Tolos

Wow, thanks. Nice to meet you too.

Ray

You slowly feed yourself in here ..lot of Americans here too....

Tolos

Feed myself?

Kate2112

You know..like as in a meat grinder

Ray

In english .... blend into the forum slowly ....once people get used to you they accept your argument ... Newbies are alway distrusted ...

gruffbrown

Ray has been nice to new posters recently, his reputation has suffered, he must have got some new medication

Leslie

Then eat at home or McDonalds, cheapskate. It's the system.... love it or leave it. If you want to enjoy the inexpensive eating experience then deal with the tipping ..... otherwise go join high brow clubs where the waiters make more money than God and they'll be happy to figure the 18% right into the bill for you - whether you get good service or good food - you'll still pay for the privilege of eating there. News flash - you're not in the UK any more - it isn't the same here ..... notice people driving on the wrong side of the road and the cops carrying guns. You're not in Kansas anymore Dorothy.

World war 3 is breaking out in the Middle East, ffs ..... get some perspective about what's important in life.

Tolos

I never knew there were such 'unwritten codes of conduct' on internet forums. But when in Rome...

I'll quieten down a little, and only make occassional contributions about the weather until we make friends!

Rete

No, not in the least. I was going to post from a first hand experience as I supported my children on the wages of being a waitree and later a bartender. Then thought what the hell, why bother and let you all have your go at it ;-)

I agree that the carwash, hairdresser, and the like (not waitstaff) should not be tipped since the price of the service is already out of sight.

Tolos

Thank you for your perspective, Leslie. Just a question though - many topics on this forum seem to focus on the differences of living in the US compared to the UK. I see nitpicking threads about driving licenses, Americans not having many friends, the emphasis on sports, finding jobs, feeling settled. I see very little posts about the Middle East or "World War 3". So do you act this hostile to all members, or just the "newbie"?

Rete

Yes, she does ... and yes, she does ;-)

Political discussions are normally in the Take It Outside Forum.

Elvira

Leslie is in a league of her own and you can always rely on her meaning what she says. She is also one of the nicest and kindest people at BE.

Rushman

True, we usually vent by arguing with anyone with under 50 posts whether we might agree with them or not, its good practice for marriage

Philgr

I don't have an issue with the system - for the owner it's an incentive scheme to ensure your staff are polite to your customers. As long as they know that their rewards vary by how well they perform there's more reason to expect them to perform well. If wages are so low that the staff HAS to get the tips then they are likely to be nicer. If there's a shortage of staff this system wouldn't work - so I guess there isn't a shortage of staff.

If owners paid their staff good wages and no-one was expected to tip your meal out would still cost the same - you don't think owners would increase their costs without a similar price incrase do you? You'd just pay all the money to the restaurant instead of paying some to the restaurant and some to the staff.

The US system also has the benefit for owners that his fixed costs for staff are lower so he is getting the staff to take the pain on nights when he doesn't have many customers in. This has to be important when starting up a restaurant and building a client base. With a system paying higher wages it woudl be harder to successfully launch new restaurants.

Jerseygirl

Welcome to BE.

In NJ restaurants get away with not paying servers anything. My daughter worked in a restaurant last summer, she received no wage only tips. Even then the servers have to 'tip out' to the other staff. Some days after working 8 hrs she would come home with $30. On one occasion some nice guy left without paying his $100 bill...my daughter had to pay this out of her own pocket. Even then she had to 'tip out' the normal percentage of the $100 to the other staff.

In the UK many years ago, tips were incorporated into the price of meals. I suppose you could look at it that you don't have a choice about paying for it in the UK but in the US you have.

What I find annoying is cab drivers and the way they never have any change. $7 cab ride and they can't change a $10 bill....this is especially true of tourist destinations such as Vegas.