Tipping being outlawed!

[SALAD MUNCHER]

Anyone read this article on the demise of tipping in the USA? Might it spread to the cruise ships also?

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-22846846?ocid=socialflow_twitter_bbcworld

 

(hope the tread works, its an interesting article)

[Pennbank]

Anyone read this article on the demise of tipping in the USA? Might it spread to the cruise ships also?

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-22846846?ocid=socialflow_twitter_bbcworld

 

(hope the tread works, its an interesting article)

 

Very Interesting article,

 

" This story, told years later by the waiter that night, Steve Dublanica, reflects both how seriously Americans take tipping and how loaded with social meaning it has become. "

 

Could this be the reason that we see so many questions and answers time and time again on these forums about tipping and how much persons give or refuse to give in some cases when it comes to the automatic gratuities and people queuing at the pursers office to get them withdrawn ?

[Antonintassie]

Hi this was a really interesting article ,as an Australian who does tip for good service ,I find the sense of entitlement for everyday service very frustrating .I am not mean but I worked hard for my money and hopefully gave good service to my clients along the way .

Its pretty basic really I like my beer cold and my coffee hot and if you get out of the taxi seat to help me get my bag a tip is gratefully given.If you ignore me all night at a dinner table or a bar do not expect a tip Anton

[Austcruiser84]

Hi this was a really interesting article ,as an Australian who does tip for good service ,I find the sense of entitlement for everyday service very frustrating .I am not mean but I worked hard for my money and hopefully gave good service to my clients along the way .

Its pretty basic really I like my beer cold and my coffee hot and if you get out of the taxi seat to help me get my bag a tip is gratefully given.If you ignore me all night at a dinner table or a bar do not expect a tip Anton

 

Agreed. I like the fact that Australians are paid a decent wage and that any tip I give isn't making the difference between paying the rent and not (in theory).

 

What I'm noticing more here at home is collective tipping jars. I'm not a fan of staff sharing tips that perhaps should only go to one or two people.

[pepperrn]

Oh good, we've not had one of these in ages! :D

 

I have to agree with greengrunt8, "If you ignore me all night at a dinner table or a bar do not expect a tip", well said :) .

Sadly there are many staff in restaurants and bars around the world who do expect a huge tip for the good service they didn't provide, and for the poor service they did :mad: .

 

The BBC report makes interesting reading, thank you salad muncher for posting the link.

[Norfolk Brit]

Oh good, we've not had one of these in ages!

 

 

I have just set up a memory clinic. You may find it useful...

 

Sir Martin:D

[goose30]

This has nothing to do with the demise of tipping. They are adding a service charge! That is so the staff does not get stiffed by those who think tipping is something to be avoided.

 

As far as those in other countries receiving an adequate wage, where do you think it comes from? It comes from a higher price for the meal not from the owners pocket. You can read this higher cost as a service charge.

 

The whole point s that the staff's wages come from the customers. Either in the form of tipping, a service charge or higher meal costs.

 

Yes some cruise lines are including a service charge!

[ToadOfToadHall]

The whole point s that the staff's wages come from the customers. Either in the form of tipping, a service charge or higher meal costs.

 

And so does the gas bill, the electric bill, the rent, the rates, the cost of the ingredients and so on and so on. The point is, why do restaurants feel they need to itemise out the cost of bringing your food to your table ? Do they present me with a bill for the cost of the gas to cook the food do they ? The price of a meal is made of off dozens of different elements - I just want the final bill, I'm not interested in how that figure was arrived at.

[capnpugwash]

I expect and reward good service but what really irritates me is when waiters wear those pre-tied or clip on bow ties! They just don't deserve a tip.

[SALAD MUNCHER]

I expect and reward good service but what really irritates me is when waiters wear those pre-tied or clip on bow ties! They just don't deserve a tip.

 

Totally agree.....;)

[NICruisers]

Anyone read this article on the demise of tipping in the USA? Might it spread to the cruise ships also?

