Tipping in Australia

[Daver6]

So what is actually better about the house keeping service? To be honest, it has never even occurred to me that I should be tipping them. Bed has always been made and room cleaned. What else happens when you tip?

 

[Princess Fiona]

So what is actually better about the house keeping service? To be honest, it has never even occurred to me that I should be tipping them. Bed has always been made and room cleaned. What else happens when you tip?

Towels get folded like swans

 

[amaroo]

So what is actually better about the house keeping service? To be honest, it has never even occurred to me that I should be tipping them. Bed has always been made and room cleaned. What else happens when you tip?

They don't use your toothbrush to clean the toilet.....

 

[JohnK]

They don't use your toothbrush to clean the toilet.....

There's a reason my personal things are locked away in a suitcase when I leave my hotel room for the day....

 

[JohnPhelan]

There's a reason my personal things are locked away in a suitcase when I leave my hotel room for the day....

You lock up your toiletries ??

 

[JohnPhelan]

My very first overseas trip was to HKG in 1986. I left a range of coins on the bedside table after my first night there. Next day - they disappeared! Took a few minutes for it to dawn on me that housekeeping thought it was a tip!

I leave a tip for housekeeping when overseas, but not in Australia. (Generally $2 per day in the US).

 

[Hvr]

Towels get folded like swans

And I find that a total waste of time. Clean and hanging on the rail is all I ask.

 

[Daver6]

You guys crack me up

I can just imagine being in the shower, door bell rings. Go grab the towel with is a swan. Struggle to unfold the thing and have to cover my manly bits with a towel shaped like a swan.

 

[anat0l]

You guys crack me up

I can just imagine being in the shower, door bell rings. Go grab the towel with is a swan. Struggle to unfold the thing and have to cover my manly bits with a towel shaped like a swan.

Pick up by one corner, lift and shake firmly.

You're welcome. No tip required.

 

[Daver6]

Pick up by one corner, lift and shake firmly.

You're welcome. No tip required.

Are we still talking about the towel here?

 

[Bolthead]

I went over the top apparently last Saturday night. My wife and I had a meal at the local Indian restaurant. The total came to $50.50 so I gave then $51.00 cash. My wife complained all the way home. "We're not back in the states now....."

People that know my wife laugh at that all the time...

 

[kelvedon]

You guys crack me up

I can just imagine being in the shower, door bell rings. Go grab the towel with is a swan. Struggle to unfold the thing and have to cover my manly bits with a towel shaped like a swan.

Perhaps one folded like a Giraffe?

 

[Buzzard]

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

I returned a lost purse to a U S citizen today, intact with cash, cards etc. Took a bit of work to track her down but I did it. No tip for me, barely a thank you. Not that I wanted or expected a tip but some gratitude would be nice.

 

[ukh]

My local restaurant in Melbourne has a new way of encouraging customers to tip. As of last week, when they hand the customer the Eftpos machine at payment time the 1st question on the screen used to be "Account?" i.e. credit or savings. Now the first question on the screen is "tip amount?"
I found this change distasteful - am I being too harsh?

 

[Kendall Roy]

^ That's the norm in the US/Canada - perhaps the wrong software was loaded?

 

[straitman]

My local restaurant in Melbourne has a new way of encouraging customers to tip. As of last week, when they hand the customer the Eftpos machine at payment time the 1st question on the screen used to be "Account?" i.e. credit or savings. Now the first question on the screen is "tip amount?"
I found this change distasteful - am I being too harsh?

That is not nice. :evil:

Time to name and shame IMHO. :shock:

 

[turtlemichael]

I certainly tip overseas in line with the local custom.

In Australia, I'm not so sure it is merited on may occasions. An example. Last night ate at e'cco in Brisbane where we hadn't been for years. We stood at the desk for about a minute while two staff chatted about something important. When they got up to us there was no greeting, no welcome. And we were shown to a table without any comment. I said to the OH that I would have left by now if there was anywhere decent to eat nearby. It improved as the evening went on and the waiter turned out to be professional. The meal was okay. In the US or Europe I would have had a lot better service. So no tip was left though. With a good experience for all of the night I probably would have left a decent note for the staff.

 

[turtlemichael]

My local restaurant in Melbourne has a new way of encouraging customers to tip. As of last week, when they hand the customer the Eftpos machine at payment time the 1st question on the screen used to be "Account?" i.e. credit or savings. Now the first question on the screen is "tip amount?"
I found this change distasteful - am I being too harsh?

I don't find it distasteful. It is the same decision you make when the bill is presented in the old fashioned way. You can always press $0 if that is what you want to do. I think we should get used to it as I found it really very common in Europe and North America on my last trip. They'll even work out the % for you - how helpful!

 

[Spongbob]

So what is actually better about the house keeping service? To be honest, it has never even occurred to me that I should be tipping them. Bed has always been made and room cleaned. What else happens when you tip?

Generally - but not always - the housekeeping staff leave more of everything in the room. If the extra $5 or $10 etc was included in the price of the hotel room I would not notice it.

 

[Himeno]

I don't find it distasteful. It is the same decision you make when the bill is presented in the old fashioned way. You can always press $0 if that is what you want to do. I think we should get used to it as I found it really very common in Europe and North America on my last trip. They'll even work out the % for you - how helpful!

Can you put in a negative amount?