There are some really good ideas that we should steal immediately from the Europeans. For instance, many countries in the EU have adopted credit card pin numbers. I've wondered for years why the credit card companies back home don't require this. Wouldn't that cut down on fraud like 90% overnight? I imagine they fear push-back from the merchants since it would require new machinery, but wouldn't it even be worth it to just subsidize it for them? Seems like a no-brainer, no?
One thing I find a bit baffling here though is that when you pay by credit card, there is no line for a tip. You have to pay that by cash. I wonder if that is also to squelch any possibility of fraud. Seems a bit much and can be a hassle at times. I like to conserve cash for things that invariably require it like taxis and cafes.
Last night I ate at a wonderful tapas place I got a heads-up on via the internets. It was called Paco Meralgo, located about a mile from my hotel. I managed to navigate the streets okay, despite the infamous tiny placards the Euros are so fond of. The waitstaff was courteous and accommodating and the food was great, so of course I wanted to leave a tip. Unfortunately, there was no place on the receipt for one and I was fresh out of cash. I kept trying to tell the waiter who'd assisted me that I'd be back once I found an ATM. He assured me it was no issue. I was persistent and left to hunt down a machine. On my way, I came across a loose ten-dollar euro note on the ground. I beamed at my good fortune and scooped it up. I returned to the restaurant and triumphantly slapped it down on the counter. The guy laughed a bit and shook my hand. I think he thought I was a bit nuts.
I'll have to do some research as to why tipping is viewed with such seeming indifference over here. Are waiters paid more? Obviously they don't work off tips, but what's the trade-off? An inquiring mind wants to know...
1 comment:
Can't answer with equanimity about the whole of Europe, but yes, wait staff is paid much better in general. It's common in most countries to round the bill up and leave it at that. In the UK, you don't even tip for drinks in a bar. Of course, by miracle of economic transfer, because staff don't get tips, they do get paid more hourly, so the difference is rolled into the cost per item.
The upshot is no 'up-selling' to raise overall meal costs and no Tchotchke's/TGIFriday's-type overly-affable wait-staff. The downshot is American-type service is relatively new in Yurp.
We stayed at a nice old castle in Ireland and tried to tip the general staff the morning after. The house steward said smartly, "unlike in America, we're paid a living wage here." We all had a good, sorrowful laugh.
Other things I like about Europe: sales (or value-added) tax is included in prices, so there's no guessing at how much it'll wind up costing once at the register. Calls for less use of infernal pennies.
That's the other thing -- I really like pound/euro coins much better than U.S. dollar bills. A coin is far more valuable, on average, there than it is here. That makes dealing with strippers and beggars and church collection plates a bit different, but that's okay.
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