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-22846846?ocid=socialflow_twitter_bbcworld

 

(hope the tread works, its an interesting article)

 

Hi everyone. The issue of tipping has been debated at length many times. It's good to see an article such as this discussing tipping in the country where it verges on a religion! Here in the UK, as in other countries, whilst we do have a tipping culture, it is nowhere near as fervent as in the USA. We DO tip, but generally for service which is exceptionally good. For example, in a restaurant near where my wife and I live, and one which we frequent regularly, we had a meal and a few glasses of wine. The order was taken by a quite sullen waiter, who didn't really seem as if he wanted to be there, let alone serve us. He served the wine (2 glasses and a bottle which we had to open ourselves) and brought the food. We didn't see him again .. I had to go to the paypoint to get the bill and pay for it. The result? Absolutely NO TIP! Now, same restaurant (the food is really good) and this time the waitress (no doubt you'll think this is a gender thing, but it's not, I assure you) gave us the menus, discussed the daily specials and told us which was her favourite. She left us to get our wine, which she opened, served and checked it was OK. She took our food order, and brought the food when it was ready. Five minutes into the meal, she checked to see if everything was alright. When we'd finished she "talked" us into dessert (not that we needed too much encouragement), set the table, brought the dessert and checked again if all was OK. When dessert was finished, she cleared the table and thanked us for dining at the establishment, hoping we'd return again soon. She also brought our bill when I asked and two of those delicious little mint chocolates that you just don't need, but can't resist. The result? I left a 25% tip. So here's the thing. As far as the tipping thing is concerned, for me it's about rewarding good service and not a payment that should be expected as if it's a "right" to get tipped irrespective of the level of service provided. And that's, unfortunately, where I think the cruise lines are taking us with automatic gratuities. In the good old days, staff on board the cruise ships had to work for their tips, and they DID work, very hard! Now, I feel, they're no longer compelled to provide the same level of dedication simply because their tips are already virtually guaranteed. And that, in my opinion, is just wrong. So I'll ALWAYS have automatic gratuities removed from my account, and tip those who provide exceptional service. And I don't care who objects .. it's my hard earned cash, so I'll give as much, or as little of it as I see fit to whomever I feel has made my life easier or better by providing a level of service which has made me feel special. And that's how, in my humble opinion, it should be .. no matter where you are in the world.

[Jimsgirl]

And so does the gas bill, the electric bill, the rent, the rates, the cost of the ingredients and so on and so on. The point is, why do restaurants feel they need to itemise out the cost of bringing your food to your table ? Do they present me with a bill for the cost of the gas to cook the food do they ? The price of a meal is made of off dozens of different elements - I just want the final bill, I'm not interested in how that figure was arrived at.

 

I agree with the remark that all I want or need to know is the final cost.

 

When I see and ad for a cruise, I find my blood pressure rising as I start to calculate the real cost. Solo supplement, port tax, Gvnt. tax, all are mandatory I have left out Ins as that is selective).

 

Cunard should advertise the actual coast i/c all these extras , and the solo supplement should be clearly displayed, not the present "maybe l75%, maybe 200% or anything in between"

 

Once on board, every drink carries a 15% extra charge, then my account has a Gratuity charge added automatically (unless I go to the Pursers desk and sign a form to have it taken off). It seems the final cost never seems to end.

 

If I ask who gets this auto payment I am told it goes to all who serve me, including some I never see!

I never use the buffet so why should I tip the staff.?

 

IMO, Cunard should stop the auto charge/15% on drinks, yes some passengers may not tip, but that is a fact of life in any service industry.

 

I am not a cheap skate, I tip quite well, when the person performs a service over and above the minimum. The difficulty if I wish to reduce the auto because my cabin steward leaves me without clean towels, face cloths or toiletries, is that I cannot just reduce it for that person but only for the whole. So the lazy or incompetent get rewarded and never learn to improve their performance.

[pmb1]

Thanks, S M, for sharing that informative article. Not that it had anything to do with your thread title; but, hey, titles are just attention grabbers and tipping, along with dress code and the end-of-the-world-as-we-know-it, are perpetually popular topics here.

 

Miss Manners, my personal font of truth on these topics, begins her chapter on tipping with:

 

Until the beginning of this [20th] century, since which time so many things have gone wrong, the custom of tipping was considered highly un-American.

