8 Bit WWBG
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Post by 8 Bit WWBG on Dec 1, 2016 21:12:14 GMT -5
Homer: What do you mean by "suggested donation". Receptionist: You pay any amount you wish H: ...and what if I'd like to pay... zero? R: That is your choice. H: Oh, I see. So you think people are going to pay you four dollars and fifty cents, even though they don't have to? Just out of the kindness of their... *laughter*. Good luck lady! You're going to need it.
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gooddecisions
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Post by gooddecisions on Dec 2, 2016 11:11:40 GMT -5
That's nuts. Our big holiday shindig stopped 12 years ago when they tried to charge people $30/ticket. Less than 100 people including dates went and there are 2000 employees in my city. Nobody wanted to pay to go to a work party, especially in 2004 when companies were actually making money. There were no more big holiday work parties after that (nobody goes, why throw them...but nobody went because it wasn't free). Now our individual departments do an in-office pot luck or something really casual, if they do anything at all. Fine with me.
My husband's company still has a very nice holiday party. They rent a hotel ball room, dj, some random theme, cocktails, wine and heavy appetizers. I'd estimate there are usually about 500 people, including guests. I suspect the company spends quite a bit on it and people love it.
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MJ2.0
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Post by MJ2.0 on Dec 2, 2016 12:58:30 GMT -5
my company has thrown a big holiday party for the past few years - beef/pork/chicken carving stations, mashed potato bar, salad bar, chocolate fountain, dessert tables, photo booth and professional pics, DJ and dance floor, open bar.... all in a ballroom type venue. We contribute a big fat ZERO dollars to this thing.
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Opti
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Post by Opti on Dec 2, 2016 13:35:58 GMT -5
That's nuts. Our big holiday shindig stopped 12 years ago when they tried to charge people $30/ticket. Less than 100 people including dates went and there are 2000 employees in my city. Nobody wanted to pay to go to a work party, especially in 2004 when companies were actually making money. There were no more big holiday work parties after that (nobody goes, why throw them...but nobody went because it wasn't free). Now our individual departments do an in-office pot luck or something really casual, if they do anything at all. Fine with me. My husband's company still has a very nice holiday party. They rent a hotel ball room, dj, some random theme, cocktails, wine and heavy appetizers. I'd estimate there are usually about 500 people, including guests. I suspect the company spends quite a bit on it and people love it. Ours is free for employees but guests are a charge. Last year it was $30 for a guest and this year it will be $41! And its remained on a Thursday night like last year unlike the prior years when it was on Friday night.
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Wisconsin Beth
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Post by Wisconsin Beth on Dec 2, 2016 13:50:44 GMT -5
And cake. There should be cake. I like a woman who knows what she wants varietit's of cake. Chhesecakes, cakes with buttercreme frosting and cakes with non buttercreme froating.
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MJ2.0
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Post by MJ2.0 on Dec 2, 2016 13:57:49 GMT -5
I like a woman who knows what she wants varietit's of cake. Chhesecakes, cakes with buttercreme frosting and cakes with non buttercreme froating. are you drunk? or just fat-fingering?
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Opti
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Post by Opti on Dec 2, 2016 14:00:33 GMT -5
I'm not into cake. I'd rather have cookies or brownies or even fresh berries.
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Wisconsin Beth
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Post by Wisconsin Beth on Dec 2, 2016 14:04:47 GMT -5
varietit's of cake. Chhesecakes, cakes with buttercreme frosting and cakes with non buttercreme froating. are you drunk? or just fat-fingering? fat fingering damnit.
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NastyWoman
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Post by NastyWoman on Dec 2, 2016 14:12:03 GMT -5
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justme
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Post by justme on Dec 3, 2016 0:44:12 GMT -5
my company has thrown a big holiday party for the past few years - beef/pork/chicken carving stations, mashed potato bar, salad bar, chocolate fountain, dessert tables, photo booth and professional pics, DJ and dance floor, open bar.... all in a ballroom type venue. We contribute a big fat ZERO dollars to this thing. Dude, I've never heard of a mashed potatoe bar. My mind is going wild on what, exactly, that means.
