Job Discussion Forums

[syntax51]

What's with these things? Many jobs advertise you get some of these tax-free grocery and restaurant coupons. How do they work? How does one gauge the value, i.e., salary or compensation of these coupons?
Newbie begs to know.
Thanks,
Sean

[MELEE]

Vales as they are called in Spanish are very similar to gift certificates. They come in dollar amounts. Any job you are applying for should tell you how much they are. I get a rather low amount. 210 pesos a month, but my salary is on the high end. Some places get quite a lot, I've heard of as much as 2500 a month! Some are for specific places. I get ones I can only use at the ISSTE super markets. In larger cities most employers use something like UNIVALES, that are accepted at amost all supermarkets, and apparently in many restuarants.
If you are interested in the history of it, they are vales de despensa despensa being the basic pantry items in your house like vegetable oil and rice. It used to be employers would actually give you despensa, a box with basic food stuffs. Now this is common only at Christmas.

[FreddyM]

At least where I work, the the value of the vales is included in the salary they pay me. Except for the restaurant vales. The vales de dispensa I get are accepted at most big box stores like Wal-Mart, Gigante, etc. Most franchise fast food places accept the restaurant vales. I like it more when I can find smaller shops and mom-and-pop restaurants that will also accept them, and there are some to be found, you just have to ask around.
I get about $2,000 pesos in vales per month, which actually is a bit more than I need. I save them up and then buy some big item, like a TV I bought this past month. Employers pay part of the salary like that so they don't have to pay taxes on that part of the income, it helps them. Doesn't really help you cuz you're more limited on how you can spend them instead of actual cash. But for the places that do accept them, they are just as good as cash.

[Ben Round de Bloc]

I get around 2,200 pesos worth of vales per month in 50-peso denominations (each vale worth 50 pesos.) The number of places that would accept vales from the university where I work had dwindled a lot over the past couple of years, but then the university came up with a better negotiating committee or something, because now there are more places that accept the vales again. However, it still tends to be mostly the more expensive department stores, supermarkets, and other businesses that accept the univeristy's vales. Another thing is that we don't get any vales for the first couple of months of each calendar year, then get a big pile of them in December -- like 3 months' worth + sometimes bonus vales -- but they have to be spent before the end of the calendar year or they are no longer valid.

[Samantha]

Picture Tim shopping for milk in tetra-packs, and other non-perishable supplies. What's with the time limit? That isn't nice. Unless you have a big pantry shelf. Though I have found here that I have to keep flour and sugar and just about everything else in the fridge which could present a problem. Which means we have to have a huge fridge because those little bugs get into everything even the breakfast cereals. I guess Tim could buy toilet paper for the year in advance.

[Guy Courchesne]

Oh, you made me remember Acapulco and the losing battle against ants. I nearly lost my mind fighting them.

[Ben Round de Bloc]