As of January 1, 2019, we have closed our forums. This is a decision we did not come to lightly, but it is necessary. The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk. The server software itself must be updated, and it cannot be without removing the forums.
So it is with a heavy heart that we say goodbye to our long-running forums. They came online in 2000 and brought together so many wonderful Disney fans. We had friendships form, careers launch, couples marry, children born ... all because of this amazing community.
Thank you to each of you who were a part of this community. You made it possible.
And a very special thank you to our Guides (moderators), past and present, who kept our forums a happy place to be. You are the glue that held everything together, and we are forever grateful to you. Thank you aliceinwdw, Caldercup, MrsM, WillCAD, Fortissimo, GingerJ, HiddenMickey, CRCrazy, Eeyoresmom, disneyknut, disneydani, Cam22, chezp, WDWfan, Luvsun, KMB733, rescuesk, OhToodles!, Colexis Mom, lfredsbo, HiddenMickey, DrDolphin, DopeyGirl, duck addict, Disneybine, PixieMichele, Sandra Bostwick, Eeyore Tattoo, DyanKJ130, Suzy Q'Disney, LilMarcieMouse, AllisonG, Belle*, Chrissi, Brant, DawnDenise, Crystalloubear, Disneymom9092, FanOfMickey, Goofy4Goofy, GoofyMom, Home4us123, iamgrumpy, ilovedisney247, Jennifer2003, Jenny Pooh, KrisLuvsDisney, Ladyt, Laughaholic88, LauraBelle Hime, Lilianna, LizardCop, Loobyoxlip, lukeandbrooksmom, marisag, michnash, MickeyMAC, OffKilter_Lynn, PamelaK, Poor_Eeyore, ripkensnana, RobDVC, SHEANA1226, Shell of the South, snoozin, Statelady01, Tara O'Hara, tigger22, Tink and Co., Tinkerbelz, WDWJAMBA, wdwlovers, Wendyismyname, whoSEZ, WildforWD, and WvuGrrrl. You made the magic.
We want to personally thank Sara Varney, who coordinated our community for many years (among so many other things she did for us), and Cheryl Pendry, our Message Board Manager who helped train our Guides, and Ginger Jabour, who helped us with the PassPorter-specific forums and Live! Guides. Thank you for your time, energy, and enthusiasm. You made it all happen.
There are other changes as well.
Why? Well, the world has changed. And change with it, we must. The lyrics to "We Go On" for IllumiNations say it best:
We go on to the joy and through the tears
We go on to discover new frontiers
Moving on with the current of the years.
We go on
Moving forward now as one
Moving on with a spirit born to run
Ever on with each rising sun.
To a new day, we go on.
It's time to move on and move forward.
PassPorter is a small business, and for many years it supported our family. But the world changed, print books took a backseat to the Internet, and for a long time now it has been unable to make ends meet. We've had to find new ways to support our family, which means new careers and less and less time available to devote to our first baby, PassPorter.
But eventually, we must move on and move forward. It is the right thing to do.
So we are retiring this newsletter, as we simply cannot keep up with it. Many thanks to Mouse Fan Travel who supported it all these years, to All Ears and MousePlanet who helped us with news, to our many article contributors, and -- most importantly -- to Sara Varney who edited our newsletter so wonderfully for years and years.
And we are no longer charging for the Live Guides. If you have a subscription, it's yours to keep for the lifetime of the Live Guides at no additional cost. The Live Guides will stay online, barring server issues and technical problems, for all of 2019.
That said, PassPorter is not going away. Most of the resources will remain online for as long as we can support them, and after that we will find ways to make whatever we can available. PassPorter means a great deal to us, and to many of you, and we will do our best to keep it alive in whatever way we can. Our server costs are high, and they'll need to come out of our pockets, so in the future you can expect some changes so we can bring those costs down.
Thank you, thank you, thank you for your amazing support over the years. Without you, there's no way us little guys could have made something like this happen and given the "big guys" a run for their money. PassPorter was consistently the #3 guidebook after the Unofficial and Official guides, which was really unheard of for such a small company to do. We ROCKED it thanks to you and your support and love!
If you miss us, you can still find some of us online. Sara started a new blog at DisneyParkPrincess.com -- I strongly urge you to visit and get on her mailing list. She IS the Disney park princess and knows Disney backward and forward. And I am blogging as well at JenniferMaker.com, which is a little craft blog I started a couple of years ago to make ends meet. You can see and hear me in my craft show at https://www.youtube.com/c/jennifermaker . Many PassPorter readers and fans are on Facebook, in groups they formed like the PassPorter Trip Reports and PassPorter Crafting Challenge (if you join, just let them know you read about it in the newsletter). And some of our most devoted community members started a forum of their own at Pixie Dust Lane and all are invited over.
So we encourage you to stay in touch with us and your fellow community members wherever works best for you!
