I can't recall the posting I saw that mentioned Canadians are lousy tippers.
It's true, sort of, but there is a reason. I only found this out since I
lived in Maryland for 4 years. I'm a Canadian by the way.

One area where the countries differ are minimum wage rates.

In Maryland, if you're in a job where tipping is likely to provide a
substantial part of your income, the state minimum wage can be as low as 50%
as the regular minimum wage. In MD, the state minimum wage was $5.15/hour.
Restaurant servers can be legally paid as little as $2.38/hour and have to
rely on tipping to make up the rest!

http://www.dllr.state.md.us/labor/wagepay/wptipped.htm

So people that know this (and probably those that don't because it's the
customary tip) all tip at least 15% which makes up the shortfall in their
wages. I *think* they are also taxed as though a certain portion of their
wages are assumed as tips. So that poor guy who you stiff on a tip is
really hurting because he's expecting a decent tip even if the service
sucks.

In British Columbia, Canada, where I live now, the minimum wage is $ 8/hour.
Living prices are pretty comparable in MD and BC if one ignores the fact
that the currency is different. i.e. a pound of apples in MD is about $1
US/lb and is about $1 Cdn/lb in BC. So the BC waiter is making a higher
income before tipping, and nobody thinks twice about tipping 10% and
thinking it's reasonable.

--
Evan Gatehouse

you'll have to rewrite my email address to get to me
ceilydh AT 3web dot net
(fools the spammers)

Canadians don't typically interact with people based fundamentally on
money. It never occurs to us to build relationships that way. That's a
very american thing.

Most Canadians also rarely feel the need to bolster their egos by
tossing cash at people. That too is an American thing.

Canadians aren't cheap, Canadians are just different.


Evan Gatehouse wrote:
I can't recall the posting I saw that mentioned Canadians are lousy tippers.
It's true, sort of, but there is a reason. I only found this out since I
lived in Maryland for 4 years. I'm a Canadian by the way.

One area where the countries differ are minimum wage rates.

In Maryland, if you're in a job where tipping is likely to provide a
substantial part of your income, the state minimum wage can be as low as 50%
as the regular minimum wage. In MD, the state minimum wage was $5.15/hour.
Restaurant servers can be legally paid as little as $2.38/hour and have to
rely on tipping to make up the rest!

http://www.dllr.state.md.us/labor/wagepay/wptipped.htm

So people that know this (and probably those that don't because it's the
customary tip) all tip at least 15% which makes up the shortfall in their
wages. I *think* they are also taxed as though a certain portion of their
wages are assumed as tips. So that poor guy who you stiff on a tip is
really hurting because he's expecting a decent tip even if the service
sucks.

In British Columbia, Canada, where I live now, the minimum wage is $ 8/hour.
Living prices are pretty comparable in MD and BC if one ignores the fact
that the currency is different. i.e. a pound of apples in MD is about $1
US/lb and is about $1 Cdn/lb in BC. So the BC waiter is making a higher
income before tipping, and nobody thinks twice about tipping 10% and
thinking it's reasonable.

--
Evan Gatehouse

you'll have to rewrite my email address to get to me
ceilydh AT 3web dot net
(fools the spammers)

x-no-archive:yes
"Evan Gatehouse" wrote:

I can't recall the posting I saw that mentioned Canadians are lousy tippers.
It's true, sort of, but there is a reason. I only found this out since I
lived in Maryland for 4 years. I'm a Canadian by the way.

One area where the countries differ are minimum wage rates.

In Maryland, if you're in a job where tipping is likely to provide a
substantial part of your income, the state minimum wage can be as low as 50%
as the regular minimum wage. In MD, the state minimum wage was $5.15/hour.
Restaurant servers can be legally paid as little as $2.38/hour and have to
rely on tipping to make up the rest!

http://www.dllr.state.md.us/labor/wagepay/wptipped.htm

So people that know this (and probably those that don't because it's the
customary tip) all tip at least 15% which makes up the shortfall in their
wages. I *think* they are also taxed as though a certain portion of their
wages are assumed as tips. So that poor guy who you stiff on a tip is
really hurting because he's expecting a decent tip even if the service
sucks.

