Gratuities [eeeek]

[not-enough-cruising]

10 minutes ago, Mum2Mercury said:

I usually tip the person who rings up my groceries at the self-check out with an iced coffee.  She deserves it after running all the errands for the family.  

Seems more than fair 

[not-enough-cruising]

4 hours ago, S_M_B said:

I apologize for any misunderstandings. It’s not about their personal choices. I was referring to leaving family at home. We tip the young mom or dad better as they have kids to support.

So the tip has nothing to do with job performance??

 

This seems incredibly discriminatory 

[S_M_B]

Ya'll tip your ways. We will ours. 

[Ocean Boy]

16 minutes ago, S_M_B said:

Ya'll tip your ways. We will ours. 

No one said otherwise. Doesn't make your way any less bazaar.

[Mikew0805]

On 9/21/2023 at 4:02 PM, ReneeFLL said:

Fair enough, but next time you fly AA make sure you look for DH in the cockpit and give him a tip. Pilots and flight attendants are providing a service also. More cruise money for me. 😆 Personally, I just think tipping has gotten out of hand. Seems like a lot of people are expecting a tip these days even in non-tipping positions.

I cannot agree with you more. It is out of control! I tip traditional positions based on the service I receive. In general I mean waitstaff, bar staff/servers, and others of this nature. (I leave auto grats on, because that is what I choose to do) Just because a service is provided, does not mean a tip is warranted. If that is the case when I code someone, I should probably pull out my iPad after we bring them back and say... "Just one question for you to answer" as I glare at them. Heck, I'm just a nurse... physicians could make a killing on this... @Ocean Boy, your thoughts? 🤣

1 hour ago, Mum2Mercury said:

I usually tip the person who rings up my groceries at the self-check out with an iced coffee.  She deserves it after running all the errands for the family.  

This took me longer than it should have... I had to read it like three times.. ugh! 🙄 Clearly I need some iced coffee right now as well 

40 minutes ago, not-enough-cruising said:

So the tip has nothing to do with job performance??

 

This seems incredibly discriminatory 

It is absolutely discriminatory if it is based on anything like what was mentioned. Amazing.

Edited October 4, 2023 by Mikew0805

[BND]

6 hours ago, Banana Benders said:

 

 

We always tip the Drink waiters in the Diamond lounge as they don't receive any gratuities on the drinks they serve during happy hours 🍹🍹🍹

Yes they do and it's a duty that a lot of the waitstaff wants.  But, we always give an extra $1/drink and then tip anyone who we feel gave great service more at the end of the cruise.

[gerig]

On 9/4/2023 at 2:28 AM, little britain said:

As I understand it:

the gratuity staff are guaranteed a salary - say $1000pm of which a % is paid by tips.

If they don’t get the tips than RCI will top up the salary to ensure they hit the minimum of $1000.

However, if there are several months where they don’t get tipped and have to be topped up; then the likelihood of their contracts being renewed decreases. 
 

Of course if everyone does pay their tips then their monthly salary far exceeds $1000 which is the upside. 
 

It was always said that the staff didn’t want the contracts on the UK based ships because of the reluctance to pay the tips. 
 

 

I was just in London for a few days and a British Isles cruise.  Every restaurant receipt, transportation receipt they add 12.5% which is considered a gratuity.   So why would people not leave at least 12.5% since that is the norm in their country.

[d9704011]

3 minutes ago, gerig said:

I was just in London for a few days and a British Isles cruise.  Every restaurant receipt, transportation receipt they add 12.5% which is considered a gratuity.   So why would people not leave at least 12.5% since that is the norm in their country.

I don't believe London reflects common practice throughout the UK.

[swoopy2110]

5 minutes ago, gerig said:

I was just in London for a few days and a British Isles cruise.  Every restaurant receipt, transportation receipt they add 12.5% which is considered a gratuity.   So why would people not leave at least 12.5% since that is the norm in their country.

London is certainly not the norm for the rest of the UK.

 

I have myself noticed that many restaurants are now adding 10% tip automatically to the bill though (but you can remove it if you wish). I'd usually tip 10% in a restaurant, but I can't think of any other place I tip anyone in the UK.

