Before I continue with my loosely chronological reflections on our US trip, I’d like to pause for a topical sojourn in tipping town. No? Not working? Well, I just thought I’d write something about tipping.
If you had me pegged as the type to object to tipping, you’d not be alone. And you’d be in good company – for I also had me pegged as a tiny tipper. However, you’d be wrong. You and me both. I am a big fan of tipping.
Why the seemingly inexplicable about face in my stance on tipping? Well, let me firstly correct your mistaken notion. I had no stance on tipping. I thought I had a stance, but it turns out I didn’t. Secondly – it’s all about service. In theory, tipping provides incentive for good service, and empirically, it seems to work. Sadly, very rarely in Australia have I experienced or witnessed the quality of customer service that is so commonplace in America.
In fact, outside of New York, the customer service was almost always excellent. Service in New York was a little more variable. We still had some excellent service in New York, in fact probably some of the best for the trip, but we also had some pretty average service. I have a theory that this reflects the nature of tipping in New York. I believe that city people are more inclined to tip as a matter of course without regard for service. In fact, tips are often included on the bill in New York – which I very much dislike. Once tipping becomes so entrenched and accepted without regard for service, it no longer acts as an incentive.
And if you don’t like that one, I have another theory. Serving staff on the west coast are much poorer than in New York. Whilst the purchasing power of a dollar may be the same coast to coast, that does not mean that it’s value is the same to everyone. Someone fighting to keep their family fed will work harder for a dollar than someone with a comfortable living.
And if those two still don’t do it for you, let me try one more. Serving staff on the west coast are predominantly Mexican. Could there be a cultural factor in play? Is there too much drumming into the heads of white American children that they are better than anyone else and should never feel inferior to another person? Doesn’t great customer service require that you put the customer’s interests first? Occasionally we came across a waiter in New York with that air of superiority as if to have us believe we were privileged to be allowed within their hallowed halls. In such cases we tipped very poorly.
And that’s the other beauty of tipping. One the one hand, it generally drives good service - but when the service is poor, there’s some satisfaction in leaving little or no tip. Just leave the cash on the table and scarper.
I wonder how precise most people are with their tips. If, like me, you get most of your American culture (is that an oxymoron?) from television – and more specifically from sitcoms like Seinfeld and Friends – then you would expect that tipping involves a reasonable about of deliberation and calculation. We typically rounded to the nearest five dollars. Up or down.
In further support of my belief that tipping works:
- You don’t tip for takeaway
- Service at takeaway places is generally pretty poor (much like in Australia)
I have also wondered whether tipping could work in Australia, and for four reasons, I don’t believe it could.
Secondly, Australia is a welfare state with complex employment laws. Australians by and large feel a sense of entitlement. Entitlement to a job. Entitlement to fair pay. The balance of power between employees and employers is much different in Australia to America.
Thirdly, Australians reject any notion of class. This is the same cultural issue that I suspect drives better customer service on the west coast than the east coast of America. The problem with excellent customer service is that nasty word “service”. To genuinely put a customer’s needs ahead of your own is very difficult proposition for a culture that rejects notions of class and servitude. It also makes Australians difficult to serve, because many Australians feel just as uncomfortable having something perform menial tasks for them as they would performing menial tasks for someone else. When a washroom attendant handed me a paper towel to dry my hands, I was torn between appreciating the service but at the same time feeling that I was taking advantage of a less fortunate individual.
Now, as a multicultural society, this aspect is not insurmountable. There a plenty of cultures represented in Australia who don’t have the same hang-ups preventing them from subserviating themselves to customers.
Finally, I don’t believe tipping could work in Australia because I’ve seen it in action. Many, if not most restaurants offer at the very least a tip jar. Some even add gratuities to bills. But I’ve not witnessed any appreciable difference in service from such establishments, and certainly nothing approaching the standard quality of American service.
Before I sign off, let me offer a final two observations and tie them back to tipping.
- Most Australians have a fairly jaundiced view of American people.
- Most American people I met or otherwise observed in America were pleasant, friendly, and not in the least loud-mouthed and obnoxious.
What’s going on here? My theory is this:
- Pleasant and friendly American person comes to Australia for a holiday
- Australian customer service is exceedingly poor by American standards
- Once pleasant and friendly American becomes increasingly grumpy as they are faced with consistently disappointing customer service.
- Now gumpy American begins complaining
- American has accent
- Nearby Australians witness this gumpiness, find the accent a little grating, and create mythology about what terrible people those bloody yanks are.
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