Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
The tipping thing has gotten so out of hand. It's just that some nationalities are paid more appropriate wages in their native places and the concept of tipping doesn't hold as much emphasis as in the USA. Not everybody thinks about it.
In Canada there is a server's wage which seems far more reasonable than in many states. I know here in Ontario you must be paid at least $9.55/hour. With that it works out to being an actually desirable job for students and bachelors since you will still make way more than you would working in retail for a few bucks an hour more. Still, there are huge equity issues with the tipping thing. Tons of staff behind the scenes often see none of that tip, and there's far more than just the server who are responsible for your dining experience. These people are often paid minimum wage or slightly above and I believe it is time for serious service etiquette reforms. Adding an evenly distributed gratuity charge is way more fair, and if the service was absolutely terrible it could be negotiated or dropped.
I think too many positions in America (and I am an American) ask for tips. I believe in tipping traditional services, such as waiters. I don't feel the need to tip at a coffee house, a barber, a taxi driver, etc., Those are paid positions. Unfortunately, waiters in America aren't paid a real salary. It's known, and expected, that tips will be part of their income.
But here's a point I want to make to non-Americans visiting America. Whatever happened to "When in Rome..." It's polite to oblige by the culture of the country you're visiting. If you don't tip waiters in your country but you visit America and eat out, don't you think it's rude to not tip when that's the norm? Especially when it's the majority of the employee's salary? When I visited (and lived) in other countries where people do NOT tip waiters, I did NOT tip them. I didn't impose MY culture on them and force a tip on them. It's the same thing when you come to America.
When Americans visit your country, don't you appreciate it when they respect your customs?
I lived in many different countries and I adapted to their culture out of respect. I didn't impose my own on them. (Not like so many do when they come to America.) Please note, I'm NOT belittling foreigners. I'm simply stating facts without mincing words.
Regarding the cruise to the Galapagos Islands: If it was explained before the cruise that the tip envelopes would be distributed after the cruise, then the Europeans should most certainly have prepared for that. If it wasn't explained before the cruise then nobody was under any obligation to tip at all. Instead, it was an optional kindness. (A little kindness never killed anyone or made them homeless.)
Well, said. Yes, when in Rome, do as the Romans do
Before a trip I usually try to find out as much as I can about the culture,
and one of those things is the subject of tipping. I usually tip 20%, even if the service is bad I'll leave 15% because I know they rely on the tips.
But, I'll be honest, the etiquette of
tipping can be confusing. For example, in the airport, some places expect a dollar a bag
for putting a finger on a luggage or some two dollars a bag and some want 5 dollars a bag lol.
Unfortunately, there are bad tippers and also bad employees. One time, I was yelled at by one disgruntled waiter and waitress who didn't know how to do math. I left a 20% tip and the waiter still complained. I pointed it out and you should've seen the look on the guy's face, he was so embarrassed. The funny thing is he didn't even apologize.
Another time, I was picking up an ordered pizza, I overheard one of the delivery guys say they spit on the pizza if the name on the receipt is "foreign sounding" meaning from a certain culture that doesn't tip. This is just stupidity to assume that the person won't tip cause the person who ordered is from a certain culture. The person can be sharing this pizza with his kids or whoever. People can get sick over this, specially if the person that spit has tb or hepatitis, which has happened.
So, even when the service is bad, I won't complain until the meal is over, knowing I'll never come back there again because a wad of spit is waiting to be hawked up for the customer that complains. That is horrible but unfortunately, there are people in the service industry that will go to that route. Hopefully, with cameras all over the place, it will stem or put a stop to all this disgusting behavior.
But here's a point I want to make to non-Americans visiting America. Whatever happened to "When in Rome..." It's polite to oblige by the culture of the country you're visiting.
It is my experience that Europeans don't tip. They may come to internet fora and claim that they do. But if a server gets stiffed in America, it is usually by a foreign visitor, and most especially Europeans.
My European friends have started telling me that they are receiving less-than-stellar service in America as soon as they arrive at a restaurant these days. So many servers are being stiffed that there is an upswing lumping all Europeans together and being less than professional. (Unfairly, I may add. Servers know they are going to be stiffed occasionally. Too bad. They need to be professionals when that happens.)
I am interested to hear the experience of other frequent European visitors. (And what kind of restaurants they visit.)
It is my experience that Europeans don't tip. They may come to internet fora and claim that they do. But if a server gets stiffed in America, it is usually by a foreign visitor, and most especially Europeans.
My European friends have started telling me that they are receiving less-than-stellar service in America as soon as they arrive at a restaurant these days. So many servers are being stiffed that there is an upswing lumping all Europeans together and being less than professional. (Unfairly, I may add. Servers know they are going to be stiffed occasionally. Too bad. They need to be professionals when that happens.)
I am interested to hear the experience of other frequent European visitors. (And what kind of restaurants they visit.)
My nephew works in bell services at a large resort hotel. They definitely give preference to people from the US, particularly those from NYC and NJ, as they are generally the best tippers. People from Europe wait until the others are serviced. They feel there's no reason to kill themselves when 95% of the people from other countries won't give at least a few bucks for a birdcage full of luggage or a 20% tip on a $150 dinner check.
PS--They share info with the servers and housekeepers and know who tips and who doesn't, who is a royal PITA and who is easy to make happy. If you don't tip the valet or bellman, the server will know when you are seated at his table a few hours later.
so true and an even better response to the exploitation of the wait staff in America would be if more people would skip out on the bill and stick the server with the check...that'll teach 'em!
No. Why will server pay the check? I pay the Bill for Food and all the taxes. It is the STINGY restaurant owners who refuse to pay Minimum Wage to their staff. I am paying my Bill. Are they paying proper salary? So who is more STINGY?
Can you find even a single country in Europe who refuse to pay Minimum Salary to their Server/Waiter Staff? If the poor owners cant afford to pay Minimum salary to their staff in America, why dont they close down all the Restaurants instead of Begging for TIPS?
Location: RI, MA, VT, WI, IL, CA, IN (that one sucked), KY
41,937 posts, read 36,951,955 times
Reputation: 40635
Quote:
Originally Posted by munna21977
No. Why will server pay the check? I pay the Bill for Food and all the taxes. It is the STINGY restaurant owners who refuse to pay Minimum Wage to their staff. I am paying my Bill. Are they paying proper salary? So who is more STINGY?
Can you find even a single country in Europe who refuse to pay Minimum Salary to their Server/Waiter Staff? If the poor owners cant afford to pay Minimum salary to their staff in America, why dont they close down all the Restaurants instead of Begging for TIPS?
Because if you dine and dash in most places the waiter/waitress gets stuck with the bill.
Location: RI, MA, VT, WI, IL, CA, IN (that one sucked), KY
41,937 posts, read 36,951,955 times
Reputation: 40635
Quote:
Originally Posted by munna21977
Even after paying the full BILL plus TAXES, it will be called as Dine and Dash???
You were responding to this: "an even better response to the exploitation of the wait staff in America would be if more people would skip out on the bill and stick the server with the check"
Even after paying the full BILL plus TAXES, it will be called as Dine and Dash???
Yes, because the server is automatically taxed on a percentage of the check, whether they receive a tip for it or not. In effect if you don't tip, they have taken money out of pocket to serve you.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