[Billy Baltic]

18 minutes ago, gerig said:

I was just in London for a few days and a British Isles cruise.  Every restaurant receipt, transportation receipt they add 12.5% which is considered a gratuity.   So why would people not leave at least 12.5% since that is the norm in their country.

I don’t live in the UK but if it was on everything then it might have been VAT (value added tax). 

[gerig]

Just now, Billy Baltic said:

I don’t live in the UK but if it was on everything then it might have been VAT (value added tax). 

I asked the server what the 12.5% represented and was informed it was the gratuity

 

1 minute ago, Billy Baltic said:

I don’t live in the UK but if it was on everything then it might have been VAT (value added tax). 

aw

[Billy Baltic]

Maybe @little britain can confirm?

[shopaholic6]

38 minutes ago, swoopy2110 said:

London is certainly not the norm for the rest of the UK.

 

I have myself noticed that many restaurants are now adding 10% tip automatically to the bill though (but you can remove it if you wish). I'd usually tip 10% in a restaurant, but I can't think of any other place I tip anyone in the UK.

I bought a top from an online shop (in the UK) and at checkout it asked if I wanted to leave a tip 🤣🤣🤣🤣

[little britain]

34 minutes ago, gerig said:

I was just in London for a few days and a British Isles cruise.  Every restaurant receipt, transportation receipt they add 12.5% which is considered a gratuity.   So why would people not leave at least 12.5% since that is the norm in their country.

If restaurants chose to add a gratuity then it is clearly labelled as such on the bill. 10% is the norm although some places may put a higher sum if it is a large group ( over 8 is the norm).  Again it is clearly stated on the bill that a higher tip percentage is being used for groups.  I haven’t been to

London in over a year but I understand they now may add 12.5% tip - I’m going up next month to see ABBA so I’ll check! 
 

Im not aware if ever getting a transportation receipt 🧾? Do you mean a taxi? Were you paying by credit card? 

[scooby1]

More places are starting to ask for a tip as part of the bill in the UK especially in major cities or certain chains. But it is optional, we went out to somewhere recently and were specifically asked if we wanted to pay the amount without the gratuity. It’s optional but I have to say I don’t like it added to the bill as a semi default. 

[d9704011]

1 hour ago, gerig said:

I asked the server what the 12.5% represented and was informed it was the gratuity

 

aw

We were in London for a weekmin August.  It was common for sit-down restaurants to add 12.5% to the bill and it was clearly marked gratuity; VAT never came up.  After London, we were in Manchester, Glasgow and Edinburgh and did not receive restaurant bills with gratuities added for our convenience.

[Ret MP]

7 hours ago, S_M_B said:

Ya'll tip your ways. We will ours. 

Exactly!

[Ret MP]

On 10/3/2023 at 6:33 PM, ReneeFLL said:

My comment is getting people to think about where does it end? 

Believe me, I know exactly where it starts and ends, for me.  It's black and white, not gray in any way.  If you don't provide a face-to-face service to me, I don't tip you, except for cruise line prepaid gratuities, but I still tip with cash if the service is good or better.  Simple. 

 

While vacationing in England (London) a few years ago, I provided a tip to anyone who serviced me face-to-face.  Not one person turned it down or said, "We don't do that here".  In fact, I don't think I've ever had anybody, from anywhere, except for Publix baggers, turn down a tip.  

Edited October 5, 2023 by Ret MP

[fruitmachine]

10 hours ago, swoopy2110 said:

London is certainly not the norm for the rest of the UK.

 

I have myself noticed that many restaurants are now adding 10% tip automatically to the bill though (but you can remove it if you wish). I'd usually tip 10% in a restaurant, but I can't think of any other place I tip anyone in the UK.

This is primarily driven by the UK's use of contactless payment, where there is no opportunity to add a tip.  Restaurants etc are reacting to their staff raising the issue that most customers were paying the bill total by contactless and departing, where in the past those same customers would have left a cash tip, or used the card-terminal to add a tip to the total before keying their PIN.