You are correct about this. When my daughter worked as a waitress,
they withheld income tax and FICA as though she got the minimum wage,
even though she didn't get paid but half of that by her employer.

In order for her to recover the excess with-held amounts, she had to
file for a refund and prove that she didn't get enough tips. And she
didn't because since she was under 21, she couldn't work where they
served alcoholic beverages (lunch and dinner) so she was a breakfast
waitress. 15% of what you spend for breakfast is not a large amount.
$1 was a huge tip for her.

I did have a friend who worked in this same establishment for dinner
and she made quite good money.

In British Columbia, Canada, where I live now, the minimum wage is $ 8/hour.
Living prices are pretty comparable in MD and BC if one ignores the fact
that the currency is different. i.e. a pound of apples in MD is about $1
US/lb and is about $1 Cdn/lb in BC. So the BC waiter is making a higher
income before tipping, and nobody thinks twice about tipping 10% and
thinking it's reasonable.

That's very interesting.


grandma Rosalie

In a large part of the world %10 is the average tip. Now what does this
have to do with sailing?

-- Geoff

Randy wrote:

Canadians don't typically interact with people based fundamentally
on money. It never occurs to us to build relationships that way.
That's a very american [sic] thing.

Most Canadians also rarely feel the need to bolster their egos by
tossing cash at people. That too is an American thing.

Thanks for clearing up all the confusion in such an even-handed,
non-chauvinistic manner. That's an American thing _too_.

--
Good luck and good sailing.
s/v Kerry Deare of Barnegat
http://kerrydeare.tripod.com

Randy wrote:

Canadians don't typically interact with people based fundamentally on
money. It never occurs to us to build relationships that way. That's a
very american thing.

Most Canadians also rarely feel the need to bolster their egos by
tossing cash at people. That too is an American thing.

Canadians aren't cheap, Canadians are just different.

lol, canadians are also good comedians ;-)

as an aside, the worst tippers are stingy people away from home, people who
know they won't be seen in a restaurant again, and take it out on the
waiter or waitress. i suppose boorish americans tip less in canada than
they would hat home.

The word TIPS means "to ensure prompt service". If the service is
lousy I don't tip anything
at marine restaurants (to try and keep to a nautical topic). 15% is
normal but I don't tip on
the taxes charged that is for sure. To expect a tip for poor service
is ridiculous no matter how
much you are being paid. sail on.....

John wrote:
The word TIPS means "to ensure prompt service".

Wouldn't that be "TEPS"?

--
Good luck and good sailing.
s/v Kerry Deare of Barnegat
http://kerrydeare.tripod.com

On Sat, 4 Oct 2003 00:38:04 -0700, "Evan Gatehouse"
wrote:


In British Columbia, Canada, where I live now, the minimum wage is $ 8/hour.

That's about the same $US2.38/hour in Maryland, given the state of the
Canadian dollar, isn't it?....(c;



Larry W4CSC

3600 planes with transponders are burning 8-10 million
gallons of kerosene per hour over the USA. R-12 car air
conditioners are responsible for the ozone hole, right?

Didja ever see that cartoon with the diver standing by your boat with
your propeller in his hands and the caption reads......

DON'T FORGET TO PAY THE DIVERS

See? It's about sailing.....



On Sat, 04 Oct 2003 12:07:49 GMT, "Geoffrey W. Schultz"
wrote:

In a large part of the world %10 is the average tip. Now what does this
have to do with sailing?

-- Geoff



Larry W4CSC

3600 planes with transponders are burning 8-10 million
gallons of kerosene per hour over the USA. R-12 car air
conditioners are responsible for the ozone hole, right?