discussion European tourist goes viral for US trip; pans obesity, tipping culture and more

[Mezik]

3 hours ago, Joey307 said:

I don't know when and where this whole "anti-tipping" movement started online, but as a server it's embarrassing watching all you morons who don't understand how restaurants work ***** and moan about a system that has been in place for years and will never go away, because it WORKS JUST FINE and benefits every party involved. 

 

Europeans are a special kind of stupid to complain about Americans not respecting their culture when they visit their countries and then disregarding ours because they're CHEAP. Tip 20% or more or stay the **** home. 

 

Tipping does not benefit 'every party involved' and the American culture of exploiting worker's rights definitely does not need to be respected.

 

With food inflation I only tip 10% - 12% on a meal. Guess what, prices increased but servers are not working any harder than they have always been. It's not my responsibility to pay you an extra $10/hr because your boss it to cheap too. 

 

If you're unhappy with how little your employer pays you - find a different job. 

[Yawn]

54 minutes ago, Joey307 said:

 

 

Comments from those who have clearly never worked in the service industry, but I digress…
 

NEWS FLASH: American servers and bartenders don't want tipping to end because with it, we make way more than the business would be willing to pay us. Furthermore, customers would be paying the difference either way if wages were raised, and as a cherry on top your server is no longer going to care about giving you good service because they get paid the same regardless. You need your fourteenth refill of Diet Coke? Too bad, I'll get to it when I feel like it. 
 

Stop fighting a fight that no one asked you to fight because you're BROKE. No one, and I mean NO ONE is going to put up with the BS servers and bartenders routinely put up with for $15-$20 an hour. 

ok you enjoy your demanding and unskilled customer facing service job with no security or guaranteed living wage because you could get good get tips still. i guess we can only wonder how other parts of the world could ever function any other way. 

 

also nobody needs or wants a 14th refill of coke, fatty. just bring the food over when it is ready and one drink and we are all good for your "sErViCe!!1" that no one even cares about beyond the basic minimum 

 

23 minutes ago, Joey307 said:

If you don't like tipping then don't go out to eat, that's the real form of protesting restaurants, not stiffing the server. They're the only one who gets ****** in that scenario.

stop yelling and crying about this and "broke" customers when still no one has remotely suggested skipping on service tips when in USA lol 

[nasa]

56 minutes ago, Joey307 said:

 

 

Comments from those who have clearly never worked in the service industry, but I digress…
 

NEWS FLASH: American servers and bartenders don't want tipping to end because with it, we make way more than the business would be willing to pay us. Furthermore, customers would be paying the difference either way if wages were raised, and as a cherry on top your server is no longer going to care about giving you good service because they get paid the same regardless. You need your fourteenth refill of Diet Coke? Too bad, I'll get to it when I feel like it. 
 

Stop fighting a fight that no one asked you to fight because you're BROKE. No one, and I mean NO ONE is going to put up with the BS servers and bartenders routinely put up with for $15-$20 an hour. 

news flash: find a real job that would give you more money; also not the BROKE talk when… you know, that entire 2nd paragraph of yours exists 

[TeemoR]

3 hours ago, Steve Jobs said:

I'll NEVER understand why people complain about other people being friendly

It's not genuine, that's why. It's so forced. 

[TeemoR]

2 hours ago, dinorhino said:

Everything that's wrong with his takes:
 

- Basing the US off of NYC (which he probably only went to Manhattan) and Las Vegas is equivalent to judging the entirety of Europe by going to select parts of London and Paris. just a moron on all fronts 

- A lot if not most of the talkative and friendly nature Americans present is to save face rather than actually being nice and friendly. You are seen as rude and chastised if you don't perform this and are more introverted

- "The American dream is live and well" meanwhile people can barely, if at all, afford homes, can't get higher education without tonnes of debt, as well as getting into tonnes of debt for basic mediocre healthcare. Basic necessities such as cars often require debt. American dream btw. 

- him acting like casinos are an every day experience for americans lmfaooooooooo i would bet money the vast majority of americans have never been to a casino in their lives

- "the lights are always on in america" no they aren't? You went to a 24/7 hour city (New York, specifically Manhattan) and Las Vegas that is known for that. The average city isn't like that, even bigger cities like Houston, Seattle, Miami, and whatnot.

- His description of American customer service lacks so much nuance. They aren't doing that out of the kindness of their hearts they're doing that because they often are forced to or they're seen as doing a bad job. American customer service workers are often abused because of how ingratiatingly saccharine they have to be to appease customers and they can't defend themselves even when they're being very mistreated. I've had my parents literally complain about a waitress being "bad at her job" because she didn't smile even though she was attentive, took our orders, and did everything else well except have a happy-happy-joy-joy tone

- Acting like the average American owns designer watches and luxury cars looooooool. And many Americans get into debt to achieve this too, if they even have it. It's not a sign of financial wealth many times and you can easily find people like this in London and Paris too so I'm not sure why he's acting like this doesn't exist in Europe???????

 

On his bad "meme": 

- Multiple countries in the EU have higher average salaries in the US, in addition to the fact that he seems to erroneously be comparing disposable income for EU to gross income for the US, not factoring in Americans tend to spend way more and need to get into way more debt for basic necessities. Also American healthcare ranks low for how much they spend on it and in general (not higher than most EU nations') so the idea of American healthcare being better is false. Shorter queue times exist in the US because less people are able to access healthcare and it's privatised. No **** a universal healthcare system is going to have more patients and therefore be slower. 

