[Aptorian]

Yes, TT, Denmark is the best place in the world.

[dktorode]

Aptorian;272321 said:

Yes, TT, Denmark is the best place in the world.

Pitty about all the Danes that are there though

[Cougar]

dktorode;272336 said:

Pitty about all the Danes that are there though

Watch out I think someone is stealing Schleswig Holstein!

[Aptorian]

Don't even joke about that... those german bastards.

[Cougar]

Aptorian;272379 said:

Don't even joke about that... those german bastards.

Spose technically I should have said South Jutland

[Optimus Prime]

I got two 100 dollar tips today

[Terez]

Woo!

I went to have coffee at the restaurant I used to work at and enjoyed thinking about how I don't work there any more.

[Optimus Prime]

They keep trying to get me to take a manager position, but it would be a pay cut initially.

I think I'll keep the tipping job until summer is over...need to save for grad school.

[Macros]

I don't like the "tipping culture" in America, sure it makes for more pleasant serving staff, but the owners should suck it up and pay them proper wages for doing their job in the first place. The customer comes with a desire to get a drink, not pay someones rent. If tipping is expected, jack the prices up 20% and pay the staff properly. Then if they actually serve well they get a tip on top of it, its deserved and nice.
I worked in a bar/nightclub (sometimes the restaurant as well) for 5 years, never expected a tip, when I got them it was gratifying, knowing they were doing because I had done a good job, and not because it was expected.
One hotel in my town started adding compulsary tips to their bills, they lost custom pretty bad until it stopped.
Personally if I make an order at a bar and the change will be negligible (less than 5/10% of the note handed over) I'll just dander off and leave them too it. If its a big order or they've carried shit down to my table when its not expected I'll tell them to take a drink for themselves.

[Optimus Prime]

I disagree Macros. Tipping encourages your employees to work harder IMO. Also, it is unrealistic to offer higher wages for all these positions....it just doesn't work.

Why is it so hard to tip? If someone does an exceptional job (at a hotel for instance) why not reward them? I've had so many people leave me letters or notes saying how I helped make their family's stay memorable...it's a nice feeling.

I work hard regardless of whether or not I get tipped, but it's just a nice bonus. People are just cheap

[Morgoth]

Xander;275164 said:

I disagree Macros. Tipping encourages your employees to work harder IMO. Also, it is unrealistic to offer higher wages for all these positions....it just doesn't work.

Why is it so hard to tip? If someone does an exceptional job (at a hotel for instance) why not reward them? I've had so many people leave me letters or notes saying how I helped make their family's stay memorable...it's a nice feeling.

I work hard regardless of whether or not I get tipped, but it's just a nice bonus. People are just cheap

Well, it does seem to work in the rest of the western world. Compulsory tipping just takes away the very point of tipping in the first place.

[Optimus Prime]

Tipping is a reward for good service. If you experience horrible service...fine...don't tip if that's how you feel. Working in the service industry, I tip no matter what...unless it's just unbelievably bad....which is rare.

wow, 2000th post....I need to get a life, LOL j/k

[Terez]

I agree with the Europeans that the "American tip culture" is overall a bad thing, and that the employers should suck it up and jack up prices to cover the payroll necessary to make tips more of a truly optional thing. But none of us really have the individual power necessary to bring about that change....it's a pretty rooted tradition, and most consumers would freak when the restaurant prices went up...especially those that didn't tip before. So I hope that the Europeans would keep that in mind and follow our culture's practices when visiting.

[caladanbrood]

Xander;275288 said:

Tipping is a reward for good service. If you experience horrible service...fine...don't tip if that's how you feel

That's what we've been saying

[Shinrei]

I'm not sure I follow the logic of Macros and Terez...

So you'd rather be forced to pay 20% extra automatically to the restaurant/bar owner than have the power to decide if the service was worth that 20%? If the service wasn't up to par, then you can leave 15, 10, 5 or 0 depending on how bad it was. That'll save you money if it aint worth it.

