Red Lobster is running a promo on gift cards at the moment - buy $25 or more and get a $5 card bonus coupon. If you are a regular guest I'd suggest just buying them $25 at a time to maximize your bonus $5 opportunities. I don't paid on the card in any way, but figured I can help people save. If you do use the coupon make sure you tip off the original total, not the reduced total.
And for employees of Red Lobster - if you aren't getting your discounted employee gift cards, you are seriously missing out on some easy cash - at least if you have any friends or family near you.
Here's what you do:
Buy as many gift cards as you can. I was known to sometimes buy cards from other employees who weren't planning on purchasing them for themselves. The more you can get, the better. Yes, this requires tying up some of your cash, but if you plan ahead and save for a while, you can get there too. So if you can't pull it off this year, do it next year.
Give these cards to friends and family who live nearby as gifts. Tell them when you work. Ask that they request you as their server. Now they are paying for a meal with a card you bought at a discounted price. So you look like a generous giver up front, and then they come and sit in your section, are friendly to you, and are very likely to leave a generous tip.
If you were already planning on giving them a $25, $50, or $100 range gift for Christmas/Hanuka/Kwanza/Festivus/Circumcision you no longer have to wrap it (saves time, expense, frustration and the ozone layer). You save money on the front end, and collect a fat tip on the back end. Winning.
Just as an aside - don't let your family/friends leave you the remainder on a gift card. Carrying that card around - even if it is legit - is an easy excuse for Red Dumpster to terminate you if you are caught in possession of it while working.
There are some dark arts that go beyond this, but I'm not going to share those details publicly lest some moron unable to work the system tries it and gets fired and his kids don't get Christmas because the Grinch Lobster Boy planted this idea in his baked out head.
Be smart out there this Christmas season. Make some serious bank. Enjoy yourselves the best you can in spite of all Darden has been, is, and will be doing to screw you over.
2 comments:
Supposedly, they can't use a coupon with the gift card because it was bought with an employee discount. Is that correct?
Theoretically, that is correct. Also not supposed to use the 25% friends and family benefit with gift cards that were purchased with the discount. Would be a double discount, as it were. Also, you 'probably' won't get the $5 bonus card if you use your employee discount to buy the gift cards. Another double discount. Policies in your location might vary slightly, although I've never seen a manager go ballistic over any of these situations. They're just happy your friends come in and spend money for dinner. Or, in the words of MY GM, "It's not my money"....Give generously, and reap the benefits. Merry Christmas!
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