They get paid by their employers and tipped by the car owners to PARK the cars safely and efficiently. Implicit in this job description is an obligation, even if only a moral one, to do the best job possible in this regard (actually that implicitness exists in every job). This includes returning the car to the owner in the same condition as when they took custody of it. The only thing that should happen to the car is that it should have up to 1/4 of a mile extra on the odometer. Is that a whole lot to ask?

Maybe it is because they don't take that obligation seriously and don't take pride in their work, no matter how mundane, that the job is seen as "only a valet". I suppose there are some who do this job well, and as a result probably rise above it before too long.

This applies to pretty much all jobs btw, even if you are a business owner. Treat the customer's trust with seriousness and ownership, and your rewards will come. Eff around and you won't get far.

BTW from what I gather their take home pay can be considerably more than minimum wage, especially if they work at the higher-end restaurants and such.

More BTW, this is a useless discussion. It's highly doubtful anyone reading this is a valet, though it's possible some were in a previous career.