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MJ2.0
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Post by MJ2.0 on Dec 3, 2016 8:04:34 GMT -5
my company has thrown a big holiday party for the past few years - beef/pork/chicken carving stations, mashed potato bar, salad bar, chocolate fountain, dessert tables, photo booth and professional pics, DJ and dance floor, open bar.... all in a ballroom type venue. We contribute a big fat ZERO dollars to this thing. Dude, I've never heard of a mashed potatoe bar. My mind is going wild on what, exactly, that means. Basically a vat of mashed potatoes and a whole slew of add-ons - chives, bacon bits, cheese, green onions.... <<drool>>
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gooddecisions
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Post by gooddecisions on Dec 3, 2016 10:20:34 GMT -5
I bet the company party I went to last night easily cost $25K, probably more like $50K. It was in one of the ritziest hotel in the city- their 2 largest ballrooms for 5 hours, catered a ton of food, dessert bar, no limit on cocktails, wine, or beer, casino games, photo booths, cigars and probably 500 people. My estimate is best guest based on what I think a wedding reception like that would cost.
No charge.
I really can't believe people are willing to "donate" that kind of money to a work function.
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dannylion
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Post by dannylion on Dec 3, 2016 14:31:23 GMT -5
Now I want mashed potatoes.
And bacon.
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NastyWoman
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Post by NastyWoman on Dec 3, 2016 14:56:21 GMT -5
Now I want mashed potatoes.
And bacon. On the cake?
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dannylion
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Post by dannylion on Dec 3, 2016 15:36:52 GMT -5
Now I want mashed potatoes.
And bacon. On the cake? No. Not on the cake. Cake should not be adulterated with non-cake-friendly substances. It should be allowed to be cake and enhanced only with frosting or ganache or whipped cream. Possibly raspberries. No mashed potatoes. (Maybe bacon). Definitely no fondant. Fondant is not frosting. It is a sad disappointment. Mashed potatoes would also be a sad disappointment on a cake. Not like fondant, which is an inedible abomination. Sad because of the missed opportunity for the mashed potatoes to fulfill their own special savory destiny as a vector for the bliss that is gravy and also because the cake would be bereft of the tasty goodness that is frosting or ganache or whipped cream.
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zibazinski
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Post by zibazinski on Dec 3, 2016 15:56:08 GMT -5
That's nuts. Our big holiday shindig stopped 12 years ago when they tried to charge people $30/ticket. Less than 100 people including dates went and there are 2000 employees in my city. Nobody wanted to pay to go to a work party, especially in 2004 when companies were actually making money. There were no more big holiday work parties after that (nobody goes, why throw them...but nobody went because it wasn't free). Now our individual departments do an in-office pot luck or something really casual, if they do anything at all. Fine with me. My husband's company still has a very nice holiday party. They rent a hotel ball room, dj, some random theme, cocktails, wine and heavy appetizers. I'd estimate there are usually about 500 people, including guests. I suspect the company spends quite a bit on it and people love it. Ours is free for employees but guests are a charge. Last year it was $30 for a guest and this year it will be $41! And its remained on a Thursday night like last year unlike the prior years when it was on Friday night. Cheaper then.
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dee27
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Post by dee27 on Dec 3, 2016 16:19:44 GMT -5
DH's former boss threw a swanky holiday party that was free for employees and guests. However, it was very evident from the large guest list that the majority of attendees were close friends and business acquaintances, and the party became a business deduction.
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zibazinski
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Post by zibazinski on Dec 3, 2016 18:52:57 GMT -5
DH's former boss threw a swanky holiday party that was free for employees and guests. However, it was very evident from the large guest list that the majority of attendees were close friends and business acquaintances, and the party became a business deduction. I went to a wedding like that once. Awkward
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dee27
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Post by dee27 on Dec 3, 2016 19:22:48 GMT -5
The party was awkward and boring, Zib. We stopped going to the annual gala as did several others, but the boss said it was mandatory to attend. The accountant told the boss he would have to pay the employees if they were required to attend, and the boss dropped the discussion.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Dec 3, 2016 19:34:02 GMT -5
We have what is basically a pot-luck. The principal/assistant principals provided the turkey and ham, which the cafeteria workers prepared. The faculty brought a side dish. The PTA provided drinks and desserts. This year, though, the administration got a nursing home to provide the turkey and ham. I don't really get that myself, but I guess it is the corporation that owns the nursing home. Maybe our students are such awesome volunteers (but then shouldn't they get the benefit?) Maybe they are trolling for residents among us old folks. We are not a small group, by the way. There are probably 350+ when you throw in the custodial staff, cafeteria workers, bus drivers, etc. Plus,the mayor, city council, school board, fire department, police department, and any other municipal group you can think of comes, too. One year some new restaurant offered to provide food. They had no real idea of how large we are. They ran out of burritos halfway through so there was an announcement to "cut your burrito in half and offer the uneaten half to someone else." Can you imagine!!! Only if you teach . . . Lol.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Dec 3, 2016 21:39:27 GMT -5
I bet the company party I went to last night easily cost $25K, probably more like $50K. It was in one of the ritziest hotel in the city- their 2 largest ballrooms for 5 hours, catered a ton of food, dessert bar, no limit on cocktails, wine, or beer, casino games, photo booths, cigars and probably 500 people. My estimate is best guest based on what I think a wedding reception like that would cost. My last employer did something like that but with improv comedy the year I went instead of a DJ, and a funny video clip about people and events in the company. It started in the AM with people in departments bringing in goodies (including booze) and heading over to the hotel around noon. No casino games or photo booths but there were after-parties in various bars (I suspect the company picked up the tab for that). Each of us got a taxi voucher to use if we wanted it. This was an insurance brokerage where the people who produced the business were the rock stars so it was a heavy sales culture. Sales types party petty well. There were also door prizes, mostly electronics. No spouses and no cost to employees.
