Tipping in USA/Canada
in [Airline Travel]
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From: Dennis P. Harris on 12 Nov 2007 04:22 On Sun, 11 Nov 2007 20:57:10 -0800 in rec.travel.air, "Capt. Del" <cptdel(a)gmail.com> wrote: > As a Brit, personally I'm embarrassed to tip. It's not what I was > brought up doing. We expect to tip but very discreetly. > But that's not the American way. > The American way is to brandish the tip like a fiery sword, making > sure everybody can see how great a tipper you are. because, unfortunately, if you don't, some judgemental idiot will assume that you're a cheapskate. you have to remember that most americans don't carry the upperclass/lowerclass baggage that many brits do --- or the resentment that aussies & kiwis have about gratuities that's connected with the supposed unequal relationship between server and served. i thnk with the aussies that much of it has to do with the resentment inherited from transported prisoner attitudes.
From: Martin D. Pay on 10 Nov 2007 17:47 On Fri, 09 Nov 2007 14:29:27 -0600, James Robinson <wascana(a)212.com> mangled uncounted electrons thus: >Martin D. Pay <martin(a)starship-excalibur.co.uk> wrote: >> >> (Dennis P. Harris) mangled uncounted electrons thus: >>> >>> it's an unfortunate fact of life >>> that the american restaurant industry has refused to pay their >>> employees a living wage and expects them to live off tips, to the >>> point that it's actually the law and they will be taxed on tips >>> that the govt expects them to receive even if they don't. >> >> That's the bit I find extraordinary! Can the worker reclaim any >> overpaid tax at the end of the year, if they can demonstrate a >> lower actual income than the amount on which they've been >> charged? (Even with the rapacious tax regime in the UK, this is >> possible.) > >The tax authority (IRS) estimates what the person should receive in tips >based on the total sales of the restaurant, and tax returns filed by other >people in similar jobs. If the amount reported by someone varies >significantly from the estimates, the onus is on them to prove why they are >different than the trend. In many cases, they simply take the easiest >course and accept the IRS estimate. Good... grief... @_@ Martin D. Pay Nothing witty comes to mind...
From: John Kulp on 12 Nov 2007 07:33 On Sun, 11 Nov 2007 20:57:10 -0800, "Capt. Del" <cptdel(a)gmail.com> wrote: > > >As a Brit, personally I'm embarrassed to tip. It's not what I was >brought up doing. We expect to tip but very discreetly. >But that's not the American way. >The American way is to brandish the tip like a fiery sword, making >sure everybody can see how great a tipper you are. The bigger the tip >the greater the guy you are. Talk about arrogant stupidity. You should be embarrassed for accusing all Americans of acting like this. It would be no different than if I said all Brits are thugs because of what a few football fans act like. Real genius you are. > >Staff at restaurants and bars accept the minimum wage knowing that the >real wages are in the tips. >Restaurant owners know that staff are fighting for the job and would >even take the job for nothing, but they are legally compelled to pay >the minimum wage. >There are some establishments that stop paying even the minimum wage >if a certain figure of tips is reached. Name one. >It's not uncommon for a cute barmaid to make $1,000 a week in tips. >Watch out! If she touches you or laughs at your jokes expect to double >the tip and don't ever give loose change. Name one. > >The way to think about it is, this is not a tip, this is the cost of >service. >Welcome to America! No, in your case, stay home.
From: John Kulp on 12 Nov 2007 07:36 On Mon, 12 Nov 2007 00:22:29 -0900, NO_SPAM_TO_dpharris(a)gci.net (Dennis P. Harris) wrote: >On Sun, 11 Nov 2007 20:57:10 -0800 in rec.travel.air, "Capt. Del" ><cptdel(a)gmail.com> wrote: > >> As a Brit, personally I'm embarrassed to tip. It's not what I was >> brought up doing. We expect to tip but very discreetly. >> But that's not the American way. >> The American way is to brandish the tip like a fiery sword, making >> sure everybody can see how great a tipper you are. > >because, unfortunately, if you don't, some judgemental idiot will >assume that you're a cheapskate. More complete stupidity. You simply leave the money on the table or on the credit card slip and leave. There is no need to flourish anything and in many, if not most places, it's not even picked up until you leave. > >you have to remember that most americans don't carry the >upperclass/lowerclass baggage that many brits do --- or the >resentment that aussies & kiwis have about gratuities that's >connected with the supposed unequal relationship between server >and served. i thnk with the aussies that much of it has to do >with the resentment inherited from transported prisoner >attitudes. Then, genius, why isn't this the case in the US which was where they were all sent before we got independance and they opened up Australia. Tell me that genius.
From: Jeff on 12 Nov 2007 10:05
"Martin D. Pay" <martin(a)starship-excalibur.co.uk> wrote in message news:67dcj394gj0noo6jibqamj66l3ev40f0n2(a)4ax.com... > On Fri, 09 Nov 2007 14:29:27 -0600, James Robinson > <wascana(a)212.com> mangled uncounted electrons thus: > >>Martin D. Pay <martin(a)starship-excalibur.co.uk> wrote: >>> >>> (Dennis P. Harris) mangled uncounted electrons thus: >>>> >>>> it's an unfortunate fact of life >>>> that the american restaurant industry has refused to pay their >>>> employees a living wage and expects them to live off tips, to the >>>> point that it's actually the law and they will be taxed on tips >>>> that the govt expects them to receive even if they don't. >>> >>> That's the bit I find extraordinary! Can the worker reclaim any >>> overpaid tax at the end of the year, if they can demonstrate a >>> lower actual income than the amount on which they've been >>> charged? (Even with the rapacious tax regime in the UK, this is >>> possible.) >> >>The tax authority (IRS) estimates what the person should receive in tips >>based on the total sales of the restaurant, and tax returns filed by other >>people in similar jobs. If the amount reported by someone varies >>significantly from the estimates, the onus is on them to prove why they >>are >>different than the trend. In many cases, they simply take the easiest >>course and accept the IRS estimate. > > Good... grief... @_@ > > Martin D. Pay > Nothing witty comes to mind... In the U.S., the restaurant reports as tips those paid on credit card receipts (which tips can be easily computed). It is up to the employee to estimate additional tips and show them on his/her tax return. |