Texs State Fair 2022 was Unfair

The big football game weekend between Oklahoma and Texas at the Texas State Fair should have been a crazy lucrative opportunity for all. There was nothing but a sea of crimson and orange clothes: t-shirts, jackets, sun dresses, jerseys, sweat shirts and hats flooded the park grounds, and swore allegiances or clever insults. For those who couldn’t get tickets to sit in the stadium or were enjoying the other State Fair attractions, there were many lavishly constructed spectator tents with huge viewing screens, complimented with surround sound and fake grass carpeting. Many tents were standing room only, as they were adjacent to food and beer vendor stations.
There was an estimated count of 100,000 attendees and, quid pro quo, 100,000 consumers. Even if it was half of that, there was good ol’ American opportunity for all concession stand workers to anticipate substantial financial benefit, but what got in the way? As one employee, apart of a 10 plus beer garden collective, from 6am til 6 pm, I am going to moderately estimate I served 300 guests. . .I received approximately $23 in gratuities.
Fact: Your favorite bartender or server—that cool, sexy, cute, spicy, and adorable guy or gal you love to fist bump, slap hug, hand jive, wink at, invite to the after hours bar when they’re done serving you so y’all can shmooze, impress, admire, and flirt with regularly or on special occasions. . .
. . .could give a shit about you and won’t be there tomorrow if they get a better tipping gig. That’s supply and demand. If they can catch your eye, they know they’re worth more . . .Somewhere. They might be doing well now, or maybe it’s just a side hustle, but a good percentage of them keep their ears perked for something that pays better. Retirement is real and your contribution to their needs and wants are quantifiable.
Concession stand labor, however, the catalysts and impetuses for large events, are big losers because the majority of these people need any kind of job. Not all, but many might not speak English, have a poor work history, are criminal rehabilitants, or live in unsteady living situations that lend to hustling for any employment if they can’t hold on to a steady job. While there are base labor jobs paying $15-$25 per hour on some apps for dishwashers, others can’t get that opportunity, and many people are not valued in a social ladder society that dictates a certain amount of privilege in the service industry for beauty and skin color. Yes some concession laborers were paid approximately $3,500 for the month, but they were required to work 15 hour days, 5 to 6 days a week, which averaged out to $11.66 per hour for a 75 hour week. I couldn’t commit to that schedule, so I was paid $150 per 12 hour shift, which averaged out to $12.50 per hour. If I ONLY sold about $360 per hour(calculating an average of 24 customers purchasing an average of 2 drinks costing $15) the fair's rate of return for my labor was about 2,500 % .
Just like your favorite bartender or server, our responsibilities were the same and so are the bills we pay. Up-selling, product knowledge, restocking, standing on our feet for hours, and competent service with professional manners, is required of all who accept service industry jobs.
Under the employment of Pirate Staffing we were directed to upsell triple priced alcohol, but we were explicitly threatened with snarls, glaring eyes, and termination if we solicited tips –meaning NO tip jars, NO folded dollars visibly tucked in a watch, a shirt pocket, or a visor. . . NOTHING that might trigger conscious, conscientious appreciation. And Definitely NO accepting fair currency—tickets—as tips. You know, those pesky little souvenirs you rediscover after the fair is over, while doing laundry, or emptying your wallet, or you find in your back pocket, in the bottom of your purse, and months later the junk drawer, or your child’s backpack because they wanted to play with them—They are aggravating mementos, reminding you spent more than you received, and you can’t recycle them for another event or next year because the last $7 of tickets weren’t enough to buy the $8 beer, and are now next year’s trash because the new tickets are going to be a different color so fuck you and welcome to another episode of “That’s How The Cookie Crumbles.” Waugh Waugh.