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GRG a/k/a goldenrulegirl
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Post by GRG a/k/a goldenrulegirl on Dec 4, 2016 10:09:29 GMT -5
On the cake? No. Not on the cake. Cake should not be adulterated with non-cake-friendly substances. It should be allowed to be cake and enhanced only with frosting or ganache or whipped cream. Possibly raspberries. No mashed potatoes. (Maybe bacon). Definitely no fondant. Fondant is not frosting. It is a sad disappointment. Mashed potatoes would also be a sad disappointment on a cake. Not like fondant, which is an inedible abomination. Sad because of the missed opportunity for the mashed potatoes to fulfill their own special savory destiny as a vector for the bliss that is gravy and also because the cake would be bereft of the tasty goodness that is frosting or ganache or whipped cream. We so need to hang out. And eat cake. Cake made the right way.
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❤ mollymouser ❤
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Post by ❤ mollymouser ❤ on Dec 4, 2016 14:31:18 GMT -5
For $3,000, I would expect the party to be in Hawaii.
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naughtybear
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Post by naughtybear on Dec 5, 2016 6:46:53 GMT -5
I don't like holiday parties anymore, the "absence" of one in 2013 should have clued me in something wasn't right with my marriage.
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Anne_in_VA
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Post by Anne_in_VA on Dec 5, 2016 6:48:36 GMT -5
For $3,000, I would expect the party to be in Hawaii.
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shanendoah
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Post by shanendoah on Dec 5, 2016 13:31:57 GMT -5
So, I most likely work for the same university as HoneyBBQ's spousal unit. Please note, that the spousal unit works in the medical school, which is the richest part of the University in all aspects. And tends to be the #1 or #2 NIH funded public medical research unit in the country. I would also guess that the spousal unit works in one of the highly specialized units - not pediatrics, but maybe neurosurgery, or cancer research, etc. When she says everyone on this email list (being asked to pay) is making over six figures, she's not saying they make $100k even. Most of them are probably close to double that or more - and that's their university salary. Doesn't take into account what they are able to make as providers working at the local hospitals or in private practice. So, these are not people who (in general) expect their holiday party to be pot luck. There could very well be a staff only party that is a pot luck - but the providers and faculty don't attend that, and would be mortified if that was the holiday party they were invited to. This is almost certainly happening at one of the premier locations in downtown Seattle, and probably includes an open bar, among other things.
However, for those of you who are mortified at the idea that the faculty and providers would be asked to pay for such a party, how much more upset would you be if you found out your tax dollars were funding such a party? The department is almost certainly asking for donations from faculty and providers to fund the party because there is no other money that can be used for this purpose. I can guarantee you that state funds cannot be used for this. Grant funds cannot be used for this. The only two types of money that can be used for an event like this, at the public university that I work at (that I think Honey's spousal unit also works at) are: money from a self-funded program (which I don't think the medical school even has), or gift money that is unrestricted. Even if the medical school has self-funded programs that generate revenue, the money is still considered state money (since we're a state institution), and while it can technically be used for this type of event, it would be frowned upon, pulled up in a FOIA request, etc. None of the Directors at the Med School that I worked with would allow their department funds to be used this way. That leaves us with unrestricted gift money. Even for our medical school, there is not a lot of that lying around. It's hard enough to get people to donate to a general operating fund. Most of the time, gift money is given with specific strings attached - scholarships and endowments, to be used for a new building, or a specific new piece of equipment, to fund a specific program, etc.
So, in order to give these faculty and providers the kind of holiday party they expect, the department has to raise gift money specifically to cover this party. And so, they ask the people who are coming to "donate" to a fund that is set up specifically to pay for this event. (I would bet that your payment to this party is tax deductible, as it is filed as a gift to the University.)
