Tip cup in a SHOE STORE!?!?????

[GearHead]

I tip 20% for excellent service, 15% for standard, and 5% (usually rounding to the nearest buck) for poor service. And I make it a point to figure out the tip before sales tax. In Washington state, our sales tax is close enough to 10% that I can usually double the tax as an easy way to figure out the amount to tip a good server.

I also tip a few bucks for a good haircut, mostly to maintain positive haircut karma. And on the rare occasion I pay by cash for coffee, and the change has anything other than quarters, I'll tip the small coins there too.

But, more pertinently to the thread, I mainly reserve tipping for those service occupations, like waiting tables, that I know are supported almost solely by tipping.

 

[MerKiwi]

MSilvia once bubbled...
I'd expect to pay about US$14 - US$20 for a good steak in this area, and with the current exchange at .47 that works out to being about even. I've paid both more and less, but that isn't unusual.

I spent some time in Auckland, with a friend who was a bartender/manager at Copper Joe's in Manakau (or was it Manurewa?), and she told me that the pay worked out to being less than she was making working as a hostess at the Hard Rock Cafe in Boston. I don't know that you can really draw a conclusion from that though... the jobs and areas are quite different.

I found your beer to be quite a bit cheaper than I'm used to though (I won't comment on the taste), as I'll routinely pay US$4 for a pint. At the time, the exchange was .41, so I was more than happy to buy rounds by the jug and tip well.

Hey, I don't believe it! I used to live in Manurewa... Never been to Copper Joe's but. Small world. How'd you find NZ?

Yeah, you're right... can't draw conclusions... but it's interesting nonetheless. What it does mean is that if I wanna dive the US, I won't be eating any steak. Heh.

And I won't comment on your lack of comment I'm sure you've had this discussion with your Kiwi friends before.

 

[MSilvia]

I took a left turn at Fiji.

Seriously though, it was beautiful, and I had a great time. I'm looking forward to making another trip out there in the next year or so. I stayed on the North Island the entire time, and would like to see the south.

I got to do some diving out of the Bay of Islands with Piahia Divers, and loved doing the wreck of Rainbow Warrior. If you get a chance, I highly recommend it.

MerKiwi once bubbled...

How'd you find NZ?

 

[MerKiwi]

MSilvia once bubbled...


I got to do some diving out of the Bay of Islands with Piahia Divers, and loved doing the wreck of Rainbow Warrior. If you get a chance, I highly recommend it.

I haven't done the Rainbow Warrior yet, hoping to get out there this summer. If you're down this way again, definitely check out the Poor Knights and White Is. The view is amazing.

 

[JRScuba]

Yes tipping I think is getting way out of hand.

On a trip to Jamaica everyone had their hand out. There are many other countries, but this was my recent adventure.

Went horse back riding and while waiting for the horses my wife asked me to get a bottle of water. Went to the bar tender and asked for a bottle of water, gave him $20.00 and waited for my change.
Just then he got into a conversation with some one else. After awhile he pushed to bottle of water to me as to indicate here is what you want, you may go now. When I said I'm waiting for my change he was not very happy about it. None the less I got my change and he got a not to nice thank you.

Cozumel, another attempted rip off. Took a taxi from town to the pier where our boat was docked. When we arrived at the pier the driver said the fare was $6.00. Again I handed him a $20.00 bill, at which he informed me that he did not have any change. Ok no problem, come to find out neither did the other 20 taxi drivers had change ( get the drift of where this is going ). Went into shops asking for change and it was absolutely amazing, no one in the shops that had been doing business all day had no change also.
Aha sure sounds like there is a real scam going on there, don't you think. Evetually I got the change, was very determined about this now. Driver got his $6.00.

Now when I go on vacation I bring a bunch of $1.00's, 5's and 10's. This has caused me tip only when "I" determine that good service has been provided.

 

[Jamdiver]

JRSCuba,

I can tell you almost as a fact that they've been spoilt by all the American tourists.
If you were to venture to Kingston or another non-touristy area you'd see that it's not the norm here.

You give the bartender 20US$ for a bottle of water and he doesn't want to give you change, lucky it wasn't me i'd have ripped him a new #$@%!! ?! Lol the bottle probably cost them maybe 1US$ if so much.

The average Jamaican really doesn't tip much if at all. It's just not culturally ingrained here, however I have noticed over the past few years that it's become more and more prevalent.
Not just at the restaurant when it's the usual 10-15% tip, but at the barber, although it's purely optional he won't get pissed if you don't. And maybe a couple other places but they elude me at the moment.

Generally the price of something is the price of something and that's that!
And yes I do think tipping is getting out of control, don't get me started about a DM and boat captain in Mo-bay who were incensed when I didn't tip them.
Was the only person on the boat, dives sucked as did their service.

Gets off soap-box!!

Pet peeve........

 

[almitywife]

Hi jepusker,

While I'm sure you're going to get flamed for that attitude, I won't be one of them. Nothing bugs me more than the "in-your-face" panhandlers here in San Francisco wearing laundered clothes, smoking cigarettes, while asking for your money, shaking a cup full of change in your face. You get so desensitized to it that you find yourself ignoring the trully needy.

I'm still adjusting to the tipping over here, I usually only tip when there is an actual service involved such as serving me drinks or food - the one incident that sticks in my craw though is a guy who cut my hair, when I handed him a $20 note, just smiled and said "Thank You!" and didn't offer me my change. He just took the $20 and put it in the till and shut it. It was a $15 haircut - which was overpriced to start with! I mean, it was a 5 minute clipper job - I could have bought a pair of clippers for that. Then he goes ahead and keeps my change. What's with that?

Anyway tipping has ben flogged to death on this board - but I can't help but jump in every time it comes up

Ben

Ben, may i say that i found the Seattle beggers the most polite - even when you say no i still got a "thanks, have a nice day anyway" where i foudn the ones in SF and Vancouver almost feral.

which prompts the memory of the only time i gave $20 to someone. he was sitting near the wharf area in SF with a sign that read "why lie - i want to buy beer". after months of BS from beggers i appreciated his honesty and it made me laugh.

as far as tipping - i was a bit put out by having this added to all my bills (hotel, restaurants) each time because i like to decide if the service was good before paying extra for it.

 

[scubajoe]

Am I missing something here? The minimum wage here in the good old USA is $5.25 an hour. When I went to work for the electric company in 1974 the minimumwage was $2.25. In 2005 the starting wage at my former employe is over $15.00. Go ahead and tell me how minimum wage is keping up with reality. All of the service jobs King George the Second has created suck. Tip or pay for the working classes health care on your own health care policy.

Joe

 

[Scubaroo]

which prompts the memory of the only time i gave $20 to someone. he was sitting near the wharf area in SF with a sign that read "why lie - i want to buy beer". after months of BS from beggers i appreciated his honesty and it made me laugh.

That guy is famous - he makes a killing with that sign. This old post brought back memories!

My in-laws are visiting from the US at the moment - currently in Sydney. Mother-in-law is freaking out and ringing us up asking how much she should tip for this, how much she should tip for that - we keep telling her "Don't tip! We don't have tipping and we don't want it here!". Trouble is, she is finding every staff member she encounters in Sydney in the hotel, shops and restaurants is waiting to get a tip from them because they're American - people who wouldn't wait a moment for a tip from an Australian. The hotel staff are the worst for it. They're not on $5.25 an hour here either - more like $15+.

Tipping in Australia is pretty much limited to good restaurants, pizza delivery and rounding the cab fare up a dollar or two, no matter how many times they air re-runs of Seinfeld!