Humorous Unsubstantiated Rumor Time! Is Freddie Ljungberg a Tightwad?

By: Laurie | July 6th, 2009

I shouldn’t even post this, given that the link to it just randomly appeared in my inbox with no substantiation. Plus I really like Freddie Ljungberg and have been extremely impressed by how not-prima-donna he is.

But on the other hand, this has just enough innocent detail to have the ring of truth. Plus it’s a slow news day. Plus I’m in a snit because I can’t go to the US Open Cup game tomorrow, so I’m just generally feeling grouchy, which is never a good thing. Sorry Freddie.

This is from a blog by an outdoor-loving guy in Canada who is apparently named Steve. Thank you, Steve. You made my morning.

Yesterday I met a footballer, I didn’t know till a couple of hours later when other people I work with told me who he was. He was on a trip I guided with his girlfriend and right at the start two guys who were also on the trip asked me if it was Freddie Ljungberg, I had no idea… The name I’d been given was Karl which I later found out is his first name, his middle name is Fredrik. I ran the trip just like normal and spoke to all the guest including ‘Karl’ and his girlfriend, I didn’t ask him what he does back home, but he could probably tell I had no idea who he was. He obviously isn’t getting paid enough though, I got no tip.

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Category: Seattle Team News

Tags: Freddie Ljungberg, players behaving badly, Seattle Team News

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• Johonna |  July 6th, 2009 at 3:23 pm

  
  
  

  Or maybe Freddie is just from Europe where people dont generally tip. Or maybe this guy is just bad at his job and didn’t deserve a tip.

  So there!

  Posted from United States

  

• Laurie |  July 6th, 2009 at 3:25 pm

  
  
  

  My guess would be unfamiliarity with North American tipping customs. Still humorous.

  Posted from United States

  

• CarlosT |  July 6th, 2009 at 3:25 pm

  
  
  

  If this was Freddie, I wonder he knew there was supposed to be a tip. Because I honestly didn’t know until right now that nature guide was in the category of services for which a tip is appropriate. Someone should publish a list. Waiters at sitdown restaurants: yes. Fast food counter staff: no. Coffee shop counter staff: yes. Cab drivers: yes. Ambulance drivers: no(? I never have.) Nature guides: yes, apparently. Then one could navigate through life without appearing to be a cheapskate without intending to be one. That is, people would know you meant something when you stiff your nature guide for the tip.

  Posted from United States

  

• Laurie |  July 6th, 2009 at 3:28 pm

  
  
  

  In my alternate reality I teach immigrants, and they are generally shocked by how much and how frequently they’re expected to tip over here.

  I personally always run into mental trouble with repair/service people. Do I tip the guy who comes out to fix my computer? What about the carpet cleaners? What about the AAA guy who fixes my flat? What about…

  Yeah, we’re messed up.

  Posted from United States

  

• Laurie |  July 6th, 2009 at 3:29 pm

  
  
  

  P.S. Carlos, how many opportunities have you actually had to tip/not tip ambulance drivers? Is this, like, a weekly dilemma?

  (Enquiring minds want to know.)

  Posted from United States

  

• Colin |  July 6th, 2009 at 4:29 pm

  
  
  

  First Becks gets accused of being cheap, and now Ljungberg? What is this world coming to???

  Posted from United States

  

• Steve |  July 6th, 2009 at 4:33 pm

  
  
  

  I actually say we tip way too much in the US. I am not saying people aren’t deserving of it, but who says that someone should get double tax for delivering food and filling a drink (something they are trained to do). If the trip is exceptional and they go out of their way to make it amazing, yeah maybe sure. Half the time people complain about tips my first thought is maybe you aren’t as good at your job as you think? No matter the case, seeing how he is from a different culture I would default to that for now.

  Posted from United States

  

• Steve |  July 6th, 2009 at 4:57 pm

  
  
  

  That’s from my blog weirdly it’s got loads more than its usual hits today..?

  I never expect tips but they’re a nice bonus but ye, pretty much any service here seems to require a tip, I guess especially as it’s a seasonal resort. I wasn’t hinting that Freddie was a tightwad, ha ha. He was a totally ordinary guy to talk to, not arrogant or anything, maybe he was in shock that I didn’t know who he was.

  Posted from Canada

  

• aj |  July 6th, 2009 at 5:52 pm

  
  
  

  @ Steve #1: I hope you are just ranting and you do actually tip your waiters. Tipping is such a socially accepted norm that people that employ food servers and other service positions that are customarily tipped can get away with paying their employees lower than minimum wage. As a result, many people that are trying to make rent or support a family must rely on tips in order to do so, and are likely to be especially sensitive to getting stiffed by customers.

  Posted from United States

  

• Dustin |  July 6th, 2009 at 6:12 pm

  
  
  

  @aj

  I think America would be better off if we increased wages for people instead of stagnating them for the last 20 years. Then it could be like Europe where it’s not customary to tip but you can do it if someone deserves it for going above their normal duties.

  Posted from United States

  

• DaveS |  July 6th, 2009 at 8:16 pm

  
  
  

  OT: Is FSN carrying match tomorrow?

  Posted from United States

  

• Steve |  July 7th, 2009 at 12:26 am

  
  
  

  where are all these steves coming from?

  Posted from Canada

  

• JD |  July 7th, 2009 at 1:25 am

  
  
  

  tipping is out of control

  bartenders expect a tip for using a bottle opener

  and then say, i need tips to live!

  ridiculous

  no wonder this country is going in the shitter

  Posted from United States

  

• CarlosT |  July 7th, 2009 at 2:36 am

  
  
  

  Well Laurie, I used to have a massively unstable shoulder, which would dislocate and the head of the shoulder would lodge against the front of the socket. At which point, I would need to go to the emergency room to have it set back into the joint. It happened 14 times over 12 years and I’d say that about 10 of those times I had to be taken in an ambulance. Then at the beginning of the year I had extreme abdominal pain which turned out to be pancreatitis, ironically at a doctor’s appointment and an ambulance took me across the street to the emergency room for that. To be completely honest about it, my mind each time was on the excruciating pain, so I never stopped to think that maybe I should have been giving the driver a gratuity. I don’t know, maybe my wife (or whoever else I was with) took care of it when I wasn’t looking. I’m pretty sure the guys who handled that last one got stiffed if they were supposed to be getting tipped. So, not weekly, but more often than I’d like.

  I just hope I didn’t leave a trail of disgruntled ambulance drivers in my wake.

  Posted from United States

  

• Steve #1 |  July 7th, 2009 at 11:50 am

  
  
  

  I do tip, tend to do it too much and don’t make a statement when I get crappy service. I just think we do it too much sometimes. It seems like tipping should be for going up and beyond the normal job and now it is expected for just doing the job. I agree with JD. I mean it seems like bartenders expect a tip on a drink if they pour one off a tap or open the bottle for you (I can understand if you get tons of drinks or they entertain you for a bit, but they expect it for 1 drink). We just tip for everything and anything.

  Posted from United States

  

• soccer goals |  July 7th, 2009 at 5:02 pm

  
  
  

  I am sure that he is not cheap. He just does not know.

  Posted from United States

  

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