Tipping

[deird1]

Read an article on tipping (with, yes, quite a lot of discussion about Aussies) this morning, and got interested...

Poll #4972 tipping

Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 27

View Respondents

How much should you tip in restaurants?

View Answers

0%
0 (0.0%)

0% ...but then, I'm Australian
4 (14.8%)

5%
0 (0.0%)

10%
5 (18.5%)

20%
15 (55.6%)

25%
0 (0.0%)

30%
0 (0.0%)

50%
0 (0.0%)

ridiculously huge amounts
0 (0.0%)

it really depends on the service
3 (11.1%)

Tipping...

View Answers

sucks
5 (19.2%)

is great
5 (19.2%)

is annoying, but can't be helped
12 (46.2%)

I'm Australian, and laugh at people who tip
3 (11.5%)

I'm a waiter, and glare at people who don't tip
2 (7.7%)

why be stingy?
15 (57.7%)

why not just pay the waiters properly?
17 (65.4%)

ticky!
12 (46.2%)

tip!
7 (26.9%)

ticky again!
9 (34.6%)

My general position:
- America, for some insane reason, underpays people and expects them to earn most of their salary through tips. Were I in America, I would (reluctantly) tip everyone. After all, it's not their fault their work conditions stink.
- Luckily, I am in Australia, where tipping is not expected. So I don't tip - unless the place was really brilliant, in which case I might add my spare change to their tip jar...

Comments

[stormwreath.livejournal.com]

I just made a post abou this exact subject on little_details. :-)

Between 5-10% is a standard sort of tip in Britain in a posh restaurant; you probably wouldn't tip in a cheaper place or if it said "Service Included" in big letters on the menu. Taxis, you'd normally round up to the nearest round number and say "Keep the change".

The thing that got to me when visiting America most, though, wasn't the tips in restaurants - I was expecting those - but all the other service staff in places alike hotels and ships and airports. There's always the thought "Are they being helpful, or are they doing this because they expect me to tip them?"

Anecdote time: I was having breakfast in a hotel in Washington DC once years ago, and a waitress came around and refilled everyone's coffee cups, so I naturally looked up at her and said "Thank you" after she'd done mine. And she gave me the most delighted and surprised smile and said "You're welcome"... and I got the distinct impression she wasn't used to getting even such a basic kind of recognition and politeness from her customers. Money has taken its place. Unless it was just my English accent she was reacting to...

[angearia]

I naturally looked up at her and said "Thank you" after she'd done mine. And she gave me the most delighted and surprised smile and said "You're welcome"...

She could've just been pleased by your British accent. I'm only half kidding.