Tipping in America

(ncurtis) wrote in message . com...
[section on general lack of tipping in Oz deleted, as it serves little
purpose other than fodder for flame wars ;-)]

Nancy, sorry if there was something about my comments about the lack
of tipping in Australia that could start a flame war. But I have no
idea what it could be! I was just commenting that in Australia that's
the system we have. Our minimum wage is much better than what you
seem to have in the USA, so if people don't get tips they can still
live on their wages. I was a waiter and barman for several years
while at university, and although tips were always welcome, they were
rare (and typically just a few dollars at most). Although here people
aren't taxed on their estimated tips - only on the wages paid from
their employer (so tips were a nice little tax-free cash bonus!). My
point was that tipping is just not part of my experience, so I need it
explained clearly before I arrive in the USA.

I have heard from some American friends that when in Australia they
find it very hard NOT to leave a tip (beleive it or not!) but I guess
it's just one of those differences between our upbringings that is
very hard to shake off. Our countries might look similar culturally
on the surface, but dig a little and things like tipping are
surprisingly different!

Thanks for your comments Nancy, much appreciated! And thanks to
everyone else too. I think I have a grasp on what I need to tip now!
(and thanks for explaining what a "skycap" is, I'd read about that
before and had no idea!)

Dave

"Davo" wrote in message
om...
(ncurtis) wrote in message
. com...
[section on general lack of tipping in Oz deleted, as it serves little
purpose other than fodder for flame wars ;-)]

Nancy, sorry if there was something about my comments about the lack
of tipping in Australia that could start a flame war. But I have no
idea what it could be! I was just commenting that in Australia that's
the system we have. Our minimum wage is much better than what you
seem to have in the USA, so if people don't get tips they can still
live on their wages. I was a waiter and barman for several years
while at university, and although tips were always welcome, they were
rare (and typically just a few dollars at most). Although here people
aren't taxed on their estimated tips - only on the wages paid from
their employer (so tips were a nice little tax-free cash bonus!). My
point was that tipping is just not part of my experience, so I need it
explained clearly before I arrive in the USA.

I have heard from some American friends that when in Australia they
find it very hard NOT to leave a tip (beleive it or not!) but I guess
it's just one of those differences between our upbringings that is
very hard to shake off. Our countries might look similar culturally
on the surface, but dig a little and things like tipping are
surprisingly different!

Thanks for your comments Nancy, much appreciated! And thanks to
everyone else too. I think I have a grasp on what I need to tip now!
(and thanks for explaining what a "skycap" is, I'd read about that
before and had no idea!)

Also keep in mind that Sales Tax is also added onto the price of meals (and
just about everything else) in the US, and is not already rolled into the
listed price as it is in most countries. Sales tax varies from state to
state and city to city but is usually in the 6-8% range.
So a meal will cost you close to ~25% more than the price on the menu when
you combine tip and sales tax, i.e if 2 people order a couple of meals at
$20 each it'll cost you close to $50 by the time you walk out the door.

Just something to keep in mind as this took a little while to get the hang
of for me at first, and it's thrown others I've known for a loop intitially
too.

"Davo" wrote in message
om...
Ok, so this topic's been done to death. I've read the past threads on
this topic and it seems to have turned to flame wars before any useful
suggestions arise. So please, if you wish to reply to this or any
subsequent posts, please stick to the topic. Thanks!

I'm an Australian travelling to the USA next month, and would like to
know specifically what Americans tip for the following:

What about buses?
I ask because I got a bus from Fort Lee (NJ) over the George Washington
Bridge into New York. I asked the driver when I got on should I pay now, or
later, he said later.

However everyone else getting on the bus gave the driver a $1 note as they
got on, I don't know if this was a fare, or a tip, not sure, I assumed it
was a tip because your supposed to pay when you get off??

Anyway the fare was $1.50 and I gave the driver $2.00, and had to argue with
him to make him keep the change, this tipping business can be stressful!

In the UK if you attempted to give a tip to a bus driver he would think you
are a total nut case!

(Here I mean scheduled local buses, not coaches etc)

wrote:

- Hotels (for cleaning rooms,

Well, you are right that this topic's been done to death, but once again
I am SHOCKED that all of these frequent travelers see no need to leave a
dollar or two for the hotel maid. Geez, if you can afford to travel,
you can certainly afford to leave a small stipend for someone who takes
care of your dirty sheets, scrubs your tub and toilet, etc.

I'm shocked to hear of this "custom". I've been travelling for 35 years
or so and have never done so, nor have I ever met anyone else who has.
Can I afford to leave money (not necessarily going to the person who
actually did the cleaning)? Sure. And I can afford to give the desk
clerk who's been up all night a buck or two. And I can just walk around
scattering coins on the street like some kind of arrogant royal.

What's with this tipping epidemic? In the last few years tip jars have
appeared on the counter of most coffee shops and delis, some with none
too subtle hints. What's next? Clerks at Sears? Hey, we're
accountants. We give excellent service and do a great job for our
clients. Yet, as we work from home, we pass on the savings in the form
of below market rates. Should we put out a tip jar?

I recall my trips to many third world countries, where everyone you
encountered had their hand out for "baksheesh". I'd hate to think that
USA and Canada are going the way of third world countries. Europeans
include a service charge and expect no more than a token extra. Aussies
& Kiwis don't even look for that. This is the direction we should be
heading, not giving companies excuses to pay their people even less.