Also, say the restaurant owner raises the price of everything on the menu by 15/20%. I guarantee that extra 20% on EVERY ITEM SOLD is not going to end up in the pocket of the server. The server will probably get minimum wage or a little more. That means that the restaurant owner gets more money while the server no longer has the opportunity to make better than minimum wage!

I'm not saying it's necessarily bad that an owner makes more money, but as a server this is certainly not good for me. I wouldn't be doing very well right now if I was only making minimum wage...

Tipping = power to the consumer and power to the service staff to make better money! Explain to me how this doesn't make sense?!!

[MecnunK]

we tip in Europe. I tip in resturants if service is good. Tip for room service in hotels but little else. sometimes leave the cleaners a bit but I refuse to tip for the guys outside for opening my taxi doors usually. I always carry my own luggage and dont really appreciate 3 guys making a beeline for my suitcase when i arrive. In europe its not so bad but in Asia they look offended if you don't let them carry your suitcase. Also I dont tip taxi drivers as usually they have ripped you off anyway.

If there is a service charge or a credit card charge I will not tip in restaurants!

[D'rek]

I grew up in Aussieland with almost no tipping whatsoever, and then moved to Canada and got lots of funny looks for a long time, especially at the hairdresser's/haircutter's. Who would think to tip the haircutters? And it's not like the hairdressers in places like Germany that have really cute and young girls who wash your hair for you before you get it cut... nono, it's just sit on the chair and get the slice from some much older woman with a bizarre piercing on her face that you try to look away but can't help but stare....

anyways, I think the conflict of tipping between different cultures comes from the relative recentness of the very small world we live in. Only a few decades ago, each culture was more or less isolated and assimilative of newcomers to some extent. Now that the world is "smaller", there's a lot more diversity and visiting of cultures, but stuff like tipping hasn't dissolved into a global norm just yet. Have patience and I'm sure it shall...

[Ashaman]

Aptorian;256647 said:

Well we also pay around 55-65% in taxes and the price of food and gas has been rising steadily of late.

hmm depends, in socialist Norway we have like 25-35% tax on your income, the employer are paying a lesses amount of tax on his salaries to the ones he have working for him. hmm and you have 23% tax on sold items and services, if you also include 70% tax (i think it is that huge, correct me if i am wrong) on "gas"/petrol and road toll all over the biggest cites
i wouldn't be surprised if the actually taxation is close to 70%.
but then agen many thing are being payed for by the government. heck our prime minister went to election whit a promice to NOT lover taxes as long as they wher in power. make you wonder.

and in general when people are asked what they think about their tax and what they are paying, many are positive.
(abite OT but it was asked some pages back i think)

as for the tipping, i only tip when it is convenient like keep the change. just to make it easier whit all the small coins.
the reason for that is that minimum wager is at a level so that you can live ok on it.

the talk about earning 2.35$ a hour is outrageous we pay more to cheap foreign labor, mostly polish.

any way, i wish i have had more time and more money, so i could go to usa while the $ is so low, would have been cool to check it out while it is "cheap". (apparently this ressesion are long lasting so i might get time and money before the $ have gotten back to where it usealy are)

[Aptorian]

I wasn't complaining about our taxes. I don't mind paying taxes when you think of all the benefits we get.

Anyway Norway doesn't have a right to complain, you're the saudi arabia of scandinavia, you're rolling in oil you bastards! That oil should have been ours! Get back under the Danish rule!

[Ashaman]

Aptorian;280491 said:

I wasn't complaining about our taxes. I don't mind paying taxes when you think of all the benefits we get.

Anyway Norway doesn't have a right to complain, you're the saudi arabia of scandinavia, you're rolling in oil you bastards! That oil should have been ours! Get back under the Danish rule!

nah quit complaining, they are finding all sort of stuff under the ice sheath of greenland, gold diamonds, oil and gass off the coast, you name it. global warming ftw for you