Tipping in Australia

[kelvedon]

Several years ago I hired a car in LA and the first time I stopped for petrol, it was a self service pre pay service station. I gave the cashier $100 and returned to my car to fill the tank. It came to $90 odd and so I returned to the cashier for change. He looked at me bemused, handed me the change and said " you could have left it as a tip". To this day I don't know if he was being serious as he offered me no service, and didn't even get off his chair!. Was he really expecting a tip or just trying to exploit a tourist?

 

[drron]

I drive a lot in the USA.Always use cash and have never had this suggested,I don't leave a tip.
One exception is in New Jersey where by law an attendant must fill your car.$1-2 is all I give then.

 

[JohnK]

All in all, just build it into the price. Don't muck about with poor wages and then expect me to have to figure it out. Ie, don't make your problem my problem.

Someone's wages is not my responsibility. Easiest way around it is not to go to restaurants.

 

[somebol]

I assume your boss gives you a smile, rather than an annual salary bonus or that you never get pay rises above the basic award rate. If you are an employer I assume your employees are happy with the same.

Tips are quite different to salary. I hope you understand the difference.

Service staff here are paid reasonably well, so I don't see the need for tips.

Luckily I work for myself with no staff, so I tip myself quote generously.

 

[cmon0005]

I never tip taxi's here as their service, their vehicles, their attitude on the whole are generally poor at best (85-90%) of the time. Also the charges for taxi's are already exorbitant, the rise in popularity of 3rd party eftpos machines in cabs has helped feed dishonesty due to the self entering nature of the 3rd party machines and still charging 10% 'cabcharge' fee despite their 3rd party machine only charging them 2-3%. I now avoid them like the plague.

 

[UP4014]

Couldn't agree more!

And strangely, customer service in Australia, particularly in the hospitality industry, doesn't come across as " going through the motions" like it does in North America.
A particular dislike of mine is , when servers at a restaurant ask you how your meal is when you have even had a chance to swallow the first mouthful.

I think we could do with a bit of US style service myself.

 

[UP4014]

Several years ago I hired a car in LA and the first time I stopped for petrol, it was a self service pre pay service station. I gave the cashier $100 and returned to my car to fill the tank. It came to $90 odd and so I returned to the cashier for change. He looked at me bemused, handed me the change and said " you could have left it as a tip". To this day I don't know if he was being serious as he offered me no service, and didn't even get off his chair!. Was he really expecting a tip or just trying to exploit a tourist?

I think he was having a go, I have never come across this in the US and drive a lot there.

 

[Anna]

Americans have a completely different mindset about tipping. I have family living there, plus I have American friends. The attitude (particularly amongst men) is that how much you tip is a sign of your wealth and success in life and little to do with whether the service was outstanding or not. If you don't throw a few bucks here and there, they will assume you aren't that successful because you don't have much money and can't afford to tip.

 

[Daver6]

Someone's wages is not my responsibility. Easiest way around it is not to go to restaurants.

Actually, easiest way is to simply not tip

 

[JohnK]

Actually, easiest way is to simply not tip

But then I'd have to live with the guilt that someone's family is suffering because I didn't subsidise their income.

 

[smeacs]

Who can forget "be good to your mum"?

This thread has got me wondering when I have ever wanted ice water served as I sat down. Why is that even a thing? Personally I prefer them to let me sit down in peace and get settled before hassling me about water.


Current Adelaide place is $17.

Where is the $17 haircut? I need one and my local has gone up to $25

back to tipping

I never tip in AUS but really like the simple CC pos tipping system it make it so much easier.

The most confused was a tourist bar in Banff where I tipped for a drink (what I thought was generous) then realiesed no one else was tipping. So for the rest of the night I just put Pennies in the bucket to make a noise.

 

[medhead]

Where is the $17 haircut? I need one and my local has gone up to $25

In Adelaide? Little place in gillies plains shopping centre.

back to tipping

I never tip in AUS but really like the simple CC pos tipping system it make it so much easier.