 

(And, to paraphrase Mark Twain, who was speaking about something entirely different at the time, "It is un-American. It is un-English. It is French.")

 

Miss Manners ends her chapter with:

 

Do not Tip:

Airline attendants.

Bus drivers.

Elevator operators.

Government employees (e.g., police, senators).

Owners of bed and breakfast inns.

Train conductors.

Ships' officers (unless one is borrowing a friend's yacht, in which case one tips the captain).

Your parents.

[Mid-Atlantic Ridge]

I don't find tipping a vexing problem at all. I tip appropriately for good service otherwise I don't. And I'm also pleased that I appear to be compliant with Miss Manners' advice incidentally.

 

Having paid a good chunk of cash to luxuriate on a Cunard cruise, so what if it costs a few shillings more to reward those who helped make it happy experience?

 

M-AR

[balf]

so what if it costs a few shillings more to reward those who helped make it happy experience?

 

M-AR

 

$11.50 is quite a few shillings. If it was just a few shillings people wound not que at the desk to have tips removed.

 

David.

[Mid-Atlantic Ridge]

$11.50 is quite a few shillings. If it was just a few shillings people wound not que at the desk to have tips removed.

 

David.

 

Perhaps they do queue at the desk for that reason, I don't call by there often enough to be able to comment accurately.

 

I can reiterate though that I feel $11.50 per day or more is a small price to pay for the pleasure I get in return therefore I budget for it, others have an opposite view, so be it.

 

M-AR

[Keith1010]

I don't see tipping going away.

 

Keith

[electra2008]

The difficulty if I wish to reduce the auto because my cabin steward leaves me without clean towels, face cloths or toiletries, is that I cannot just reduce it for that person but only for the whole. So the lazy or incompetent get rewarded and never learn to improve their performance.

If your steward does not give you towels etc. just pick up the phone and I am sure you will have all the towels you need almost immediately, and your steward will have a flea in his/her ear PDQ from houskeeping.

[njguy_south]

Tipping is not dead in the US. In fact, if you want good service again in the same resturant or by a porter, etc., then a good tips should be left. While the amount of the tip varies by region, in NYC and other east coast big cities and suburbs, 20% is what is normally left in a resturant. (The percentage is calculated before taxes and without the bar charge.) Tips at the bar can range from 1 to 2 dollars per drink, or more, depending on the bar and what service you want on your next visit.

 

Those pics in the article of included tips or that none are expected are RARE, indeed, As I have never seen that myself.

 

On cruise lines, whether gratuities are included or not, when I greet the cabin steward, I discretely hand them $40, and request 4 pilllows on the bed for each of us and extra towels. If the cruiseis over 7 days, I gift another $20. The people serving me on ship are not paid nearly as well as I am. You will be surprised how many crew members know my name by the second day of the cruise and are willing to go an extra mile or step for me. They help me; I help them.

 

I know some find this kind of tipping crass, but I find it showing gratitude for service.

[Salacia]

$11.50 is quite a few shillings. If it was just a few shillings people wound not que at the desk to have tips removed.

 

David.

 

Yes, it is.

 

BTW, $11.50 is approximately the cost of one glass of house wine (with the 15% surcharge added).:eek: I would sooner drink tap water than remove the H&D charge. Not that I'm likely to do either :D -S.

[sullaRaffaello]

..... (The percentage is calculated before taxes and without the bar charge.) Tips at the bar can range from 1 to 2 dollars per drink, or more, depending on the bar and what service you want on your next visit.....

 

This I never heard of. I've always tipped on the whole bill before sales tax.

[Whitemarsh]

The title of this thread makes it sound like people who dare to tip will be arrested or have wanted posters spread throughout the ship!

[balf]

Yes, it is.

 

BTW, $11.50 is approximately the cost of one glass of house wine (

 

To quote many Yorkshiremen "Ow much".

 

David.

[balf]

The title of this thread makes it sound like people who dare to tip will be arrested or have wanted posters spread throughout the ship!

 

When really it's the other way round.

 

David.

[balf]

:, 20% is what is normally left in a resturant. (.

 

I'll bet it didn't start out as20% so how did it get to this rip off amount?

 

David.