I’m not laughing at you, I’m complaining with you. Here’s what I think is the rationale: If you have been to any sporting event at a traditional venue lately, you probably tipped because the stadium provided the opportunity for it by NOT having a ticket currency system. They use a cash and cashless system that gives consumers the chance to choose a percentage of their purchase for a tip and cash transactions. A ticket system, like the State Fair employs, would probably wreak havoc on sales and attendance because of the frustration. Event goers would angrily complain and refuse to attend those types of events if it meant they would have to get in line to buy tickets then get in line to purchase commodities, wasting time away from their reason to attend.
At the State Fair, however, you’re only going once a year, and they did promise to employ a certain number of people, so they could be counted as heroes of the economy, and the heroes are going to employ their own system of currency to make it as profitable for them as possible.
If asked why the State Fair wouldn't use modern technology, I would expect that they would give some pretty shoddy answers, but the real answers might be transparent transactions. They would have to account for or return money not used to consumers, or face complaints and filings of fraud against them. Plus with the ticket system, a lot of money can be tucked away without scrutiny. A swelling of cash without evidentiary tickets might only mean the tickets got lost, damaged, or accidentally discarded, or there was an inventory miscount—not money laundering or anything unseemly. Thus, if the State Fair switched to a modern transaction system, complete with technologies that count and track sales more accurately, they would be liable for any and all profits they accrued. Balancing their receivables and payables at the end of their fair season would be ever so. . . transparent. No missing sales or exaggerated sales. . .well. . . maybe not as many.
Another weak argument might be the exorbitant expense of transforming to modern technology. But I look at all the tickets, i.e. trees processed and used briefly, then dumped into a landfill forever. Fair sponsors could invest in sustainable equipment like ipads, or card readers. If they argued about the cost of training labor to operate the equipment, that argument is laughable because many cashiering applications are very direct and almost self-explanatory. What is important is the time saved by attendees to enjoy the fair’s real attractions instead of the extra hour or two spent in several lines—one for the tickets, one for the food, and then one for the alcohol. And don't forget to account for the cueing time spent for the rides, attractions, and events.
Another argument which I think is also the weakest is the need for minimizing theft. In their eyes, purchasing tickets means that funds are restricted and more controlled through a limited number of agents. However security cameras would still be everywhere to monitor all cash transactions, plus cashiers would have to balance their drawer before going home, and investigations would ensue if there were any discrepancies. Cash transactions could dwindle to less than 20% of all transactions and also alleviate time spent in line waiting. These days, even your great-great-grandfather knows about cashless systems like debit cards or smart phone media to tap and pay. Next year his father will know about it too.
The staff that was selling tickets could be converted into staff that works the concession stands because you’d have more people cueing up directly for what they want to purchase. “The powers that be” would still be a hero of the American economy because they were able to maintain employment instead of laying off or diminishing the number of jobs. What’s more, tipping is already embedded into all cashless transaction systems and apps, so employees could earn more than a meager hourly wage.
But if State Fair sponsors should decide to maintain their completely obsolete, prevaricating and selfishly obtuse system of ticket currencies, then the onus of the burden shall lie on the consumer to be conscientious enough to realize that concession stand workers work hard for their money and deserve just as much of a tip as other service industry workers.
We, as food and beverage laborers, worked on our feet for 12 hours (MAYBE 🤔 two 10 minute breaks and a 30 minute lunch- if there was time) before and definitely after the game when the winners wanted to celebrate and the losers wanted to forget their defeat. We served hundreds of guests who purchased hundreds of dollars in tickets but we could not accept ticket gratuities. The only alternative was cash.
I recall one of the administrative managers directed me to remember to serve his special guests/friends free beer and libations. They were good natured men of retirement age, dressed in retirement swagger—beige and cream colored golf-wear, embroidered sweater vests, and jackets, crisply ironed slacks, polished, leather shoes, fidoras, bejewelled watches. They didn’t look like they needed anything free nor had they missed a meal in the last 50 years. They handed me about seven tattered singles for the free beers that totaled about $35. Thank goodness. Without those shreds of generosity, I would have only received $16 in tips.
