| DrBuck Posted on 24/1 15:56 | |
| Tipping USA style | |
We've saw it on t.v. and films where people slip anyone, like a doorman or bag carrier, who helps them a few dollars. But apparently it is not an invention by the Yanks to make them appear generous. It actually happens. Not only this, but those who do the carrying and opening doors expect to be 'tipped' for doing their job and get extremely irate when it doesn't happen! There is also a system whereby whatever a person spends in a 'diner' they have to leave a percentage of their bill as a 'tip'. Hard to believe I know, but totally true! | |
| 7_The_Informer Posted on 24/1 15:59 | |
| re: Tipping USA style | |
It's just a different system. When I first came out here to the US, I thought it was a pile of shyte but then you just have to think that for instance, in restaurants and bars, the wage of the waitress is pittance and she makes her money from the tips. However, if they were to do away with that, then the restaurant would have to pay them more money and hence the bill for the food increases by 20% so you are stll paying it whether it is direct or not. The way it is now, if you have a bad waitress then you can give her a small tip, if you have a good one, you give them a generous tip. All of a sudden, you have plenty of nice waitresses as they all want to have a good tip ... | |
| guyb Posted on 24/1 16:00 | |
| re: Tipping USA style | |
The tipping thing in the US has to do with their really bad minimum wages - that tips actually supplement their living allowances. That and a real culture of service in the US that we just don't have here. Even if they don't it feels like they are happy to be of service and working hard for you. With that being the case, you don't mind chipping in a few extra dollars. Here - Everybody looks like they are doing you a favour by serving you, so I have no problem stiffing people for tips in this country. I hate the "Service Charge Included" which has cropped up now. I'll be the judge of how good the service is/was and will reward/penalise on that basis. | |
| SophieBoro Posted on 24/1 16:10 | |
| re: Tipping USA style | |
Aye, we were in london last weekend and happily tipped people who carried bags and all that, but then didn't leave a tip in a cafe which added a 12.5% service charge onto the bill. I like the fact that when you tip people in the UK they genuinly seem to appreciate it - cos i suppose its often unexpected - but it really gets to me when more upmarket places add on the service charge. | |
| karembeu_ca Posted on 24/1 16:12 | |
| re: Tipping USA style | |
CrB, in fact if you have a large group most restaurants automaticaly add the "gratuity" (tip). my wife worked as a waitress for a while, and those tips are basically what you live on, as most serving jobs are minimum wage. its the doormen and such I have a hard time with. we recently went to Montreal and stayed in a nice hotel. they had a guy take the bags up to the room, and I was totally clueless about how much to tip him, so I bottled it and didnt. No harshness or expectation in my opinion (who knows what he said after he left mind). We always tip a minimum 15% on food though, less if it's crappy service, and sometimes more (if she's cute and wearing something skimpy  )
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| DrBuck Posted on 24/1 16:13 | |
| re: Tipping USA style | |
I guess i just don't get out enough. | |
| jayno Posted on 24/1 16:14 | |
| re: Tipping USA style | |
get out of where? | |
| karembeu_ca Posted on 24/1 16:33 | |
| re: Tipping USA style | |
weekend release
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| DrBuck Posted on 24/1 16:44 | |
| re: Tipping USA style | |
I guess I don't get paid enough? | |
| jayno Posted on 24/1 16:50 | |
| re: Tipping USA style | |
paid for what? | |
| fatharrywhite Posted on 24/1 16:53 | |
| re: Tipping USA style | |
in vegas we were buying drinks at the bar, after about the 4th round the barman said $8 (or whatever it was) and then gave a sarky 'not including tip'. felt like going off on one and saying i tip waiters/waitresses who go off and get me a drink and bring it to my table but i aint going to give you one for bending down, opening a fridge door and taking the top off it for me.....maybe i'm in the wrong though....? | |
| karembeu_ca Posted on 24/1 17:00 | |
| re: Tipping USA style | |
fhw, you are expected to tip even standing at the bar, although I do less for that and if its a buffet. I'll leave something for the waiter/waitress at a bufet, but as I am service myself, it aint as much as a sit-down. its just what you do. there are actually web sites where disgruntled wait-staff post stories about bad customersm including 'cheap' stars who dont tip 
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| buffaloboro Posted on 24/1 17:46 | |
| re: Tipping USA style | |
As 7 stated, wait staff are exempt from the ( low ) min wage in the US. 15%-20% is the norm'. Simply factor that in to your bill from the start. ALso , bar staff , a few bucks. IT can work you your advantage.If you go to a decent bar and they get to know you you will get a fair few drinks on the house. I do hate the automatic expectation that they shld get a tip over here and I wld argue that customer service isn't as good over here as it once was. | |
| juninho_the_legend Posted on 24/1 19:12 | |
| re: Tipping USA style | |
I never tipped a taxi driver in vegas once as i only had the correct money for the fare. When i had paid and walked off he hurled loads of abuse at me and followed me into the hotel. Must be kind of an insult to them, unless they are tight gits | |
| sperks Posted on 24/1 21:31 | |
| re: Tipping USA style | |
Like Buffalo said, tipping's got it's advantages. It's not unknown for me to go into one of my locals that charge $4-$5 a pint and stumble out 9 or 10 pints later having spent $20 - $30 all in. | |
| karembeu_ca Posted on 24/1 21:42 | |
| re: Tipping USA style | |
yeah, if you are a regular, and a good tipper, you can get very good service over time. and I love those "tipping is not a city in China" signs
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| PhillyMac Posted on 24/1 21:45 | |
| re: Tipping USA style | |
Here's a quandry: I often call-in an order to a restaurant and pick it up myself to bring home and eat. I'm paying restaurent prices for food I'm eating at home, and there's no waitress involved (but I do interact with a fella at the cash register to pay for it, and obviously there's a chef of some description in the back cooking it). So...tip or no tip? | |
| 7_The_Informer Posted on 24/1 21:55 | |
| re: Tipping USA style | |
I've never tipped on a take-away Philly, don't think you need to. The best tip I ever gave was 1c. The service was really, really bad and instead of leaving no tip, I left 1c. The idea was that if I left nothing, they would assume that the English Bloke just didn't tip again. So, by leaving 1c, they get the message that their service was really bad (that advice was given to me by a septic mind). | |
| karembeu_ca Posted on 24/1 22:16 | |
| re: Tipping USA style | |
i've heard the 1 cent thing as well, and although i've had bad service, never bad enough to do it myself. not sure I would anyway. I agree on pick-up as well, no tip. if it gets delivered, i'll slip the driver something, but not if all they do is cook it. tipping for me is a way to help the poor wait-staff, who usually get the shittiest pay of all, and have to put up with tons of grief from customers. --- Post edited by karembeu_ca on 24/1 22:16 --- | |