Davo wrote:

I'm an Australian travelling to the USA next month, and would like to
know specifically what Americans tip for the following:

Kudos to you for asking. Too many people travel to foreign countries
and completely ignore the local customs, just carrying on as they would
at home. Americans get criticized big time for this because it's
fashionable to bash the Yanks for everything. They deserve it, but so
do a lot of Aussies who come to America and ignore the tipping custom,
and Europeans who go to the Caribbean and ignore the laws and customs
against topless sunbathing. Personally, I much prefer the Aussie and
European customs in these matters, but that's not the point.

Mark Hewitt wrote:

"Davo" wrote in message
om...
Ok, so this topic's been done to death. I've read the past threads on
this topic and it seems to have turned to flame wars before any useful
suggestions arise. So please, if you wish to reply to this or any
subsequent posts, please stick to the topic. Thanks!

I'm an Australian travelling to the USA next month, and would like to
know specifically what Americans tip for the following:

What about buses?
I ask because I got a bus from Fort Lee (NJ) over the George Washington
Bridge into New York. I asked the driver when I got on should I pay now, or
later, he said later.

However everyone else getting on the bus gave the driver a $1 note as they
got on, I don't know if this was a fare, or a tip, not sure, I assumed it
was a tip because your supposed to pay when you get off??

Anyway the fare was $1.50 and I gave the driver $2.00, and had to argue with
him to make him keep the change, this tipping business can be stressful!

In the UK if you attempted to give a tip to a bus driver he would think you
are a total nut case!

(Here I mean scheduled local buses, not coaches etc)


Did you see those who'd given the driver dollar bills pay again when they got
off? I ask because I've never seen anything like it.

However I have seen city busses in San Diego where Mexican passengers give the
driver (if he's also Mexican) a dollar upon embarking - the fare is over
double that - which is when one normally pays. The driver of course pockets
the bills.

But I'm guessing that's an entirely different affair. Nex

Lynn Guinni wrote:
wrote:
I'm shocked to hear of this "custom". I've been travelling for 35 years
or so and have never done so, nor have I ever met anyone else who has.
Can I afford to leave money (not necessarily going to the person who
actually did the cleaning)? Sure. And I can afford to give the desk
clerk who's been up all night a buck or two. And I can just walk around
scattering coins on the street like some kind of arrogant royal.

LOL. Nice words :-D

I recall my trips to many third world countries, where everyone you
encountered had their hand out for "baksheesh". I'd hate to think that
USA and Canada are going the way of third world countries. Europeans

In other words, "Tips" is just becoming a translated version of
"baksheesh". What is the significance of a tip anyway? Do the employess
don't get paid enough? Or maybe because they can get tips they need not
be payed enough?

Anyway, it was refreshing to read your views.

-HS

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Lynn Guinni wrote:
Europeans include a service charge and expect no more than a token
extra. Aussies & Kiwis don't even look for that. This is the direction
we should be heading, not giving companies excuses to pay their people even
less.

You're right.

Because I know that service personnel in the USA receive far less than
a living wage, I leave about $4 a day for them.

I'm checking into a hotel Friday. I'll have $5 handy for a bellman if
one gets to me and $8 in ones to leave four each morning for the
housekeeper.
__________________________________________________ ___________
A San Franciscan in 47.335 mile² San Francisco
http://geocities.com/dancefest/ http://geocities.com/iconoc/
ICQ: http://wwp.mirabilis.com/19098103 IClast at SFbay Net

Hans-Christian Grosz wrote:
Now there is another point of view: I am not greedy, but if I
calculate, that a waiter can earn almost more money through tipping
alone than most people in comparable jobs, then I think, it has gone
to far. In my opinion, tipping should change the pay he gets from a
little "under" to a little "over" the average, depending on how good
he works in the customers view. I still expect the company to pay him
the main part of the salary.

In many places the waiter does not keep all his tips, he shares them with
assistants and bus boys. So don't calculate that way.

You may expect the company to pay him the main part of his salary, but in fact
in the US, they do not.

Julie
--
Julie
**********
Check out my Travel Pages (non-commercial) at
http://www.dragonsholm.org/travel.htm

(Davo) wrote in message . com...
Our minimum wage is much better than what you
seem to have in the USA, so if people don't get tips they can still
live on their wages. I was a waiter and barman for several years
while at university, and although tips were always welcome, they were
rare (and typically just a few dollars at most). Although here people
aren't taxed on their estimated tips - only on the wages paid from
their employer (so tips were a nice little tax-free cash bonus!). My
point was that tipping is just not part of my experience, so I need it
explained clearly before I arrive in the USA.
[shrugs] There's always somebody who reads "here's what we do in my
country" as "here's how my country is far superior to yours, what's
the matter with you idiots?" So far, so good--nobody's taken it that
way (yet!).

I have heard from some American friends that when in Australia they
find it very hard NOT to leave a tip (beleive it or not!) but I guess
it's just one of those differences between our upbringings that is
very hard to shake off. Our countries might look similar culturally
on the surface, but dig a little and things like tipping are
surprisingly different!
One of the many things I've enjoyed about visiting Australia is that
the overall "feel" is familiar enough so I don't feel completely
bewildered, yet there are myriad little differences that remind me
(usually pleasantly, or at least amusingly) I'm definitely not in my
home country. Hope you have the same experience here.

Nancy