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I can see why sometimes gratuity is added – but this is really a gray area – and service might go down if the tip is expected and paid in advance – hm
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My thoughts also….but after some of these comments and thinking again it may not be up to scratch if not paid. As you say…..hmmmmmm 😊
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Yes and I think tours might be different from food service
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Hi Woolly,
I’m surprised that tipping isn’t done in Australia. I hope you’re from there. I thought I had asked before. Apologize if I’m wrong, too many blogs to hop around.
Well, here in the US, we’re asked to tip everywhere. 15% is minimum – 20% is for good service – 15% for good service but the restaurant had one issue or two for you.
I go on a lot of cruises (16 so far) and we choose to tip up front. I would be giving a tip anyway on that type of vacation. We get a suite which comes with a butler. If he / she has been extra good we tip over what we originally paid.
I speak up if the service isn’t good and the tip is pre-paid. Of course, I wouldn’t do that in a restaurant but in a hotel I think it would be okay.
We tip people who make deliveries to our home, the beautician at my salon, the masseuse at my spa, the nail salon, the exercise person who provides towels …. well, almost everyone. Salaries are lower in the service industry. Tipping is a way for salaries to be a bit higher. 😳
Now, they’re adding the tips in some restaurants. I guess it can get to be a bit much. I’m used to it. I would love to tip as I pleased.
Let us know how your vacation goes …. have fun!!!
Isadora 😎
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Tipping is becoming more common in Australia…however, about thirty years ago I would venture to suggest it was almost unheard of. Like you cruise directors in the 80s suggested a tip per day rate and we paid that, received good service and saw what happened to people who treated staff poorly…not sure if they tipped or not. It was the ‘up front’ nature of tipping, this time, which caught me by surprise. We are looking forward to our travel and I daresay it will not take long for the months to slip away now that we are almost organised.
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In Germany, we usually tip 5-10% when we get the bill. Years ago we left the US with a big ship and our travel agent gave us the advice to tip our steward up front to get a good service on the journey. And it helped!
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Treating staff in a friendly manner, along with a tip, on cruises worked wonders for me many years ago.
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In Toronto it’s not uncommon for the gratuity to be added to the bill for large groups. It’s usually 15%. If the service is exceptional the server might even get more.
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Tipping in Canada brings back memories of my arrival in Montreal…from London. Ordered a fifty cent cup of coffee and knowing that I was in a ‘tipping country’ reached into my pocket and retrieved what looked about the size of Britain’s 5 or 10 cent coins and left it as a tip. I was a bit weary after the flight over. I realised (much later), I had tipped 25 cents (50%) of the cost of a cup of coffee. Oh! Well…It didn’t break my budget. But I was counting pennies and trying to stretch them.
Fifteen percent is about what I thought it may be. We are being asked to pay about 7% which is not too bad looking at it like that. It is the ‘up front’ part that I/we am not impressed with. Thank you for your input also. This is making me feel a whole lot better.
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Never upfront!! That’s like blackmail, tip or get crappy service. I’d go elsewhere.
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I’m glad to hear you call it blackmail also. It was ‘up front, or it could turn our a lot more.’ We are not happy about it. As a per person payment it would get one of us to London at the very least.
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That’s so wrong! Tipping is not a legal requirement here. It’s generally considered good manners to tip 10% on meals. Some restaurants will add it to your bill as an option. You can then choose to add the tip to your card payment or leave it in cash. I prefer to leave cash 🙂 I tip friendly cab drivers too and and put a bit of change in the tip bowl once a week at my most used coffee shops. That’s because I received good service! Gratuities is from the word gratitude, which is something expressed after an event to say thank you, NOT beforehand.
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Sarah, I am so pleased to read your comments. You and I have similar ideas regarding tipping. Many thanks for your input.
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My pleasure 🙂 Occasionally I like a good rant!
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Well I feel better for listening. 🙂 I now know I am not the only one who feel that way.
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I think most of the people I know are the same 🙂
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never seen it before, here or overseas
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Neither have I. However, Have had a FB chat to a USA citizen who has traveled with same company. Apparently it is not unusual to pay up front…but no more. Only exception being restaurant which do not have anything to do with the tour. However, a minimum of 10K and maximum of 16k, depending on the size of group is a lot of $$ on top of regular salaries. At lest that’s my opinion. 🙂
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I have noticed recently the tip is automatically calculated on the bill when I eat out. I think it is not unusual for a large party to state the gratuities upfront assuring the serving staff receive tips. But I don’t know for sure 🙂
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That’s a starting point…thank you. I just hope it goes to the correct people. We had a guide for a very sort time a few months ago who would be put to shame by our South African/Botswana hosts and their staff, all of whom were well worth tipping.
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