I'm heading to NYC for a few days next year... and am wondering how far I'll get if I make it clear to people that I'm Australian, and that I'm not bright enough to know about "tips"? Do tourists get a pass on giving tips?
No we don't. I'd normally skimp out on hotel porters and the like (which is hard cause they stand there with their hands out) but a 15% tip is pretty much compulsory. A fair few restaurants have a page on the menu about tipping and what is expected of you. Another thing to be careful of in the States is ordering Lemonade...you have to specify "Sprite" or else you get this yellow stuff. And chips. In a restaurant in Vegas I was asked whether I wanted chips or fries with my burger. I ordered Fries...still have no idea what the hell chips are. To avoid tipping in New York (it's easy really) don't go to any restaurants with waiters. Go to Pizza joints (It's NYC ) and those awesome Middle-Eastern street vendors. Something you'll enjoy though is that refills for drinks in all restaurants (from Macca's to Wolfgang Puck) are all free Have fun in New York.
Is tipping a legal requirement? If I don't give someone a tip, then what happens? I'm happy to tip, I'm just not that interested in doing the research/math/hoop jumping to work out the percentages etc ... sounds like a lot of work to me.
LMFAO I'm sorry for laughing but from an insider's point of view, this sounds hilarious! Chips or Fries means Potato Chips (like Lays, Doritos, Cheetos etc..usually with a burger they're lays-like chips) and fries are French Fries, such as those from McDonalds. Also, I've never heard of "Sprite" being referred to as "Lemonade", although I understand why you would refer to it as that since it's a Lemon-Lime drink..but the flavoring is artificial! Lemonade is made with real lemons, hence the yellow-ish color..it's pretty refreshing, though! It's not a legal requirement, but it's just common knowledge. If you don't tip a waiter who has been good to you, there is a good chance, especially in upper-class restaurants, that the manager will come to ask you why you did not tip. If you say you're a foreigner, you will be embarrassed by his brisk explanation. My suggestion to all foreigners: find a tipping guide online (like this one: http://www.bdssystems.com/tipcard.jpg), print it, and keep it in your wallet. You won't go wrong with that. I don't use it because I'm already used to it, and besides, my phone has an app to calculate the tip of my meals. So, there you go! Any more questions, feel free to pass 'em my way
It's about 10% or more above what you're paying...It's very common! At least in Chicago...dont know how it all works in NYC And you actually "have to" calculate, write the amount on the CC receipt, sign it and that's the amount to be debited from the card...
your from australia and your going to NYC.....why are you going to be a f'in cheap skate...are a few bucks that important to you when the trip costs over 1k....another pointless thread here....
Yes, cause when you get there you are $1000+ out of pocket. You are spending money on souvenirs, hundreds of dollars each night on accomodation, plus a nice meal. And you American's don't have tax inclusiveness on anything. For example: In Australia, a meal costs $50. You hand over a fifty and walk out. In America, a meal costs $50. You then pay $62.50 and walk out. Which is another word of caution, when considering the price of anything, you have to add the 10% tax on yourself. So 2 dollars marked becomes $2.20 etc. The actual rate is something like 8.9% but that's harder to work out. If you are only in New York for a few days though, don't bother economising, just make the most of your time. By the time I got to New York I'd already been in the States two months, and I still had VVegas to go. SO I did New York on a bit of a shoestring. Though New York on a shoestring is somewhat more expensive than...buying Chad.
It's not necessarily the tipping that frustrating it's when I you're forced to tip even if the service was terrible. Tipping should be a good habit but most certainly not compulsory.
Tips are not mandated by law so they are not required. Tips are a way to show your appreciation of a service. No or low tip for poor service and higher for good service. If you are a repeat customer tip each time a bit... you will get better service if the server remembers you. In America the standard tip rate is 15% of your bill for restaurants. For a bag handler it's a couple bucks. But don't feel obligated if you can't afford it. It boils down to the service should be good no matter... after all you are a paying customer from the start.
If you go back to that restaurant after you didn't Tip. The worst thing they can do is spit in your food.