What encourages profiteers to hire historically & socially underrated folks and then practice opportunistic exploit? Maybe APATHETIC ANONYMITY. That comfort zone of distance we use to rationalize that it’s o.k. to detract value from unknown faces associated with historical struggles. “Ugly faces” is a fault or unfortunate circumstance. Non-English is something “they” have to work on, even if they took your order without a mistake. As soon as you say 🙏 thank you and walk away, you are freed from the guilt of dismissing the efforts of strangers.
Texans, (and tourists too) you have money. You don’t need a disproportionately underprivileged class to be forced to accept table scrap jobs. No one should have to decide between affording their rent and teeth or a car note. The equal human being standing on the other side of the counter, who’s accommodating your requests with courtesy and even dedication to your satisfaction, deserves the same respect and consideration you give everywhere else. If these people, we, us- were tipped a dollar per customer, we/ they—could walk away with an extra $100-300 in a day . If you are more blessed than others, consider tipping $1 per item ordered. Or tip the standard 15-25 %. For every $10, tip $1-2. Round up. BRING CASH NEXT YEAR BECAUSE YOU CAME LAST YEAR AND NOTHING HAS CHANGED.
You knew you were going to a place that charges $8 for a can of piss-poor or even great beer. You knew you were going to enjoy several servings of it. You might even be a vendor for whatever products concession stands sell, and you’re there just to secretly shop and check on branding placement. You get a per diem, but are paid well, so even if it costs you a few dollars out of your reimbursed pocket, respectfully acknowledge service with a tip like you’re expected to at other places.
Don’t be a stingy douchebag, only donating if you see fit under particular circumstances. If they served you, tip. Don’t gripe about how expensive things are to a person who couldn’t afford to attend the event at all or in YOUR same style of pleasure—with plenty of alcohol and as much food as you and your friends or kids could digest. Some parents wanting to give their kids the experience of attending the fair but couldn’t afford very much are actually an anomaly in comparison to what I saw: Plenty of people dressed quite well, accessorized with diamonds, gold, platinum, and other luxuries of a blessed life—top designer nails and name brand footwear, starting way over one day’s worth of my pay. And don’t get me going about the impressive special-occasion game-day outfits people purchased. . .
Don’t play the victim unless you’re prepared to accept hearing “Get it your damn self, I’m going to watch the game.” Attending was just as much your choice as ours to work there, but we were basically accepting to be seen as the generic poor and as the “We don’t deserve consideration for our equally demanding job” crowd, so getting paid ANYTHING close to a decent wage is better than welfare. You know there are people who treat others disproportionately because YOU or THEY, or WE can get away with it. Outside of the spaces where you are “allowed” to turn a blind eye, you tip as expected to or more. In some places where the tip is not given or under standard, managers might ask what went wrong.
I was terminated by text the day after I worked the game because they claimed I didn’t have a reliable schedule. The first day I worked, standing for 11 hours and thirty minutes agitated a previous whiplash injury and a metaphorical javelin was lancing me through the spine and neck. Even standing with rubber mats, my body was no match for that first day, and returning the next day was ludicrous. I rode the bus, walked to the station to report for duty, hoping I would feel some relief from exercising my back and legs, but I had to inform the manager that I was in too much pain to stay even after 800 mg of ibuprofen and 200 mg of Tylenol. They thought I wasn’t returning, but I reported for that Texas Oklahoma game 4 days later. I received compliments from the supervisor on the floor, and he said he looked forward to working with me again, but I was still terminated with a text message. “Unreliable”. (Gosh, I’m glad I didn’t accept an additional $30 in ticket tips that I could have sold for an extra $20 to a co-worker who was going to the fair, cuz then I would have been a “they”,smh & lol.)
By the way “thank you’s” are nice WITH a tip, but if you think it replaces socio-economic hardship with good will, you’re obtuse