Why the faculty/providers expect this lavish of a party, or why the department management THINKS they expect this lavish of a party, I don't know. But again, most money at public universities has strings attached that would not let it be used for this purpose. So, if they are going to have it, they have to come up with a way to pay for it.
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MJ2.0
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Post by MJ2.0 on Dec 5, 2016 13:40:33 GMT -5
If they can't fund the event themselves without asking people to pitch in hundreds of thousands of dollars, have a potluck and shut up.
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MJ2.0
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Post by MJ2.0 on Dec 5, 2016 13:40:47 GMT -5
*or thousands
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Post by The Walk of the Penguin Mich on Dec 5, 2016 14:08:45 GMT -5
So, I most likely work for the same university as HoneyBBQ 's spousal unit. Please note, that the spousal unit works in the medical school, which is the richest part of the University in all aspects. And tends to be the #1 or #2 NIH funded public medical research unit in the country. I would also guess that the spousal unit works in one of the highly specialized units - not pediatrics, but maybe neurosurgery, or cancer research, etc. When she says everyone on this email list (being asked to pay) is making over six figures, she's not saying they make $100k even. Most of them are probably close to double that or more - and that's their university salary. Doesn't take into account what they are able to make as providers working at the local hospitals or in private practice. So, these are not people who (in general) expect their holiday party to be pot luck. There could very well be a staff only party that is a pot luck - but the providers and faculty don't attend that, and would be mortified if that was the holiday party they were invited to. This is almost certainly happening at one of the premier locations in downtown Seattle, and probably includes an open bar, among other things.
However, for those of you who are mortified at the idea that the faculty and providers would be asked to pay for such a party, how much more upset would you be if you found out your tax dollars were funding such a party? The department is almost certainly asking for donations from faculty and providers to fund the party because there is no other money that can be used for this purpose. I can guarantee you that state funds cannot be used for this. Grant funds cannot be used for this. The only two types of money that can be used for an event like this, at the public university that I work at (that I think Honey's spousal unit also works at) are: money from a self-funded program (which I don't think the medical school even has), or gift money that is unrestricted. Even if the medical school has self-funded programs that generate revenue, the money is still considered state money (since we're a state institution), and while it can technically be used for this type of event, it would be frowned upon, pulled up in a FOIA request, etc. None of the Directors at the Med School that I worked with would allow their department funds to be used this way. That leaves us with unrestricted gift money. Even for our medical school, there is not a lot of that lying around. It's hard enough to get people to donate to a general operating fund. Most of the time, gift money is given with specific strings attached - scholarships and endowments, to be used for a new building, or a specific new piece of equipment, to fund a specific program, etc.
So, in order to give these faculty and providers the kind of holiday party they expect, the department has to raise gift money specifically to cover this party. And so, they ask the people who are coming to "donate" to a fund that is set up specifically to pay for this event. (I would bet that your payment to this party is tax deductible, as it is filed as a gift to the University.)
Why the faculty/providers expect this lavish of a party, or why the department management THINKS they expect this lavish of a party, I don't know. But again, most money at public universities has strings attached that would not let it be used for this purpose. So, if they are going to have it, they have to come up with a way to pay for it. The problem with this is that, particularly in WA where increasing tuition has been frequently in the public eye, having a party like this is perceived by the public to have been paid for by the university (regardless of whomever paid for it). The university does not want to have to argue with problems of perceptions by the public. I am kind of surprised that the university is willing to take this kind of hit (and wonder if they really are, or if this has been a departmental decision and the ole 'better to ask forgiveness than request permission' comes into play). At my last university, we had a faculty club (it was open to any faculty or staff that was willing to pay dues) that needed renovations. Despite the fact that the renovations were NOT being paid by the university budget (they were going to be paid for via private donations), when the local paper found out about it, the shit hit the fan. Renovations were scaled down considerably, to dealing with what absolutely needed to be done in order to keep the facility intact and in a good enough condition in order to maintain it for other purposes (i.e. it was frequently rented out for weddings). If the Seattle Times got hold of it that a university department just had a $25K party for their staff in a ritzy downtown hotel, it would get ugly.
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shanendoah
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Post by shanendoah on Dec 5, 2016 14:16:03 GMT -5
The Walk of the Penguin Mich - My guess is, this is not being run by the University department, but run out of the department at the hospital. There have been a number of FOIA requests in the last year or two regarding spending by the university that involved alcohol. However, it sounds like this is not the first year this has happened, so I would guess that this is not news to the local newspapers.
And for the record, the new state budget specifically has tuition lowering over the next couple of years.
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