The most confused was a tourist bar in Banff where I tipped for a drink (what I thought was generous) then realiesed no one else was tipping. So for the rest of the night I just put Pennies in the bucket to make a noise.

 

[Spongbob]

When overseas I always leave a small note on the end of the hotel room bed (e.g. in the USA $5 or $10) each day. The quality of the house service improves considerably.

When in Australia, I round-up taxi fares to the nearest $10 (e.g. $30, $40, $50 etc). For restaurants, the tip is usually about 10% if the service was professional, but up to 20% if it is outstanding (e.g. finding an older vintage wine than one on the list).

 

[Buzzard]

When overseas I always leave a small note on the end of the hotel room bed (e.g. in the USA $5 or $10) each day. The quality of the house service improves considerably.

When in Australia, I round-up taxi fares to the nearest $10 (e.g. $30, $40, $50 etc). For restaurants, the tip is usually about 10% if the service was professional, but up to 20% if it is outstanding (e.g. finding an older vintage wine than one on the list).

Me too, I write a nice Thank You.

 

[serfty]

Americans have a completely different mindset about tipping. I have family living there, plus I have American friends. The attitude (particularly amongst men) is that how much you tip is a sign of your wealth and success in life and little to do with whether the service was outstanding or not. If you don't throw a few bucks here and there, they will assume you aren't that successful because you don't have much money and can't afford to tip.

It's a basic mindset for US residents, they are brought up with tipping - it's ingrained.

About 7 years once dined with some US resident friends at a Carlton restaurant; FWIW, the service was ok (proficient but nothing outstanding). It comes to bill settlement and it's agreed the costs get divvies and I pay with my CC.

They hand over their share of the cost in cash, along with an additional ~20%; when I protested that it was too much they told us, while they had been advised as such many times, they get extremely uncomfortable when the see how little their Oz friends tip and really wanted to pay that amount.

 

[Warks]

Tipping housekeeping in the US is tricky. Be careful not to leave your loose notes lying around the room as they may see it as a tip. We were dropping a few bucks a day for the housekeeping when staying at a Disney area hotel years ago. One night we only had silver dollars which a machine had given us as change - very rare for some reason over there, not sure now. Anyway the staff wouldn't take them! Paper only thank you!

 

[blackcat20]

The other thing I like to do in the US is pay the bill by CC, but hand over the tip in cash, and always directly to my waiter/waitress. Much easier for them to get what they've earnt, they do appreciate it.

 

[TomVexille]

Tipping housekeeping in the US is tricky. Be careful not to leave your loose notes lying around the room as they may see it as a tip. We were dropping a few bucks a day for the housekeeping when staying at a Disney area hotel years ago. One night we only had silver dollars which a machine had given us as change - very rare for some reason over there, not sure now. Anyway the staff wouldn't take them! Paper only thank you!

It's because people don't trust silver dollars for some reason. Maybe because they are quite rare.

 

[medhead]

Tipping housekeeping in the US is tricky. Be careful not to leave your loose notes lying around the room as they may see it as a tip. We were dropping a few bucks a day for the housekeeping when staying at a Disney area hotel years ago. One night we only had silver dollars which a machine had given us as change - very rare for some reason over there, not sure now. Anyway the staff wouldn't take them! Paper only thank you!

Got caught out with this in Rome a few years ago. Had to force the porter to take a tip, he gave good service. Stupidly left my euro coins on the desk the next day, with some receipts and paperwork. The coins all disappeared.

 

[JohnK]

When overseas I always leave a small note on the end of the hotel room bed (e.g. in the USA $5 or $10) each day. The quality of the house service improves considerably.

I have heard this advice on a few forums over the years. Funny enough most giving the advice are from the USA.

I have done this in Thailand for a couple of years. No noticeable difference in service but then again I don't need anything special.

I am better off using the money to buy gifts for the children in my fiancees village.