USA Gratuity And/Or Tip?

Author
Discussion

unrepentant

21,286 posts

257 months

Friday 3rd May
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C5_Steve said:
The jobs you list as not having a "salary", guess what, in every other country in the world they're paid one. The US is the outlier here now unfortunately not the norm and should look to the rest of the world to change. Whilst it used to be one of the leaders in service and sales it's now unfortunately been left behind by many other countries who do it better and reward their staff correctly.
Really? I think you'll find that unsalaried employees here in those jobs earn far, far more than their salaried UK equivalents.

djc206

12,396 posts

126 months

Friday 3rd May
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unrepentant said:
C5_Steve said:
The jobs you list as not having a "salary", guess what, in every other country in the world they're paid one. The US is the outlier here now unfortunately not the norm and should look to the rest of the world to change. Whilst it used to be one of the leaders in service and sales it's now unfortunately been left behind by many other countries who do it better and reward their staff correctly.
Really? I think you'll find that unsalaried employees here in those jobs earn far, far more than their salaried UK equivalents.
They’re rarely salaried anyway, it’s usually hourly rates on zero hours contracts. The only way we treat tipped employees in the U.K. differently is to pay them a proper minimum wage which only happens in a handful of US states.

We’ve gone a protection of low paid workers methodology. In the US there’s little protection but get a job at a decent place with wealthy customers and you’ll be laughing all the way to the bank. There are no poor pool girls in Vegas!

Trustmeimadoctor

12,671 posts

156 months

Friday 3rd May
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djc206 said:
There are no poor pool girls in Vegas!
dunno half of them go and spunk it on the floor after their shifts

eldar

21,852 posts

197 months

Friday 3rd May
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paulguitar said:
dunkind said:
paulguitar said:
It might be best if you don't travel anywhere overseas.

Or leave your house.
Too late Paul. Houses overseas.
As your are familiar with the cruise industry my recent, and only cruise, exposed me to a few too many Americans (Silversea).
Some can get a bit wearing but loads of them are great. Mrs Guitar is American. smile
The fork only eating habit is a bit odd, though Ive found eating habits varying from line to line. Regent is quite civilised, Celebrity somewhat hit and miss.

Hell was a works canteen in north carolina with 2500 deep south noisy chewers weeping

Trustmeimadoctor

12,671 posts

156 months

Friday 3rd May
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the american way of eating id just so much hard work, pick up knife and fork cut some food put down knife swap for hands east some food pick up knife and swap fork hands again rinse and repeat

it feels like they need those penci lhand writing trainers you used to get to teach them how to use them both at the same time.

and yes also they need to learn how to eat with their mouths shut smile

dunkind

197 posts

21 months

Monday 6th May
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unrepentant said:
acer12 said:
LunarOne said:
If restaurant chains like the ones you mention are mid-scale, you must have been plumbing abyssal depths to find the low end of the market!
You know when I was typing that I guessed some ar5ebag would be along to judge my post and here you are. Its disappointing it took you so long.

To rise to you post, not sure how you would call a place like Red Lobster low end, their surf and turf is about $40 and is decent.
rofl

Red Lobster is literally plumbing the depths of crappy low end chain restaurants. Do you like Olive Garden too?
Red Lobster you say?
https://edition.cnn.com/2024/05/03/food/red-lobste...


psi310398

9,152 posts

204 months

Monday 6th May
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I’m currently on holiday in New Mexico where, in a self-service diner in Albuquerque that requires me to carry my own tray of food to my own table, the proposition seems to be that I should add a 22.5% tip to the bill. I’m not very clear what service I’m expected to tip on.

I’m fairly certain that the chap who goes round collecting the used crockery, and thus about the only person actually providing me a service (arguably), is not getting much, if any, of that.

Still, when in Rome…

bad company

Original Poster:

18,709 posts

267 months

Monday 6th May
quotequote all
psi310398 said:
I’m currently on holiday in New Mexico where, in a self-service diner in Albuquerque that requires me to carry my own tray of food to my own table, the proposition seems to be that I should add a 22.5% tip to the bill. I’m not very clear what service I’m expected to tip on.

I’m fairly certain that the chap who goes round collecting the used crockery, and thus about the only person actually providing me a service (arguably), is not getting much, if any, of that.

Still, when in Rome…
I wouldn’t tip at all in that situation.

Whistle

1,414 posts

134 months

Monday 6th May
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The Visa card machine suggested a 20% tip in Subway, this was in Las Vegas.

I wouldn’t mind I was taking it away.

They got nothing I declined.

bad company

Original Poster:

18,709 posts

267 months

Monday 6th May
quotequote all
Whistle said:
The Visa card machine suggested a 20% tip in Subway, this was in Las Vegas.

I wouldn’t mind I was taking it away.

They got nothing I declined.
Those machines suggesting a substantial tip are becoming more common. I’m very aware now and will not tip for self service or take aways. I have no problem with tipping restaurant servers.

RDMcG

19,211 posts

208 months

Monday 6th May
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bad company said:
Those machines suggesting a substantial tip are becoming more common. I’m very aware now and will not tip for self service or take aways. I have no problem with tipping restaurant servers.
My view also.

No idea why this is all such a big argument anyway.. I generally go by the local norms assuming competent service. There have to have been 20 of these threads over the years and the story never varies. People are perfectly entitled not to to tip if they are non-tippers.

In general for the US, no takeaways, no tips on top of a service charge, tip in normal sit-down restaurants and follow the local norm in other countries. I generally check in advance if I am going to a place I have never visited.

Obviously everyone on this thread is perfectly aware of US norms , so no surprises.

C5_Steve

3,229 posts

104 months

Tuesday 7th May
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unrepentant said:
Really? I think you'll find that unsalaried employees here in those jobs earn far, far more than their salaried UK equivalents.
Really? So why all the fuss about people not wanting to have a mandatory tip/gratuity added to their bill for no service then?

You can't have it both ways rofl

I think what you meant was historically, non-salaried servers would be able to make out very well on tips if they were very good at their job and provided excellent service, which I'd agree HAS been the case and certainly a big difference between the US and the rest of the world.

This whole discussion is on the decline in service levels and the automation and expectation of a tip when no service/poor service is offered. Which I'm sure you'd agree isn't how servers previously did so well on tips, there for something has to give. They either get paid more as a base to make up for the service they're no longer having to provide, by their employer who is now squeezing more profit from a reduced workforce by automating aspects of their business, or they go back to full-service models which cost more for the employer but will result in a higher quality of service and should lead to more tips.

You can't continue down this path of reducing staff interaction/service and still expecting people to heavily subsidise staff wages when they aren't doing the same level of work they did previously.


unrepentant

21,286 posts

257 months

Tuesday 7th May
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C5_Steve said:
unrepentant said:
Really? I think you'll find that unsalaried employees here in those jobs earn far, far more than their salaried UK equivalents.
Really? So why all the fuss about people not wanting to have a mandatory tip/gratuity added to their bill for no service then?
We were discussing non salaried sales roles in general, not servers specifically.

C5_Steve

3,229 posts

104 months

Wednesday 8th May
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unrepentant said:
C5_Steve said:
unrepentant said:
Really? I think you'll find that unsalaried employees here in those jobs earn far, far more than their salaried UK equivalents.
Really? So why all the fuss about people not wanting to have a mandatory tip/gratuity added to their bill for no service then?
We were discussing non-salaried sales roles in general, not servers specifically.
Apologies I hadn't realised we'd gone off on a tangent, you were referring to commission-based roles, weren't you? Totally different to the original point of this thread in that case which was about tipping for service, not taking a percentage of a sale as commission.