These are comments on my post about tipping. Any body else care to weigh in? I've talked to a few other Aussies....
Well, I think service in other countries is not nearly as good as it is here, so I think you're wrong that service wouldn't be much different if wait staff were not working for tips. Also, they would probably make less money on salary then they do on tips. My friends from South America were surprised when I told them 2 waiters could afford an apartment together, because in Chile and Mexico they make sh*t. So, not tipping is bad for waiters, bad for customers. I like our system. Plus, I do know how much my meal will cost, it's the menu price plus 20%. No big mystery. Yes, tips are good!
I guess you usually just like what you're used to. I'm happy with the optional version. Of course my understanding is that in Australia we're paid award wages and can survive without the tips. You'll attract tips if your service is really good and that's a bonus.
If it has to be paid regardless, what's the point? It may as well be included in the bill. Does it avoid taxation? ;)
Thanks, Danny, for a real Australian view. Restaurant workers are supposed to report their tips to the Internal Revenue Service for taxation. I'm sure most of them report some of their tips.
Apparently restaurant tipping is not the problem. Many Aussies do tip if service is good, usually up to 10%. However, it is fully optional; as Danny sez, it's a bonus! The real problem is all the other tipping that happens in America. The skycap and porter at the airport, cab drivers, hotel doormen, the concierge, bellhops, hotel maids, parking valet, bathroom attendants, etc. Who are you supposed to tip and how much? Unwary travelers are often humiliated when told they are supposed to tip. Or a visitor might hand a $50 to a cabbie for a $30 fare and the cabbie doesn't offer change. For some Aussies (and probably other visitors) it IS a consideration when deciding where to go on vacation. They can go somewhere where they don't have to worry/wonder who and how much to tip.
Tourism is big business in some areas. I have no idea if hotel personnel rely on tips to augment meager wages. If they do, I'd hate to work in the high tourist areas where there are lots of foreign visitors. They probably get stiffed often. I find tipping confusing sometimes. How much do you tip skycaps, especially now that there are luggage charges and carry-on restrictions? When traveling overseas, I try to follow local customs according to guide books. But I feel weird NOT tipping sometimes.
What do you think?
Cyn
What do you think?
Cyn
Hey, Cyn and Danny, too. Interesting. I also hate the random tipping everywhere. I especially hate bathroom attendants. They hand you a paper towel and expect a dollar. Many don't even keep the bathroom clean. Plus, if I'm with Nick I may not have a purse or a dollar with me. But I still think waiters should be tipped. Danny says just add it to their wages. I doubt many restaurant owners would add much to their wages. They would feel they were paying way too much if it came directly out of the till. Waiters here can do very well, but it's hard to be a good waiter and they deserve it. They would definately get stiffed if the restaurant set their wages, and service would absolutely suffer. No where do you have as pleasant a restaurant experience as here in the US. Waiters just aren't as nice or efficient anywhere else I've been.
ReplyDeleteI've heard from different people here in America that they often do not want to service foreigners because they know they will probably not tip. I think I've heard it in Vegas and from a few people that I know that work in the hotel and restaurant industries. It's funny how they say, "I just avoid servicing them if I can." Or... I remember someone saying, "I have a deal with the hostess... I tell her not to seat foreigners in area because they dont tip!!"
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