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Its not really something we do here in The Land of The Long White Cloud…Tipping, that is.  All waiting staff here in NZ get paid a minimum wage, sometimes we round our bill and generously say ‘keep the change’ and we think we are being super generous by letting someone have 60 cents….most of the time we are even too miserly for that.

Rosie was mortified when getting pizza delivered one night, young Whipper paid the lad at the door and waited while the delivery boy sorted through his bum bag for $1.20 change under the light of the moon cause he wouldn’t turn on the porch light….Rosie called out, ‘give the lad a tip!’  Whipper replied with ‘be good to your mother’ and held his hand out for the change….

Rosie and The Operator wanted to get it right when they travelled to America.  We asked Chops, a savvy Jersey girl friend of ours exactly what the go was.  She said the going rate on restaurant tipping was 18 – 20% of the bill.  Rosie and the Operator baulked, what! You gotta be joking!  Just to be served dinner!  Then like a slap in the face Chops said she waited tables all through college…..for $2.50 per hour, she and everyone else made their living on tips.  I countered, but what if the service is bad?  Chops bet us we would never get bad service anywhere because this is their living, the tips pay the families food bill, electric and rent.

Sobering stuff….and you know what….we never got bad service anywhere, and I mean anywhere!  Everyone had a smile, a welcome and was attentive and knowledgeable without being over the top.  Our coffee cups were always full and later in the evening our beer glasses never empty, The Operator was in seventh heaven.  You never had to stand up and windmill your arms at a waitress for service who then still managed somehow to breeze pass not seeing you or wanting to make eye contact, a glance in these professionals direction was all it took to have them come over.  All tips given by Rosie and The Operator were gratefully received and you were always thanked.

Rosie was never to sure about the hotel maids tip…we always left $5 bucks on the bed and it was always gone when we returned along with the bed wrinkles…Taxi drivers get tips too, that is something we do more of at home, rounding up our fare, but alot of them are still surprised in NZ when we say keep the change….

The irony is, America is hurting financially, yet this 20% tip is tax free…..pay a minimum wage, increase eating out prices and tax tips….Rosie was never that good at math but this does seem like an untapped revenue stream…oh, and tax tobacco more!  A packet of cigarettes in California was $4.95….we add on another $10 in Government tax here thank you very much.

Waiting to check into a hotel I was watching what Americans in particular did with their bags….us Kiwis are a do it yourself lot and what is the big deal about taking your own bags to your room anyway.  The porter asks everyone if they can take their bags to their room, all the Americans said yes and most of the Europeans and Antipodeans said no, they would take their own.  The porter asked Rosie, she said ‘Yes please, room 1025’ and dragged away a spluttering Operator who wanted to know what the hell I was doing.  Rosie
explained in the room that if that is how the waitresses made their money, on tips…how do you think the lowly porter made his…..a knock came to the door and Ramero delivered our bags, the go is $1 per piece of luggage, so Rosie hands him $2, he thanks us and leaves.  Ramero was a discreet, small  Latino of about 60ish, he was proudly dressed in the red livery of the hotel and on his perfectly pressed lapel was a badge that read…..Employee of the Year…..1992.  What the hell is two bucks!