Jen wrote:
> "Kathy in NZ" > wrote in message
> ...
> > On Wed, 18 Jan 2006 15:30:26 GMT, sarah bennett
> > > wrote:
> >
> >>Kathy in NZ wrote:
> >>> On 17 Jan 2006 09:28:58 -0800, "Sheldon" > wrote:
> >
> >>> Your experience of people ordering enough to take home to feed
> >>> themselves for several meals and also offering to leave a tip is
> >>> foreign to me. Firstly because we don't tip in NZ. The amount on the
> >>> restaurant bill is the total bill. It is not necessary to leave tips
> >>> in NZ, though I accept you must tip in some countries.
> >>
> >>they must pay waitstaff better in NZ. Here in the US, it is legally
> >>mandated that you do not have to pay them more than $@ and change per
> >>hour, because they are expected to make up the rest with tips.
> >>
> >
> >>saerah
> >
> > Yes waitstaff are paid a proper wage. That's not to say it's a high
> > wage, but they earn more than the legal minimum hourly rate and don't
> > rely on tips. New Zealanders don't want to see tipping become a way of
> > life here. People are paid to do their job. They shouldn't have to be
> > paid extra to do it willingly. Tourists are advised tipping is
> > unnecessary everywhere and to everyone here. That's not to say
> > waitstaff wouldn't like to be tipped, they would, but only because
> > it's icing on the cake. I am only referring here to NZ, not the
> > necessity to tip in the US.
> >
> > Kathy in NZ
>
>
> It's the same in Australia. Any form of employment gets a proper wage.
>
> Jen

Who decides what's a proper wage? With your system there is no
incentive for service occupations to do a lick more than they can get
away with... I've been to parts of europe where tipping was not the
norm, decent service was non-existant, not to mention rude, did I say
*rude*. In the US an ambitious hard working wait person can earn a
very good living, on par with white collar salaries, often much better.
On the other hand those who are lazy barely earn minimum wage and
typically don't last very long. As an example, I have a cousin who is
an OR RN, she worked at a notable University teaching hospital on Lung
Guyland. After about ten years on the job she was grossing about
$55,000/yr. Finally she had it waiting on sick people... and being
abused by MDs, doctor's personalities are the pits. In her thirties
she decided to go back to her old occupation that put her through
nursing school, waitressing. She doubled her net pay the first year
and cut the stress factor to near zero. Lung Guyland has tons of very
fine restaurants, prices are high with tipping to match. No, you are
not going to earn a whole lot waiting tables at some family style
chain, and certainly not running meat loaf and pork chops at the local
greazy spoon diner... but at the better caliber restaurants a wait
person who knows their potatoes and is willing to hustle butt can earn
a remarkable amount of money.

I'd much rather tip and receive first rate professional service, where
the service industry has a built in incentive to excel. Your no
tipping system encourages sevice industry people to provide as little
as they can get away with, lowers all service to the level of the
lowest possible denominator... you'd probably opt to serve yourselves
to save a few pennies... even offer to wash your own dishes if they
took 50¢ off your tab... you may as well stay home.

Sheldon