Tipping in USA/Canada

On Nov 8, 8:13 pm, Hatunen wrote:
On Thu, 08 Nov 2007 16:35:09 -0800, Robert Cohen





wrote:
i suppose one
u.s. dollar per customer at a non-pretentious dinner or at a now
very common buffet restaurant is reasonable, or
in other words, two dollars per couple, et cetera--

you can certainly eventually get sick of 'em, but ryan's and the
other buffet restaurants convey unlimited and many varities of food,
and i bet few places in the world are this way, ten dollars or less
person, unlimited goood food

at the fancier class restaurants, tip at least ten percent of the
total bill, and of course many or rmost people leave 15 percent or
twenty percent or more

you'll feel ripped-off at yuppie places like ruby fridays, so wendy et
al fast food and those amazing buffet places are best for budget
traveller

for clothes and chotskies go to the tangar shopping outlet places
and several other factory outlet places is where the people genrally
seem to be especially on weekends

the u.s.a. is pndeed complex, so a guide book wouldn't hurt

if one is not affluent, one goes to wendy's etal

You can't kid me. You're really Archie the Cockroach, aren't you?

--
************* DAVE HATUNEN ) *************
* Tucson Arizona, out where the cacti grow *
* My typos & mispellings are intentional copyright traps *- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

fyi and rationalization and in the vein of frommer's europe on five
dollars per day:

there is that declasse underside of the continent that the usual
tourist guidebooks probably ignore

On Nov 8, 8:21 pm, Craig Welch wrote:
Robert Cohen said:

if one is not affluent, one goes to wendy's etal

I would suggest that if one has no taste buds one goes to "wendy's
etal" [sic.]

--
Craig http://www.wazu.jp/
1,239 Unicode fonts for 82 written language groups:
Price your own web plan:http://www.wazu.jp/hosting/

imho, of course, when they actually get the order correctly, wendy's
food taste is as good or better
than too many pretentious places, and as i think more about it, an
advertising agency should conduct a blind test

On Nov 9, 1:33 am, mrtravel wrote:
Rick Blaine wrote:
Qanset wrote:

The wife and I are planning at trip to USA/Canada in the near future.
Is it true that the Yanks are really hung up on tipping, and that
FORGETTING to tip someone is courting disaster???

The only time I've had retailiation for not tipping was in Vegas. A valet was
****ed that I wouldn't tip him for lift bags out of the trunk at a hotel and
passing them to another valet, so he misdirected one of the bags and it took 30
minutes to "find" it.

Ah Vegas...
I once tried to give a cab driver $3 in quarters on a $10 fare and he
refused it. I didn't want to bother him with breaking a $100 bill, so he
got no tip.

the cab driver wouldn't gladly take a generous thirty percent tip in
quarters in las vegas--perhaps the cabbie ...is....uh... not thinking
totally rationally

On Nov 9, 3:45 pm, Qanset wrote:
Shawn Hirn wrote:
In article ,
Qanset wrote:

The wife and I are planning at trip to USA/Canada in the near future.
Is it true that the Yanks are really hung up on tipping, and that
FORGETTING to tip someone is courting disaster???

Like most tourists we will be traveling on a limited budget,this means
that anybody expecting free money from us will be advised to look elsewhere.

A colleague of mine who honeymooned in Hawaii was told by a tour bus
operator, that he EXPECTED gratuities for his efforts, because his job
was poorly paid. What more can I say.???

I'm going to cop a lot of flak on this subject, but never mind I have
and open mind on accepting advice on World Travel.

This is a big subject for debate. Just check this newsgroup's archives
on groups.google.com for what was already said.

Here's the short version ...

Tipping is not a requirement in the USA; however, if you don't tip in
full service restaurants, bars, and buffets, you are screwing the people
who serve your food out of their pay. Unlike where you live, restaurant
workers in the United States depend on tips for their livelihood. These
people are not "expecting free money" from you, they are expecting to be
paid for the work they do far you. Knowing this, I suggest you proceed
with the golden rule, to treat the waitstaff the way you would want to
be treated if the situation was reversed.

Fair enough, but If I was in that situation I would definitely seek
more suitable employment. Fortunately here in Australia, Hospitality
staff dont always have to rely on tipping



If tipping poses a financial problem for you, then you have an easy
option to avoid it. Do not eat at full service restaurants and bars.
Stick with fast food places and take out or buy food at grocery stores
to eat.

I did this on my first trip when backpacking around USA.

Backpacker. That explains it.

