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another tip question


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No tip will be expected by a driver or guide in NZ or AU. It would be a once in a lifetime experience to get a tip from a Kiwi or Aussie in this situation.

 

Right on

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Just come on down and enjoy yourselves - you will find we are a really friendly bunch down here in Australia and NZ.

 

Also if 65 years old or older don't forget to ask for, or look out for "seniors discount" for entry fees to attractions, sometimes coffees in cafes etc. Not always available and sometimes only for Aussie/Kiwi seniors but it does not hurt to ask.

 

You will have a great holiday

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Amazing how fixated some are on tipping.

 

I cant speak for others, but as an American where tips are expected, and to not tip is considered stiffing the worker, I really want to be sure that the culturally relevant expectation is met.

Thank you for the responses.

I am looking forward to November - its sure to be a monumental pleasure!

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If you want you can tip in restaurants but please do not tip for bad service. Now that many of us pay with paywave, ie credit card without signing or pin, there is even less tipping because you often do not have the opportunity to add to the bill.

We were wondering last week what will happen in the US to tipping when it follows the trend to cashless.

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We were wondering last week what will happen in the US to tipping when it follows the trend to cashless.

 

Knowing their banks rate of adapting to new technology (I mean seriously people still use cheque books there) - cashless transactions will likely be a decade or two to come. So the tipping culture will remain as is.

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I cant speak for others, but as an American where tips are expected, and to not tip is considered stiffing the worker, I really want to be sure that the culturally relevant expectation is met.
The culturally relevant expectation is exactly what you have read, and exactly as you set out in your opening post! What is quite startling is how hard some people find it to believe that every word is true.
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As a Kiwi I absolutely hate the tipping culture when I travel in the USA. Of course I do tip and I don't begrudge the staff getting the tip but I still hate it. Why? For a start, coming from NZ I am used to being cashless. I just don't like carrying cash and pay for everything with a wave of a card. Can't do that in most US establishments I've been to. And the math! I've just had a meal and few wines, I am in no position to be calculating tips. Supposedly it's 20% right, for good service? How often do you tip less for average service? And if you do, why should you have to feel bad about it - you are the customer it's not your fault!

 

I understand that the wait staff are on minimum wage and require the additional income from tips, and that the idea is that good staff get tipped more. But why is that my problem? Surely it is the job of the management, not me, to ensure that good staff are rewarded? Just pay your staff a fair wage and weed out the useless ones - I shouldn't have to be helping you with your HR problems!

 

Glad to have got that off my chest!

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The culturally relevant expectation is exactly what you have read, and exactly as you set out in your opening post! What is quite startling is how hard some people find it to believe that every word is true.

 

 

Yep but they're fixated on it, never understood it, guess I never will.

 

What really annoys is when they say things like "I was told tipping isn't the standard in Australia, but I tipped anyway" sometimes followed by "and they took it".

 

Firstly what happened to "When in Rome" that they throw at anyone from a non tipping culture.

 

Secondly, do they thing we're idiots and say no to money.

 

Thirdly do they give a rats about the impact on the rest of us when staff start to expect tips.

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As a Kiwi I absolutely hate the tipping culture when I travel in the USA. Of course I do tip and I don't begrudge the staff getting the tip but I still hate it. Why? For a start, coming from NZ I am used to being cashless. I just don't like carrying cash and pay for everything with a wave of a card. Can't do that in most US establishments I've been to. And the math! I've just had a meal and few wines, I am in no position to be calculating tips. Supposedly it's 20% right, for good service? How often do you tip less for average service? And if you do, why should you have to feel bad about it - you are the customer it's not your fault!

 

I understand that the wait staff are on minimum wage and require the additional income from tips, and that the idea is that good staff get tipped more. But why is that my problem? Surely it is the job of the management, not me, to ensure that good staff are rewarded? Just pay your staff a fair wage and weed out the useless ones - I shouldn't have to be helping you with your HR problems!

 

Glad to have got that off my chest!

 

Agreeing with you.

Don't understand why visitors to our country are not able to respect our non tipping culture.

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We live in Sydney and nearly always tip in restaurants, unless the service is bad. Most people we know do too. But more in the range of 5%. The culture is not entirely non-tipping. More like optional tipping.

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  • 3 weeks later...
Knowing their banks rate of adapting to new technology (I mean seriously people still use cheque books there) - cashless transactions will likely be a decade or two to come. So the tipping culture will remain as is.

 

I have to admit I have a checkbook, given to me when I opened a new account after retirement and moving from Washington DC. I think it has 10 checks. Still intact. I think in other areas of the country checks may be more common. Most people I know use credit or debit cards. Personally I use a combination of credit card (either 5% cash back on one card, or FFMiles on another), P2P transfers, and Android Pay.

Tipping is easy to include on credit transactions as well as the Android Pay app I use.

 

Although I would prefer that local taxes were included in advertised prices here and that we paid fair wages up front I agree that will not be happening anytime soon. It would be nice to know what you are actually paying when you buy something. I look forward to visiting where the listed price is the true cost!

 

Crazy question - when I've paid for tours and hotel reservations for this trip I am usually asked for credit info. Or Paypal, which incurs charges for using. Sometimes I am asked to email credit card numbers even though that is not secure. Is it possible to use Android pay (or Apple Pay} for such transactions there?

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