Tipping
 

At the end of the month, I will be visiting Perth with a friend.

We have gotten conflicting information about tipping in Australia. What is expected and appropriate in restaurants?

Do we tip cabs drivers? Housekeepers in the hotel?

Thanks for any help you can give - it's very appreciated!

I would say tipping anywhere in Australia is not necessary. If you are from North America it will feel strange but we are just not used to it here and don't wish to encourage it.

If you have a fabulous meal with wonderful service, then you could tip 10% but don't feel you have to. It won't be expected. Service staff in Australia are paid decent wages and don't need to top up their salaries with tips.

I never use cabs but I guess you could round it up if you wanted. I think tipping in hotels would be unheard of here.

If anyone tells you tipping is expected here, or the norm, they are telling porkies.

Kay

This Yank living in Perth LOVES the non-tipping culture!

The price you see is the price you pay, simple. Tax and service is included in the price. This will make more sense to you when you see how much things cost here.

I sure wish we'd adopt the built in GST in the US.

I do round up for taxis once in awhile, but more out of convenience than anything - it's only shrapnel.

I agree with the other posters. Having just returned from our 7th trip to Oz I too have learned to love the non-tipping, tax-included pricing. Prices are already high, why would I voluntarily raise them? As noted, service people are well paid and by tipping you are introducing a cultural practice that is not welcomed by the majority of the locals who already pay plenty for goods and services year round. Tipping by visitors is misguided generosity or courtesy.

Thanks so much for your help!

We're really looking forward to our trip, and want to make sure we are following what is customary in your country.

Out of curiosity - another question we've had mixed answers to. Do women - middle aged - wear shorts in public there? We don't plan to, but have found it interesting that we hear yes they do, and no - never. Maybe some parts of Australia it's ok - and others it's not?

Like the US - it's a BIG country. I'm sure there could be different ways to dress in different parts?

<<Do women - middle aged - wear shorts in public there?>>

I certainly do. I live in my shorts.

There are no rules. Do what you're comfortable with.

Thanks Melnq8! We're very excited about visiting Perth.

We're looking forward to seeing some of the west coast of Australia.

We've scheduled several day trips to see some of the sights outside of the city. One includes visiting some wineries :)

Less than two weeks until we leave - yippeeee!

Safe travels balitrav - enjoy WA.

Have a great time.

Thank you eliztravels2 - I'm really looking forward to our trip!

I live in shorts!! It's 37 degrees C here- too hot for anything else. We're a pretty casual mob Downunder and pretty chilled so don't worry too much about anything - you'll also find us to be very friendly so don't hesitate to ask for help if you need it.

Thank you stormbird! I'm feeling pretty welcome already - you've all been very nice and helpful with my questions.

I leave a week from today - time to really start getting organized. I'm a list maker and have old lists from past trips. A few tweaks here and there, but I think I've got things pretty well under control.

I'm so excited!

Wearing shorts is more dependent on the size of you derriere than where you are! I would be more inclined to wear shorts outside of the major city centres but no one would bat an eye if you did.

We live in Melbourne and generally always tip (less than 5%) if we eat out at a restaurant in the evening. That's commonplace amongst my friends. But it is certainly not expected in most places and I would hate to see the tipping culture of the US start here. No tipping required for taxis.

Does no tipping include those that give you tours through your country?
Thanks

Yes

jeransan, thanks for asking about tipping on tours. I hadn't thought about that.


We have two tours scheduled. Well actually, just one. We got an email yesterday saying one was cancelled due to not enough people signing up.

I'm assuming that in place of the cancelled tour - we'll find something even more amazing to take it's place :)

We leave tomorrow - I'm so excited!!!

Thanks so much for info on tipping. Tipping always adds a big chunk of change to the cost! Appreciate knowing this!

I just returned from my trip to Perth - what a lovely city!!

Thank you to those of you who helped with my questions - I really appreciated it.

I loved knowing that the price I saw on a menu, was the only price I needed to pay! Made my life so much easier!

I've done a fair amount of traveling over the years, but I can't remember any city where the people were more friendly or helpful than Perth.

Any time I might have a map out trying to figure out where I was going, someone was sure to walk up and offer help. If they didn't know an answer off the top of their heads, they would pull out their cell phones and look it up! One even led us down several streets to make sure we got to where we were headed. Wow!!

