No gratuities on Princess Aust cruises?

[Kristelle]

the issue isnt whether  wait staff are well paid compared to , say, tertiary qualified occupations - but whether they are similarly paid to other similar  qualification level  occupations that nobody would tip for.

In US they are not therefore you tip to make up the difference

In Australia they are therefore you do not tip.

 

[c-boy]

26 minutes ago, possum52 said:

Isn't that why tipping is so much part of US life, because service/wait staff are not paid a living wage by their employer and need tips to earn enough to live on. In Australia, for an adult (21 and over) the National Minimum wage paid per hour is $23.23 with penalty rates on weekends and public holidays. Casual rates are higher - for example a waiter in a cafe will earn around $28 per hour. 

ehhh, it can be complex. Where I live the minimum hourly wage is $20.00 U S dollars/hr. That's to flip hamburgers. Federal minimum wage is currently set @ $7.25 U S /hr. Each state has their own wage standards based on their economies.  I live in California and it can be expensive  to live here. The average monthly income is $29.69/hr. An single family home cost's $600,00.00 U S dollars. Across the state line I can purchase the same sq. footage home for $150 - 175 K less. The minimum wage in that state reflects that. 

  Now if your a server in a state where the cost of living is lower then the opposing state and you collect tips, your average reported income can be more than then where I live ( i e.  cocktail waitress at Bellagio's in Las Vegas vs. a server at Ihop in L A) . Discretionary income; plays a big part in the U S economy, so much so; the the state and federal government doesn't want it to go away, they want to encourage it. 

 So what it comes down to is culture. The do's and the don'ts. The  minimum wage in Australia is $15.17 /hr U S. , without tips, that's not fly in California.  On the other hand if the tip/ gratuity is included in the bill, then we're still tippin'

      

[Bubbeh]

3 hours ago, c-boy said:

what's the average income in Australia vs. U S  ?

I see that @possum52 has responded to your question.  If it helps to compare I can tell you that I retired 10 years ago and I was on professional salary of  $130k  per annum at that time.  My replacement earns around $175k now.  I can also tell you that the only tip I ever got was to be kind to my mother and look both ways before I crossed the road.

Edited February 12 by Bubbeh
trying to do the @possum52 thing but can't figure it out. Grr...I just hate some technology!

[c-boy]

I spent most of October and all if November visiting family in Melbourne,  Sydney  and Brisbane.   Wonderful country,  spectacular people, hella expensive compared    to the.......  U S.   now, I know where, what and I learned ....  when but, this would have been $350-$400  TOPS !  in the US.   And what's with "Sunday Surcharge" !  Paid for in Aussie dollars .... ya shoulda seen the smile(s). 

Edited February 13 by c-boy

[arxcards]

56 minutes ago, c-boy said:

I spent most of October and all if November visiting family in Melbourne,  Sydney  and Brisbane.   Wonderful country,  spectacular people, hella expensive compared    to the.......  U S.   now, I know where, what and I learned ....  when but, this would have been $350-$400  TOPS !  in the US.   And what's with "Sunday Surcharge" !  Paid for in Aussie dollars .... ya shoulda seen the smile(s). 

$AU640 is somewhere around $US420, so it isn't a stretch from one to the other to a price that includes taxes & "tips". Maybe `the 10g of Beluga was the kicker, as that stuff is really expensive here. It is either a top notch restaurant or an expensive one. $AU60 - 80 buys me a great steak.

 

We find it more expensive here than you do. At least your dollar has some buying power here.

[c-boy]

28 minutes ago, arxcards said:

$AU640 is somewhere around $US420, so it isn't a stretch from one to the other to a price that includes taxes & "tips". Maybe `the 10g of Beluga was the kicker, as that stuff is really expensive here. It is either a top notch restaurant or an expensive one. $AU60 - 80 buys me a great steak.

 

We find it more expensive here than you do. At least your dollar has some buying power here.

🤙

Edited February 13 by c-boy

[Kristelle]

2 hours ago, c-boy said:

And what's with "Sunday Surcharge" ! 

 

Staff are paid penalty rates ie a higher wage on Sundays ( sometimes all weekend depending on the award they come under) 

So  this is sometimes passed on to customers with a Sunday surcharge.

Public holiday surcharge common too for same reason.

[OzKiwiJJ]

Those steak prices are ridiculously expensive. What was the restaurant?