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I had a headlight out in my car. I went to the auto parts store while DS was at karate last night and bought a new bulb. The clerk who sold me the bulb was very pleasant and personable and he offered to install the bulb for me. His exact words were, "I'll take a look and if it isn't too hard to install, I'll put it in for you." While he was doing this, we discovered that the headlight assembly had an inch of water in it, which he dumped out before installing the bulb. He told me I might have a leak and gave me some suggestions on what to do. I thanked him (several times) and then went on my way to pick up DS. When I got home, I told DH the light was fixed and that the clerk installed it. His first question was, "Did you tip him?" Now I feel horrible. It never occured to me to tip this gentleman. I don't frequent auto supply stores -is this common? Should I return to the store and leave a tip? WWYD?
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I wouldn't think of it as a tipping position. As you said, you thanked him several times. Maybe you could also call the store and let the boss know how nice and helpful he was?
DH is a manager of an auto-parts store. No, you shouldn't have tipped him. That is what they are expected to do. DH has changed out lightbulbs, batteries, wiper blades, about anything you can quickly do (or not so quickly) in a parking lot, sometimes in a freezing rain or snow storm. No tipping is expected, ever. Thanking him profusely is more than most people do!
I always give the person ten dollars. I've even done it if it just helping me get the hood opened (mine was hit by a tree and sometimes gets stuck). I really don't view it as a tip but some compensation for work that was done. And although Teresa's husband may make a good salary in management, some of the clerks are barely paid above minimum wage. Around here, the clerks do not routinely do installations.
I myself would not tip but that's because I've been in retail and many of the positions HIGHLY frown on accepting them. Some have it you could lose your job over accepting one if it's found out about. And as Teresa pointed out, in this particular case, something like that falls under the job description - if it didn't, he would never have offered to leave the store. I think a call to his manager is more in order as something like that should go in his record.
I wouldn't've tipped -- he offered and you didn't expect the service.
What I *would* do is write a letter praising him for helping you and send it to corporate or give it to the manager of the store. That will go very far in helping him at his next review or when a higher position comes available. (Not to mention that it'll teach him the value of continued great customer service.)
It isn't a tipped position, and I agree with Darlene in that, having worked retail a bit in my life, it is not "OK" to take tips in most retail jobs as you can get fired for accepting tips.
Call the manager and let him/her know that this guy went above and beyond . . . maybe he'll get a raise out of it instead.
I always give the person ten dollars. I've even done it if it just helping me get the hood opened (mine was hit by a tree and sometimes gets stuck). I really don't view it as a tip but some compensation for work that was done. And although Teresa's husband may make a good salary in management, some of the clerks are barely paid above minimum wage. Around here, the clerks do not routinely do installations.
Gotta say - nope, DH doesn't make much more money than the clerks - less than a $1 an hour more. The reason he fought being a manager - more responsibility and no (okay, a little tiny bit) of compensation. And no matter how much he works and on what days (holidays, etc), he is NOT paid overtime.
I still stand with they are not tipped. It's in their job description. They are required to do it, and they make the same amount of money whether they put in your bulb or your battery or stand inside all day.
If I were going to tip everyone for doing their job, I'd be tipping the clerk at the clothing store for fetching me a different size or the shoe clerk for getting me a pair from the back. We tip servers because they are paid less than minimum wage, with the expectation that their customers will tip them. Housekeepers we tip because we're messy. Hair dressers because they're usually self-employed.
Do you tip the guy at the oil change place because he swept out the car (it's included in the price, it's in his job description)?
Gotta say - nope, DH doesn't make much more money than the clerks - less than a $1 an hour more. The reason he fought being a manager - more responsibility and no (okay, a little tiny bit) of compensation. And no matter how much he works and on what days (holidays, etc), he is NOT paid overtime.
I still stand with they are not tipped. It's in their job description. They are required to do it, and they make the same amount of money whether they put in your bulb or your battery or stand inside all day.
If I were going to tip everyone for doing their job, I'd be tipping the clerk at the clothing store for fetching me a different size or the shoe clerk for getting me a pair from the back. We tip servers because they are paid less than minimum wage, with the expectation that their customers will tip them. Housekeepers we tip because we're messy. Hair dressers because they're usually self-employed.
Do you tip the guy at the oil change place because he swept out the car (it's included in the price, it's in his job description)?
I agree. Some people take tipping way to far. Putting the bulb in is likely in his job description. If not he could be in trouble for being away from his work station and now waiting on other customers.
Most stores like this have signs up that actually say no tipping. I have even noticed this at our local grocery store where they ask if you need help taking your bags out to your car. I never accept the help anyway. The guys that bags the groceries are either barely 16 or retired gentlemen in their 60-70's.
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I wouldn't have tipped either. But I agree with a few others who have mentioned writing a letter or calling his manager to let them know what wonderful service you received.
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