Kamala Harris calls for no taxes on tips at Las Vegas rally

Rumble ^

[OldGoatCPO]

Tipping is out of hand. But so is the economy. I tip based on service, my wife of 30 years, claims it’s based on the waitress flirting with me, but that is a different discussion.😀

If you are being paid $15 dollars per hour to wait on tables, I am not tipping. Been to Europe, tips are appreciated but not required. Unlike others I did get good service in Europe. At one restaurant, I left a five euro tip. My son’s fiancé picked it up and handed it back to me, she is from Europe. She said it is not required nor was the service so good it warranted a tip. Only in tourist areas, with lots of Americans, do they look for tips.

[Jamestown1630]

I’m perfectly happy with wait staff paying no tax on tips - for exactly the reasons I wrote. They don’t earn enough in salary to live on here, and they can’t always count on tips to be provided.

And I’ve heard people say that they prefer the European way, and not having waiters constantly interrupt the meal to make sure everything is good.

[Jamestown1630]

They don’t expect tips, and a large tip would probably insult many. But a small tip for especially good service is appreciated.

You probably had good experiences because you made the effort to understand the culture and behaved in accordance with it. Lots of Americans don’t, and then complain that they get poor service.

[OldGoatCPO]

"You probably had good experiences because you made the effort to understand the culture and behaved in accordance with it. Lots of Americans don't, and then complain that they get poor service."

I have lived overseas for a decent part of my life. That was for work, now I travel for fun. We visited some tourist traps because they were historically interesting, but the crowds were worse than Disneyland. When we visit Europe, we stay in an Airbnb. On our last trip, we were in an area where locals vacationed. Tourists don't go there. Our apartment was five minutes from the beach. We found a little local cafe by the apartment. It was definitely for locals. The area we stayed in had a lot of small farms around it. Farmers watched the news in the cafe and drank coffee with their dogs at their feet. We became regulars for our breakfast coffee, so much so the servers knew us by name, and one stayed in contact with my wife. I recommend to people when you travel overseas, learn a handful of phrases, especially "please" and " thank you." Try the food, especially the local fare. Even if it is not to your taste, eat some; people appreciate it. Honestly, the service was poor only in the tourist trap cafes, mainly because of the crowds.

[Jamestown1630]

That sounds really nice.

I've always remembered a quote from one of James Michener's books, about travel:

“If you reject the food, ignore the customs, fear the religion, and avoid the people, you might better stay home.”

(I've read that in France, failing to simply say 'Bonjour' when you enter a business, can guarantee lousy treatment; a very simple custom to honor, and yet so few bother.)