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Tipping in Australia and New Zealand


cruising sister
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39 minutes ago, cruising sister said:

The question of tipping came up on our roll call.  We want to do the right thing when in your countries. Any advice would be appreciated. 
Thanks 

Don’t tip 

We have a good minimum wage and a tip is not expected.

You may find the service isn’t the same as the US but I hate to be fussed over.

When I’m in America I feel embarrassed by someone doing a song and dance act to get a tip.

You will find the service genuine and cordial.

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I will add some who like to tip may say that no-one has refused money but it would be odd to refuse free money.

 

I will on some occasions when I dine out leave a tip, but it is for exceptional service which would be recommending food or wine, helpful ideas when visiting a new area etc. Bringing me food and wine in a timely manner is expected and not exceptional service. 

 

You may see places with tip jars out especially in tourist areas but feel free to ignore unless you want to get rid of some loose coins. 

 

Taxi drivers I have been rounded up to the nearest $5 if they have helped with luggage.

 

Julie

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No need to tip in Australia/New Zealand for anything.

Should you have a meal which you were exceptionally pleased with you can leave a tip but there is no percentage or amount expected at all, leave what you want.

Some cafes have tip jars at the front if you want to drop your change into but again, it is not expected.

All totally up to you and either way, the standard of service in hotels, taxis, restaurants, tours etc will not be change.

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It’s a little off subject but in Australia and NZ the advertised price is the total price.

In the states you have a lot of extras added to the bill,sometimes gratuity is one of them.

 

Not here,the price you see is the total price, tax ,service fee ,ect is included.It’s the law.

 

when visiting friends in America people ask why  Australians don’t tip.

After explaining our system they usually say how did we end up with our system.

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Tipping is rare in New Zealand. Generally you only tip if you receive service above and beyond the normal call of duty, and some places have tip jars if you wish to dispose of your loose change.

Service staff in New Zealand are comparitively well paid. The minimum wage for people aged 18 and over (and 16- and 17-year-olds after 3 months' employment) is currently 17.70 NZD per hour. That's around 11.75 USD at current exchange rates.

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Mind you, a few bucks will be appreciated. As other said it is not necessary.

You will find that many times credit card payment slips or hand-held devices will have TIP line. Just ignore it.

If your server was great, better slip him/her a few $$, if you want to. But no pressure to do so!

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9 hours ago, SinbadThePorter said:

 

Just remember that the more tipping that goes on, the more tipping will come to be expected.

And then I wonder how long till restaurant owners start saying, the staff are getting so much in tips let us pay them less.

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On 1/17/2020 at 8:40 AM, SinbadThePorter said:

Just remember that the more tipping that goes on, the more tipping will come to be expected.

 

I tipped our waitress $10 just after Christmas; she'd been lovely and really helpful and looked after us so well. And I did say to her that I knew that it was a very un-Australian thing to do. I feel all guilty now. Am I really that bad a person? Sorry. 😉

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On 1/16/2020 at 8:22 PM, buchhalm said:

 

If your server was great, better slip him/her a few $$, if you want to. But no pressure to do so!

 

They are called waitstaff here. We do not consider the well paid hospitality industry to be in servitude. 

 

By taking your order, recommending a nice wine, and carrying your food to the table - they are doing their actual job they are well paid for. 

 

Above and beyond that would be performing CPR on you. And paying them for that would be insulting. Buy them a drink and say thank you. 

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Okay, opinionated rant time.

 

I live in a touristy part of NZ where I am seeing tipping requests on receipts and eftpos machines becoming more and more common.  It annoys me no end.  
As mentioned above - the more people tip, the more people expect it.  
The thing is, most New Zealanders outside of the service industry deplore the idea of tipping becoming common place here in NZ.  With that in mind, someone in the position to tip needs to decide whether they support the short term picture (“It felt so nice handing that person $10 and making them smile) or the long term picture (“I feel a bit guilty not tipping, but at least I’m not trying to change the culture of a country”).  


My suggestion: show your appreciation by leaving a good review and put your money into a charity box.

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On 1/22/2020 at 3:35 AM, Globaliser said:

 

I tipped our waitress $10 just after Christmas; she'd been lovely and really helpful and looked after us so well. And I did say to her that I knew that it was a very un-Australian thing to do. I feel all guilty now. Am I really that bad a person? Sorry. 😉

 

Yes you are. Don't do it again. 😏

 

An even better "tip" would have been to find the boss/manager and tell them that your waitress was worth more money.

Edited by SinbadThePorter
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