You have a beautiful city! For some reason I didn't expect quite so much vegetation. We spent our first day in Kings Park - what a spectacular park - right in the middle of the city.

Those lightning storms were something else! I sure hope they've stopped - and no more fires caused by lightning strikes!

Thank you for sharing your city - I have great memories of the time I spent there.

I'm glad you enjoyed our fair city balitrav.

Sadly, our southwest is burning up at the moment, there's a pretty big fire raging down south and gobbling up my favorite part of the state.

I've been watching the reports of the bushfire as well. Hugely distressing. I can't grasp the magnitude of it.

I'm so sorry to hear the fires are still burning!

I find few things more terrifying than forest fires - they are just so out of our control.

I will keep you and your beautiful country in my thoughts.

I am sorry but even though tipping a hotel maid is not required (is there ANYWHERE that it IS "required?") I suspect that person would be appreciative if you left something. Tipping shouldn't be intimidating to anyone, least of all the people who say they NEVER do it or that they think by doing so you are going to change the attitude of an entire country.

Dukey1, I'm pretty sure I'm not going to change your mind on this, as everyone else before me has already said that tipping is not expected (or required)...but...

It's not because we're intimidated (okay, I'm speaking for myself here), it's because:
- it's not the culture
- service staff are paid the going rate (ie. minimum wage or better).

If you get good service in a restaurant or whatever, it's because AU/NZers are nice, and we like to do a good job. The good service is sincere. It's not because a tip is expected.

That's not to say that it never happens, but in many cases it would be for convenience (eg. rounding up if you are paying cash, so you're not carrying change, or getting rid of any change you are clanking around with. I have never in NZ tipped a taxi driver (apart from rounding up) or anyone in a hotel (ever).

Would it be easier for you to understand this cultural difference if you think of the bill in a restaurant or a hotel as 'service included'? Eating out and hotels are reasonably expensive anyway - and the regular wages paid will be part of the reason for this (and that taxes are included). I'm pretty happy to see it stay this way.

Just saw this article in the Daily Fail http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/tr...tte-world.html

Maybe knowing that the national minimum wage in 2014 as set by Fair work Australia is $640.90 for 38 hours might help some see why tipping is not the usual thing here.

Never ceases to amaze me that some of the most insistent tippers are the same people who whinge & grizzle about how expensive meals are in Australia.

For a hotel cleaner the minimum wage for 38 hours is $680, this is for Mon to Fri, if they work 2 hours of overtime they get $27 per hour anymore then it goes up to $36 per hour. Similarly Saturday work is $27ph,Sunday $36ph and Public holidays $45ph. so I'm sure the hotel cleaner would appreciate a note of thanks for a job well done rather than being treated as a charity case by leaving $3 on the pillow

FYI Wait staff are paid roughly the same

That's the thing that people who are used to tipping don't seem to get. To me tipping someone is like you are treating them like they are not as good as you, that they are subservient and should be grateful for every little handout they receive. I once tried to explain this in a US Fodors thread and no-one seemed to understand what I was getting at.

In Australia and NZ at least there is no need to tip, they are getting a living wage!!

I get it nelsonian.

It's simply ignorance and arrogance.

Those who insist on following the customs of THEIR country in total disregard of the country they are visiting are the worst kind of visitors IMO.

Sorry Dukey, but insisting to tip in a non-tipping culture is borderline offensive. It's no different than if someone from a non-tipping culture were to visit the US and refuse to tip because it wasn't part of THEIR culture.

When in Rome...

I can only hope that one day the US will pay their service staff what they are worth and forgo this whole insane tipping BS. It's really gotten out of control.

Bravo! Melnq8. Thank you.

Thanks, Mel.

I'm just about to make my first trip to the US and this tipping business freaks me out!

And y'all talk funny! :)

Margo, I've only been to NYC, up to the Hamptons & WashingtonDC - and I loved it.

The tipping thing is a pain, but nowhere as annoying as the sodding extra tax at the cash register! We don't know what % it is, so that $90 shirt could be $100 or godonlyknowswhat - the only guarantee is that it won't be the price on the swing tag!

Likewise hotels - they add this tax, that tax & the other. God forbid they'd just publish the full cost! Love the mystery hand in my wallet !

That grizzle over - love the place & would go back in a heartbeat & explore more of it.

The "rude New Yorkers" must have all been away - everyone I met was charming & helpful - and a lot of them weren't in positions to be tipped ;)

How long will you be there?