Here's the reality. Waiters and similar staff are paid close to
nothing. They depend on tips to live. Tipping is so complete and
common that the IRS assumes they're getting tips and taxes them for
it, whether they get them or not.

That's just the way it's done in the US. If you can't afford it, stay
home.

"Tchiowa" wrote in message
oups.com...


Here's the reality. Waiters and similar staff are paid close to
nothing. They depend on tips to live. Tipping is so complete and
common that the IRS assumes they're getting tips and taxes them for
it, whether they get them or not.

That's just the way it's done in the US. If you can't afford it, stay
home.


Is there no such thing as a Minimum Wage in the home of the brave and the
land of the free? Here in the UK, the legal minimum wage for workers over
age 21 is GBP £5.52 per hour, which is the equivalent of US $11.60 per hour.
--

JohnT

The part of the question I couldn't understand why is someone would be
miserly not to tip when it is highly likely they are coming from a
place where they are buying US dollars for cheap, that they would be
offended by tipping.

Maybe you haven't been on many tours, but I have been on tours in
Scotland, England, Germany, and Greece, and all guides have asked for
their gratutity. In fact they often hand you envelopes to put your
gratutity in.

So I don't know wherer you are coming from, but it definately sounds
like you are looking for a bargin. And you know where to come for
one. Next time try Thailand though, I hear it is even better there
especially if you enjoy the sunny beaches.

JohnT wrote:
"Tchiowa" wrote in message
oups.com...


Here's the reality. Waiters and similar staff are paid close to
nothing. They depend on tips to live. Tipping is so complete and
common that the IRS assumes they're getting tips and taxes them for
it, whether they get them or not.

That's just the way it's done in the US. If you can't afford it, stay
home.


Is there no such thing as a Minimum Wage in the home of the brave and
the land of the free? Here in the UK, the legal minimum wage for workers
over age 21 is GBP £5.52 per hour, which is the equivalent of US $11.60
per hour.

Yes, there is a federal minimum wage. From
http://www.dol.gov/compliance/topics...imum-wage.htm:

The federal minimum wage for covered, nonexempt employees is $5.85 per
hour effective July 24, 2007...

Some states specify a higher minimum wage.

However, tips may be assumed to comprise part of the minimum wage. From
http://www.dol.gov/elaws/faq/esa/flsa/002.htm:

.... An employer of a tipped employee is only required to pay $2.13 an
hour in direct wages if that amount plus the tips received equals at
least the federal minimum wage, the employee retains all tips and the
employee customarily and regularly receives more than $30 a month in
tips. If an employee's tips combined with the employer's direct wages of
at least $2.13 an hour do not equal the federal minimum hourly wage, the
employer must make up the difference.

Louis

Here's the reality. Waiters and similar staff are paid close to
nothing. They depend on tips to live....

That's just the way it's done in the US. If you can't afford it, stay
home.

Is there no such thing as a Minimum Wage in the home of the brave and the
land of the free?

There is, but for restaurant workers, it includes an assumed miminum
amount of tips. Really, if you don't tip your waiter, it's like you
walked out without paying.

"Louis Krupp" wrote in message
...
JohnT wrote:
"Tchiowa" wrote in message
oups.com...


Here's the reality. Waiters and similar staff are paid close to
nothing. They depend on tips to live. Tipping is so complete and
common that the IRS assumes they're getting tips and taxes them for
it, whether they get them or not.

That's just the way it's done in the US. If you can't afford it, stay
home.


Is there no such thing as a Minimum Wage in the home of the brave and the
land of the free? Here in the UK, the legal minimum wage for workers over
age 21 is GBP £5.52 per hour, which is the equivalent of US $11.60 per
hour.

Yes, there is a federal minimum wage. From
http://www.dol.gov/compliance/topics...imum-wage.htm:

The federal minimum wage for covered, nonexempt employees is $5.85 per
hour effective July 24, 2007...

Some states specify a higher minimum wage.

However, tips may be assumed to comprise part of the minimum wage. From
http://www.dol.gov/elaws/faq/esa/flsa/002.htm:

... An employer of a tipped employee is only required to pay $2.13 an
hour in direct wages if that amount plus the tips received equals at least
the federal minimum wage, the employee retains all tips and the employee
customarily and regularly receives more than $30 a month in tips. If an
employee's tips combined with the employer's direct wages of at least
$2.13 an hour do not equal the federal minimum hourly wage, the employer
must make up the difference.



So the customer has to pay his/her server's minimum wage in addition to
paying for the food and the tax. Is the employee required to buy her
groceries at the Company Store?
--

JohnT