Sheldon wrote:
> 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...

Why should waiters and waitresses be held to a higher standard than
others in the service industry? Even the cashier at a McDonald's makes
more per hour.

>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.

Only in the most expensive restaurants. Most waiters and waitresses
don't work in those places. They are taxed on what the government
expects them to be tipped, whether they are actually tipped or not.

<snip>


--

saerah

http://anisaerah.blogspot.com/

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