional "convenience fee". I like to think that spiteful cheapskates like me who keep paying by check are preserving the job of some civil service envelope opener in the bowels of City Hall.

I can pay my water bill online from my debit account for free, they only charge extra for credit card. Or you may be able to use your banks bill pay option. I do that for the mortgage. Mailing IOUs in the post is so antiquated the less I have to do it the better.

[Elderwood17]

Coworker asking me to void his transaction (I am the only one who has the keys to cancel any transactions):"Hey, can you cancel my bill, I wanted to buy Rockstar (energy drink) and some chocolate bars, but my credit card is maxed out."

When he told me that, I did my very best to keep my mouth shut. At least the credit card company did the right thing and stopped borrowing him more money.

Sad.  Energy drinks and chocolate bars are worth making payments for?  I used to completely scorn people who maxed out their credit cards like this, but increasingly I have at least a little empathy (sometimes) because I don't think anyone has every shown a lot of these people the impact of their choices, proper use of credit, etc. 

[fb132]

Coworker asking me to void his transaction (I am the only one who has the keys to cancel any transactions):"Hey, can you cancel my bill, I wanted to buy Rockstar (energy drink) and some chocolate bars, but my credit card is maxed out."

When he told me that, I did my very best to keep my mouth shut. At least the credit card company did the right thing and stopped borrowing him more money.

Sad.  Energy drinks and chocolate bars are worth making payments for?  I used to completely scorn people who maxed out their credit cards like this, but increasingly I have at least a little empathy (sometimes) because I don't think anyone has every shown a lot of these people the impact of their choices, proper use of credit, etc.

What is even more sad is that he makes twice as much as I make and lives with his parents and is almost 30.

[WerKater]

well that won't work too well anymore. Who actually gets physical paychecks anymore? Isn't it all direct deposit at this point?

My company won't do direct deposit because it costs extra money.  I don't really understand why it costs more money to have dd though, it doesn't make any sense.  Some how issuing physical checks to everyone, and having everyone physically cash those checks is all totally free, but dd would cost an extra fee for each person on the payroll.  It's madness.

This is one thing we do better in Europe. No checks.
I think I have held exactly one check in my hands in my whole life. It was given to me by my aunt as a gift when I was maybe 16 or so. I had heard about checks before, but I had to go to my parents and ask them what exactly I was supposed to do with the thing.
If I told my employer that I wanted a physical paycheck I would probably be fired for insanity.

[Sam E]

well that won't work too well anymore. Who actually gets physical paychecks anymore? Isn't it all direct deposit at this point?

There are still some companies that don't do direct deposit, and I know a few people who refuse to sign up for direct deposit because they prefer getting a check. I've never known a company that forced direct deposit, it's always optional to my knowledge.

[mm1970]

well that won't work too well anymore. Who actually gets physical paychecks anymore? Isn't it all direct deposit at this point?

My company won't do direct deposit because it costs extra money.  I don't really understand why it costs more money to have dd though, it doesn't make any sense.  Some how issuing physical checks to everyone, and having everyone physically cash those checks is all totally free, but dd would cost an extra fee for each person on the payroll.  It's madness.

What? That is madness. So printing checks and putting them in envelopes, and mailing to any remote offices cost less than doing account transfers? How? Last I checked my bank charged zero to do a transfer..

If someone wanted to pay me with a piece of paper I have to cash every time I'd be pissed.

Well they don't have to mail any out, it's all distributed by hand in our only office.  But yea, it's madness.  I think it's just the banks trying to capitalize on a service you want and are willing to pay for despite making it easier and cheaper for them.  Kind of like ticketmaster charging me a convenience fee to purchase tickets through their automated system and print them out myself.   You have an unmanned, automated system that exists on the internet...it's the cheapest and most efficient form of ticket sales possible, you require no infrastructure and minimal employees, and yet you are charging me extra for using this service that is obviously superior to any other way you could distribute tickets.  AND you have the balls to charge me an additional fee to print it out myself, even though it saves you the hassle and expense of doing it?! It's totally bonkers.  Straight greed.

So I don't run races anymore, but I feel the same way about race fees.  To sign up on line costs an extra few bucks - so I'd always print out the registration form and mail in a check that only costs 42 cents (or whatever a stamp was at the time).

Also: school lunches.  It costs about $3 to add money to my kid's account, so when we run low I have my husband just drop off a check to the cafeteria.

[mtn]

well that won't work too well anymore. Who actually gets physical paychecks anymore? Isn't it all direct deposit at this point?

There are still some companies that don't do direct deposit, and I know a few people who refuse to sign up for direct deposit because they prefer getting a check. I've never known a company that forced direct deposit, it's always optional to my knowledge.

My company does. We're a bank though; if you don't have a checking account to direct deposit into they'll open one for you.

[eyePod]

The thing that gets me is the 'grill your own steak' places.  I fail to see how that differentiates from grilling at home.  But I know people WHO love it.  It's like a steakhouse, but they let you cook your own steak.  um, What? 
I guess it saves you from having to make side dishes?  The idea baffles me.

