I have been feeling guilty, in fact in addition to feeling guilty I have also been feeling down right criminal. See while I have never worked in the service industry - unless working in the grocery store during high school vacation counts, I have friends who have worked in the service industry and I know they made/make very little. So I have always happily paid my tips for good service provided, even paid tips for lousy service provided (bleeding heart that I am) and accepted the "Healthy California Tax" without complaining as it was good for society blah blah blah that the restaurant workers had health insurance etc.
Then I moved to Perth Western Australia and I discovered something strange and it was only today I finally mustered up the courage to ask about it. I noticed when I ate out (quite a bit I would admit until I have a place to call home) that when you pay by credit/debit card there is no place to put a tip. I also noticed no tip jars anywhere. I noticed that when I paid by cash no one asked me if I wanted change back - they just brought all the change back. I noticed that when I did leave a tip I got strange looks. So finally today after getting my eyebrows waxed for the first time since leaving the USA I finally broke down and asked the beautician - "where do I leave you a gratuity?" to which her response was "what's that?". I said "A tip" she looked at me and smiled and said "You don't"
No one really tips here - according to her maybe 1% of the population does (probably those foreigners like myself), my other questions to her were if no one minded not getting tips and do they make a living without them - they answer was no and yes. How strange huh?
thats the way it should be, pay the servers right, put it with the cost of the meal, i pay what the menu says...it aint that hard, its like that in japan and china as well
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