[swoopy2110]

15 minutes ago, fruitmachine said:

This is primarily driven by the UK's use of contactless payment, where there is no opportunity to add a tip.  Restaurants etc are reacting to their staff raising the issue that most customers were paying the bill total by contactless and departing, where in the past those same customers would have left a cash tip, or used the card-terminal to add a tip to the total before keying their PIN.

 

That's true. I feel like the UK is very advanced in adopting contactless payments compared to a lot of other places. I myself tend to use my phone everywhere now which doesn't have any payment limit in most places.

 

I have found though in some restaurants they hand you the payment terminal and ask you to 'confirm' the amount before you present the card / device. At that point it asks if you want to add a gratuity on.

[sgmn]

27 minutes ago, fruitmachine said:

This is primarily driven by the UK's use of contactless payment, where there is no opportunity to add a tip.  

So true, there's no opportunity to add a tip at my hairdressers using contactless payment. I have to try and remember to take a cash tip. As I just don't use cash anymore I have to search my old cash jar for some ££ or get some out of an ATM

[HappyTexan44]

18 hours ago, Mikew0805 said:

... If that is the case when I code someone, I should probably pull out my iPad after we bring them back and say... "Just one question for you to answer" as I glare at them. Heck, I'm just a nurse... physicians could make a killing on this...

 

Eons ago I was in the home of plastic surgeon in Rome.  There was a really fine bottle of 30-year-old Macallan being used as a door stop.   When I asked about it I was told that they frequently got tips from happy customers in the form of expensive liquor bottles.  The plural was when a pediatrician joined the conversation.  

 

[ReneeFLL]

On 10/3/2023 at 11:40 PM, bucfan2 said:

Yep - my apologies. 73 for me. 

No problem. Someday we might be on the same cruise. Do you ever post on roll calls?

 

On 10/4/2023 at 12:00 PM, S_M_B said:

…After that, we will always tip our cabin steward, handsomely. We will question them throughout the trip about family, children, how long he's been at sea or yet to go. This weighs in to what we tip as well. Ya a single guy hoping to hook up with passengers or crew, tip goes down. But if they talk about the kids all the time, tip goes up. 

 

We try to keep our cabin as our home, neat and clean as possible. But we've seen other rooms as we've passed by their open doors...oh my. Those poor cabin stewards.

 

…Tips should be based on service, and the quality of said service. Though we do practice that no matter how poor the service, we will still tip that accepted amount. Anyone can have a bad day. Tip jumps up with exceptional service and attitude. 

You are contradicting your self. What difference does it make if a guy or gal wants to hook up with someone? It’s their life and their business. How do you know a single person isn’t supporting their parents and siblings of 10 people where a married person could only be supporting a spouse and 2 kids? Who knows, maybe that single person is divorced and still has kids to support? Maybe someone is saving to go to school or start a business so they can support their family and not have to be away from them. So many personal scenarios. Do you really get into the nitty gritty of what someone’s bills might be? 🙄  I can’t even begin to imagine basing my tip on their personal life. 
 

On 10/4/2023 at 1:01 PM, S_M_B said:

I apologize for any misunderstandings. Its not about their personal choices. I was referring to leaving family at home. We tip the young mom or dad better as they have kids to support.

Still contradicting yourself. You outright said it was about their personal choices. Unbelievable.

 

Edited October 8, 2023 by ReneeFLL

[RoyalC]

On 10/4/2023 at 12:04 PM, not-enough-cruising said:

So the tip has nothing to do with job performance??

 

This seems incredibly discriminatory 

Of course- you have to tip the stripper more too because they are in college lol

[Ret MP]

Bottom line for me:  I tip based on service/performance, period.  The status of the family back in their home country has nothing to do with the amount of gratuity to individuals, period.  Good service, good gratuity, bad service, bad gratuity, period.  Yes, I am curious and get to know those who serve me on a cruise ship.  But, I keep in mind that they know just how many of us Americans, Canadians, Europeans, and Australians, et al, are suckers for a sob story.  Not all crew members will inflate their family's situation(s), but some do, just to work on our sympathetic shoulders.  And my way of helping is to give generously to charities that help the masses, not just a few individual families.    If a person has a horrific situation back at home involving family, you'd think they would work harder to earn the largest gratuity possible.