Never heard of this concept, is it just a normal steak that they provide to you to grill?

I've never been, and probably will never go to such a place. I imagine the appeal to some people is somewhat nicer cuts of steak than a supermarket and not having to clean off the grill afterwards.

cleaning the grill?  My grill cleaning consists of rubbing it with a wire brush for like 10 seconds once it's hot.

Cleaning out the grease trap is the worst. Oh man the smell. Rotten crap. Ugh.

[frugalnacho]

The thing that gets me is the 'grill your own steak' places.  I fail to see how that differentiates from grilling at home.  But I know people WHO love it.  It's like a steakhouse, but they let you cook your own steak.  um, What? 
I guess it saves you from having to make side dishes?  The idea baffles me.

Never heard of this concept, is it just a normal steak that they provide to you to grill?

I've never been, and probably will never go to such a place. I imagine the appeal to some people is somewhat nicer cuts of steak than a supermarket and not having to clean off the grill afterwards.

cleaning the grill?  My grill cleaning consists of rubbing it with a wire brush for like 10 seconds once it's hot.

Cleaning out the grease trap is the worst. Oh man the smell. Rotten crap. Ugh.

Cleaning out the grease trap takes like 10 seconds too.  Take it out, dump it in glass jar, and put it back.  No big deal.

I recently got some teflon grill mats, so I have been cooking everything outside on the grill.  My new favorite thing is to cook up a full breakfast on the grill in the morning sun.  A pound of bacon, some tater rounds, some eggs.   MMMM.  Clean up is so easy too.  Just wash 2 teflon mats, and empty the grill's grease trap.  So much easier than making bacon inside the house.

[AH013]

well that won't work too well anymore. Who actually gets physical paychecks anymore? Isn't it all direct deposit at this point?

My company won't do direct deposit because it costs extra money.  I don't really understand why it costs more money to have dd though, it doesn't make any sense.  Some how issuing physical checks to everyone, and having everyone physically cash those checks is all totally free, but dd would cost an extra fee for each person on the payroll.  It's madness.

Much like a convenience fee for ACH payments instead of sending a check, it is a profit center for many payroll processing companies, as it's free float.

Say payday is the first day of the week.  $250,000 of payroll for a generic company.  Checks are handed over at the end of the day on 6/1.  Payroll company pulls the month from the worker company on 5/29 to make sure the funds are available to pay the checks they issued.  Some people cash their paychecks same day, and it clears on 6/2.  Some of you are on vacation, out sick, etc. or just plain don't get around to doing it for a few days or even weeks.  Say on average checks clear on 6/4.

Payroll company just got to invest $250,000 for 6 days and keep the interest.  Invest it at around 1% APR and you just made $50.  Repeat 52 weeks a year, $2,600 in extra profit in that one example company.  ADP services over 600,000 companies.  You can do the math and see this is potentially millions of dollars of free money.  This is also why they love to mail checks -- if you can hold an average employee's $40k salary paid bi-weekly another 3 extra days as the USPS walks it to you every pay period and invest it at 1%, you just made an extra $85.  If you can mail out checks for less than $3.25 you're coming out ahead versus letting them hand them out at the office.

If you turn the money over to every employee same day via DD, you don't get this free float.

[dsmexpat]

well that won't work too well anymore. Who actually gets physical paychecks anymore? Isn't it all direct deposit at this point?

My company won't do direct deposit because it costs extra money.  I don't really understand why it costs more money to have dd though, it doesn't make any sense.  Some how issuing physical checks to everyone, and having everyone physically cash those checks is all totally free, but dd would cost an extra fee for each person on the payroll.  It's madness.

Much like a convenience fee for ACH payments instead of sending a check, it is a profit center for many payroll processing companies, as it's free float.

Say payday is the first day of the week.  $250,000 of payroll for a generic company.  Checks are handed over at the end of the day on 6/1.  Payroll company pulls the month from the worker company on 5/29 to make sure the funds are available to pay the checks they issued.  Some people cash their paychecks same day, and it clears on 6/2.  Some of you are on vacation, out sick, etc. or just plain don't get around to doing it for a few days or even weeks.  Say on average checks clear on 6/4.

Payroll company just got to invest $250,000 for 6 days and keep the interest.  Invest it at around 1% APR and you just made $50.  Repeat 52 weeks a year, $2,600 in extra profit in that one example company.  ADP services over 600,000 companies.  You can do the math and see this is potentially millions of dollars of free money.  This is also why they love to mail checks -- if you can hold an average employee's $40k salary paid bi-weekly another 3 extra days as the USPS walks it to you every pay period and invest it at 1%, you just made an extra $85.  If you can mail out checks for less than $3.25 you're coming out ahead versus letting them hand them out at the office.

If you turn the money over to every employee same day via DD, you don't get this free float.

This is nonsense. That's around 150-200 employees so that many checks. You're making $50 on the interest earned by printing and delivering that many checks. That's more expensive than it's worth. You grouped all the employees together to get a higher number without realizing that the interest earned per employee per check was negligible. Less than the cost of delivery.