A question to the English and Canadians about tipping?

by Maverick 43 Replies latest social current

• 

  Maverick

  In the Quentin Tarantino movie Reservoir Dogs, Steve Buscemi's character argues against tipping. And a very good discussion ensued on this topic. It is the only thing I liked about that movie, but anyway this came up yesterday. My daughter is a freshman in college and works part time at a seafood place on the beach, (Gulf of Mexico) as a server. She served some British tourists last night and the bill came to $60.US. They left a tip of $0.00! All the servers hate serving the Brits and the Canadians because they are lousy tippers. My daughter is paid $2.15 and hour, and the restaurant figure in tips and take that adjusted amount out of her check. Her paychecks are routinely less than ten dollars after taxes! Her tips are the money she makes.

  I have seen this myself with working for Brits and Canadians. They cry about how much they will have to pay for my work. But don't think twice about spending huge amounts of money on the material. It's my fee they don't want to pay!

  I am a service person and tip very well. I like tips myself and have gotten $300US tips after a weeks work more times than I can count. Plus stoves, refigerators, micrwaves, TV's, furnture, A/C's, tickets to events and bottles of single malt scotch, (is there any other kind?) The two best tips I've ever got were $900US and a fellow flew me to Michigan for four days to attend a pig roast!

  So what is it about tips you people don't get? Even when I was Down Under my host thought I was nuts for leaving anyone a tip. I did it anyway! Maverick
• 

  ballistic

  We have a minimum wage here which must be paid to the staff before tips. The minimum wage here is several times what your daughter earns.

  It is still polite to tip in England in higher class restaurants and hotels, but it is generally done so for exceptional service or good food. I worked in hotels here for 5 years and made around £100 pounds in tips in all that time, including from the American tourists who knew our traditions well, and fitted in quite well, unlike your English counterparts.

  Buying people a drink over here is very common though. When are you coming over?
• 

  Englishman

  My daughter is paid $2.15 and hour

  The Brits wouldn't know that. The minimum wage here is £4.30 per hour, that's around $6.80 per hour.

  OK! OK! I'll tip like crazy when I come over!

  Englishman.
• 

  AlanF

  When I lived in Europe for 15 months, it seemed that tipping was usually not done much. In Switzerland, France, Italy and Germany the tip was usually just rounding up the amount to the nearest franc, 100 liras or deutschmark. It took a bit of getting used to since I'm used to tipping in restaurants 15-20%.

  It seems to me that tipping in the U.S. is a pice of random cultural evolution. In the 1960s, a 5% tip was standard. By the 1980s it was up to 10% and then 15% and now it's 20%. It's somewhat irritating because you feel like you're getting ripped off, but actually you're not because the price of the meal would be higher without it. A lot of restaurants automatically add 15-20% for groups. Given the low wage they pay their help, that's understandable.

  I wish that tipping hadn't evolved into the main source of income for restaurant people, but that's the way it is and it's not going to change.

  AlanF
• 

  Phantom Stranger

  Here is a 36-page paper on the History of Tipping, from Northwestern U.

  http://ideas.repec.org/p/wpa/wuwpeh/0309001.html
• 

  ballistic

  it's not going to change

  Alan, if it is easier in Great Britain as stated above, surely it could change elsewhere. I like to think of Britain as "tells it like it is" which is exactly what our menus do.
• 

  shamus

  Jeez!

  Okay, I'll tip too!

  Why don't you guys pay your servers better? I tip 10 per cent... 20 if it's really good. That's the standard up here...

  I find that americans tip for anything / everything... not up here. I don't tip carpet cleaners, delivery guys, any of that stuff... that's not socially normal.

  I do, however, tip my hair-dresser!
• 

  expatbrit

  My understanding is that in North America, a standard tip for acceptable service is 15%, and I tip accordingly.

  In Europe, the service charge is frequently built in to the bill you receive. Maybe people get used to that and forget it's different over here?

  Expatbrit
• 

  JH

  I give about 10 to 15% tip wherever tips are accepted and wanted.
• 

  Maverick

  Thanks folks, interesting comments. PH that is good info! Ballistic, I am planning a trip your way next year.

  I don't expect tips myself. And some clients will tip my help and not me. I'm fine with that. I am happy if they pay me the agreed upon fee. Anything over and above that I see as a compliment! Most of my work is repeat, so if someone has tipped me in the past, they will get the star treatment. First call backs, first openings on my schedule, and I will take care of things for them that I generally just don't do! ( stuff that is no fun).

  But my daughter may work a 12 hour shift and make twenty dollars! That is sooo wrong. Maverick