[Blackduck59]

2 hours ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

Those steak prices are ridiculously expensive. What was the restaurant?

I was just looking at that Julie, I'm trying to decypher the bill. It looks like the "W Ribeye 300" is a 300 gram Ribeye and with that price tag I have to think the "W" is for Wagyu, and $85.00 for a 350 gram strip loin? that seems very high. While I am prepared for higher prices that restaurant is over the top.

[OzKiwiJJ]

17 hours ago, Blackduck59 said:

I was just looking at that Julie, I'm trying to decypher the bill. It looks like the "W Ribeye 300" is a 300 gram Ribeye and with that price tag I have to think the "W" is for Wagyu, and $85.00 for a 350 gram strip loin? that seems very high. While I am prepared for higher prices that restaurant is over the top.

Yes, it would have to be Wagyu at that price. 

 

There are some stupidly expensive restaurants in Sydney, especially in the CBD and around the Circular Quay / Rocks area.

[OzKiwiJJ]

I think I've worked out which one it is. The Meat & Wine Co has Wagyu Ribeye on their menu for $135. Too expensive for my wallet!

[ceeceeDee]

20 minutes ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

I think I've worked out which one it is. The Meat & Wine Co has Wagyu Ribeye on their menu for $135. Too expensive for my wallet!

Absolutely ridiculous!!!! That would go very close to covering our groceries for a week!!!! (or as our Labrador would point out a 12kg bag of Royal Canin!). At those prices I would choke on the ribeye no matter how tender it was!☹️

[OzKiwiJJ]

11 minutes ago, ceeceeDee said:

Absolutely ridiculous!!!! That would go very close to covering our groceries for a week!!!! (or as our Labrador would point out a 12kg bag of Royal Canin!). At those prices I would choke on the ribeye no matter how tender it was!☹️

They did have cheaper steak options on the menu. 

 

I've seen Wagyu steaks for sale in Harris Farm Markets at eye-watering prices so can understand how it would be that price in a restaurant. And there are plenty of wealthy people in Sydney who wouldn't think twice about ordering it.

[Blackduck59]

3 hours ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

I think I've worked out which one it is. The Meat & Wine Co has Wagyu Ribeye on their menu for $135. Too expensive for my wallet!

I just had a look at the menu for that venue Julie, it is just a little pretentious. The prices are truly astounding. I will also mention the irony on the "no gratuities" thread that at the bottom of the menu in the incidental disclaimers, there is mention of an automatic 10% "service charge" (read mandatory gratuity) for all parties more the 11 persons. Needless to say we will not be patronizing The Meat & Wine Company. I do hope to get a nice steak dinner in Australia, hopefully some place less pretentious with tasty steaks for me and maybe some nice lamb for Lynn.

[OzKiwiJJ]

1 hour ago, Blackduck59 said:

I just had a look at the menu for that venue Julie, it is just a little pretentious. The prices are truly astounding. I will also mention the irony on the "no gratuities" thread that at the bottom of the menu in the incidental disclaimers, there is mention of an automatic 10% "service charge" (read mandatory gratuity) for all parties more the 11 persons. Needless to say we will not be patronizing The Meat & Wine Company. I do hope to get a nice steak dinner in Australia, hopefully some place less pretentious with tasty steaks for me and maybe some nice lamb for Lynn.

That service charge for large groups has become quite common here, possibly because of the extra hassle restaurants have had from some large groups in the past.

[arxcards]

4 hours ago, Blackduck59 said:

I just had a look at the menu for that venue Julie, it is just a little pretentious. The prices are truly astounding. I will also mention the irony on the "no gratuities" thread that at the bottom of the menu in the incidental disclaimers, there is mention of an automatic 10% "service charge" (read mandatory gratuity) for all parties more the 11 persons. Needless to say we will not be patronizing The Meat & Wine Company. I do hope to get a nice steak dinner in Australia, hopefully some place less pretentious with tasty steaks for me and maybe some nice lamb for Lynn.

Large groups can take-up a staff members time for over an hour just getting the bill split and paid for by the individuals/couples in the group. It isn't everywhere, but it isn't uncommon.

 

Lots of less pretentious places, including our RSL's, sporting & workers club venues. I get an unpretentious but quality steak each month from a local restaurant of a US franchise - TGI Fridays.