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I’d like to get people’s opinions regarding gratuities for service in the USA.
It seems that when European visitors come to the states to visit or for work, they do not adhere to the customs of the workers in the USA.
All too often, my friends and I in the service industry do not get the customary 15-20% gratuity added to the bill by the customer.
Why?
I know it isn’t normal practice in Europe, however these workers rely on these tips as their means to support themselves. They do NOT receive a salary as workers do in Europe.
How, in your right mind, can you sit and eat a meal at a restaurant or sit at a bar and order a drink and NOT leave a gratuity for the wait staff or bartender? It is extremely rude.
I had a gentleman come into my bar five minutes before closing and ask for a pint. Instead of denying him, (i already announced last call), I decided to serve him. He then proceeded to take ALL of his change off of the bar and sit at a table. He then came back to the bar to ask for peanuts ! The nerve of this guy. (BTW, we don’t serve peanuts because we have a restaurant.)
Why do Europeans act as if they don’t know our customs?
What I’m saying here is……please learn the customs of the USA. If we had to receive a salary, that $5 pint would cost you $10. Think about that.
In Europe, if employees are not being paid properly, then it’s their responsibility to take up the issue with their employer, it’s not the customers resonsibility to pay them. I don’t understand how this goes unchallenged over there in the US.
Why would you assume that Europeans would know your customs? I think if they are visiting the US, they should be familiar with these things but I don’t think most people do.
$5 is an expensive pint already, they are cheaper than that here in the UK, and we have a higher minimum wage and a much higher tax on alcholol. It sounds like the employer is just profiteering in this example.
Unchallenged? Its just the way we live. Just like we wouldn’t challenge why you drive on the wrong side of the road.
We assume you know our customs because: 1. We are the strongest and most powerful nation in the world and our customs are widely known. 2. the internet. 3. airline flight attendants explain this to travelers. 4. You’re traveling to a foreign country. The onus is on you to know some semblance of what’s going on in that country.
Which side of the road you drive on doesn’t really make any difference to anyone’s lives. Not properly paying a large section of the population does effect lives. That, and harassing customers for money is no way to run a business I don’t find it an acceptable behaviour.
I agree with you that people should know the customs of the country they are going to, but I think most Europeans especially the continental ones expect America to have the same kind of employee protections that we have as you claim to be the best country ever at everything.
And yes, America is the only current superpower, but it isn’t nearly as important or as powerful as most Americans like to make out. One example of this is the terrible foreign relations, everybody hates you. Britains position in both the Commonwealth, and currently the EU gives it soft powers that America doesn’t have at the moment. It is much easier to travel to most countries with a British passport than an American one, why do you think this is?
Simple really even here if I get rubbish service in a restaurant /pub I dont tip simple as. If I CHOOSE to leave a tip it tends to be around the 10% mark & if I go out with work collegues in a big group & get good service the waiting staff love us because their tip is usually very generous.
Good service is rewarded by choice or should be.. not demanded as it seems waiting staff in the US expect.
As for tipping the barman ….. wtf . Might buy em a drink. That’s as far as it goes .. it’s the norm in the UK.
We’re British we don’t make expectations on service users in whatever capacity to tip.
We queue we wait our turn we say please & thank you in the main & if we get rubbish service we complain we are getting better at sending rubbish food back.
Wages here aren’t brillin the service industry in any capacity- though my son (18) works for Mc Donalds part time for his “spends” Knock em all you like Mc Donalds pay very well for his age group.
The US doesn’t have minimum wage for some jobs, which is why tipping is a thing there. I never tip here because we don’t have that problem.
As a British expat, let me tell you that not every visitor is aware of the tipping culture in the States. I have had to educate friends on a number of occasions.
Additionally, it’s worth bearing in mind that it’s easy to simply forget when you’re not accustomed to the culture. I’ve lived in the US for eight years now and still say Pounds instead of Dollars on the odd occasion.
With that being said, I do believe the system of gratuity for service has become a bit too pervasive, and even confusing.
Where do we draw the line? Do we tip the pilot as we get off a plane? Do we tip our child’s teacher? Do we tip the cable guy?
All provide a service, at the end of the day.
monkey0499 – What do you think of the idea of a higher wage, and no tipping? A number of restaurants are experimenting with this.
One thing that I find insane about US culture is that you don’t unclude sales tax on price labels. That makes no sense to me, why would you do that?
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I don’t want to add any fuel to a fire or anything..
I am in the United States, and I feel that we need to stop – as a general rule – thinking we are summit better than anyone else. We ARE NOT. We are war mongers and we push ourselves on other nations because we CAN.
The truth is.. wise travelers should read up on the nations they visit and try to obtain the customs. That being said, Americans are known for NOT doing that. All tourists, really, are. I understand that.
Yes, things are messed up in the U.S. if you expect them to be the same. They really are, in general. YES, we should have a higher minimum wage. We’ve been fighting for it but in many ways we do NOT have proper representation in the government, even though it is our constitutional right.
Also the myth of trickle down economics and the fear and greed of the elite keep the middle and working classes down.
Regardless, yes, here…
Waiters and Waitresses, Bartenders usually get paid ONLY in tips. Their hourly wage is about $3/hour. So, please try to remember.In terms of others – you are supposed to tip the person that carries your luggage, and the person that cleans your room (if it’s an upscale place, on the last one – or if you feel they did a particularly good job). In some places, you tip the barista (that’s a person making your coffees), but in others you don’t. Tip: Look for the tip jar.
But yeah, your servers and bartenders LIVE on tips, or they don’t eat.
PS: America will NOT be a super power for long. Rome died out for much the same reason and in much the same way as the US has been… we will see what happens with us. I love America, but I don’t agree with all of our policies.
Please let’s try not to judge each other. There’s enough of that going on. Things have been getting worse lately.
We ARE NOT. We are war mongers and we push ourselves on other nations because we CAN.
There has been pretty much constant war somewhere in Europe for the last 2000 years, the US is fairly peaceful by comparison.
Also the myth of trickle down economics and the fear and greed of the elite keep the middle and working classes down.
What would you propose instead?
Regardless, yes, here…
Waiters and Waitresses, Bartenders usually get paid ONLY in tips. Their hourly wage is about $3/hour. So, please try to remember.In terms of others – you are supposed to tip the person that carries your luggage, and the person that cleans your room (if it’s an upscale place, on the last one – or if you feel they did a particularly good job). In some places, you tip the barista (that’s a person making your coffees), but in others you don’t. Tip: Look for the tip jar.
But yeah, your servers and bartenders LIVE on tips, or they don’t eat.
In regards to minimum wage in the US, the issue is more that not all jobs are entitled to normal minimum wage (waiters, bartenders, ect.). I don’t understand why you use this system it seems designed specifically to exploit low skilled workers. I think this should be fixed before you look at raising (or lowering) the minimum wage.
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