- Obviously, pretty much all of the EU has free speech. Especially as of late in the US where you have presidential candidates wanting and insurrection against dissidents in addition to American-owned companies (see: Twitter) actively censoring and shutting down people they don't agree with for trite reasons, the US does not have anymore freedom of speech than most developed countries and it actually ranks pretty lower than the EU on freedom of speech for journalists worldwide. 

- Americans can't afford a car either and taking public transit isn't a dig lol.

- the culture thing is subjective I guess, but the fact that you have relatively tiny countries like France and Spain vastly outdoing tourist numbers in the US that says quite a lot 

- The EU has more homelessness than the US...? l o l

 

Germans are so arrogant but yet so stupid. it's unreal 

- Well yes, it's more extreme in NYC and Las Vegas but that's all accurate pretty much everywhere at this point....I live in the Midwest and it's exactly like that here. All of what he said. The prices, the tipping culture, the 'fake nice', the huge discrepancy in prices between healthy and trash food basically forcing most people (including the middle class at this point) to eat junk....maybe they don't ask you to tip at Starbucks here like they do in NY or las Vegas but you still tip for ridiculous things here as well.

- How is he wrong about the whole American dream? It's a dream, like he says, as it doesn't become reality for most people as you explained above, who can barely afford homes, necessities etc. 

- I am not sure he is saying people are friendly 'out of pure kindness', I thought he understands it's fake and forced, but maybe I misread it. 

[tiagol88]

I mean…you can say all that about the usa without going there. How was he shocked?

 

Also. The American dream is an illusion, trash and comes with you being indebted until you die.

 

Kay, bye now

[Cain]

3 hours ago, Steve Jobs said:

I'll NEVER understand why people complain about other people being friendly

I think he's just talking about the fact that 'how are you' isn't an actual question, like you're not supposed to actually answer that at all

 

It weirded me out at first too cause it's like… why even ask then. But once you learn it's just customary it becomes normal

[Mikeymoonshine]

One thing I will say about tipping culture is in the UK we now have a "service charge" in a lot of restaurants which is automatically added to the bill but you can ask to have it removed. However usually you're just gonna pay it, it feels way more like a hidden fee though and I've heard the staff don't even get a lot of it in some places. I think it's because most people in the UK don't tip or don't tip a lot, some places also have recommended tips and stuff like in the US but it's usually cities where you see that. 

I do think servers should be paid a reasonable wage though because having to rely on tips would be a nightmare. I work in a service job and it's not a fancy restaurant type place where u get a lot of tips, most customers don't tip at all. That's fine cos I don't rely on it and i still get some tips. I save it yearly and it always at least pays for all my Christmas gifts. I always tip other servers because I appreciate it when people tip me. 

[Mupps]

Agree with the loudness but you'll find plenty of loud Europeans and British people too.

 

I recently visited Finland and nobody felt the need to shout, their peacefulness is on another level 

[Joey307]

1 hour ago, Yawn said:

ok you enjoy your demanding and unskilled customer facing service job with no security or guaranteed living wage because you could get good get tips still. i guess we can only wonder how other parts of the world could ever function any other way. 

 

also nobody needs or wants a 14th refill of coke, fatty. just bring the food over when it is ready and one drink and we are all good for your "sErViCe!!1" that no one even cares about beyond the basic minimum 

 

stop yelling and crying about this and "broke" customers when still no one has remotely suggested skipping on service tips when in USA lol 

 

1 hour ago, nasa said:

news flash: find a real job that would give you more money; also not the BROKE talk when… you know, that entire 2nd paragraph of yours exists 

Okay babes you can pretend serving is "unskilled" labor and "not a real job" all you want but we both know it isn't true. 
 

Riddle me this: When serving can make as much money as it often does, why do people bother working other entry level jobs? How does McDonald's have a single employee? How does Walmart have cashiers? Why don't all these people just go serve at the nearest restaurant and make an easy-peasy $30-$40 an hour? 
 

Oh I know, because they, and so many others, including YOU probably, couldn't handle it if their life depended on it. Serving requires an insane amount of multi-tasking, patience, attention to detail, food and spirit knowledge, etc.

 

Go and try serving an eight-table section and tell me it isn't hard. Except you won't because you'd collapse within ten minutes. 

[Prince George]

I went to Europe this summer and the waiters at almost all restaurants told us tip was not included. Almost all payment machines already asked to input tips too. 

[tost1]

14 minutes ago, Joey307 said:

 

Okay babes you can pretend serving is "unskilled" labor and "not a real job" all you want but we both know it isn't true. 
 

Riddle me this: When serving can make as much money as it often does, why do people bother working other entry level jobs? How does McDonald's have a single employee? How does Walmart have cashiers? Why don't all these people just go serve at the nearest restaurant and make an easy-peasy $30-$40 an hour? 
 

Oh I know, because they, and so many others, including YOU probably, couldn't handle it if their life depended on it. Serving requires an insane amount of multi-tasking, patience, attention to detail, food and spirit knowledge, etc.

 

Go and try serving an eight-table section and tell me it isn't hard. Except you won't because you'd collapse within ten minutes. 

Well then they should pay you as a skilled worker and not expect the guests to pay your salary...

 

Anyway, OT: i worked as a receptionist for a year and Americans are by far the most annoying people I've encountered 

 

[Dula Peep]

Judging all of America based on Las Vegas is just.... 

[LewisK]

@Joey307 not quoting all your posts, but I have also worked on the field for several years, and it's one of the toughest works on earth; it would be my last choice if I had the possibility. However, I'm against tip culture as well: not because of workers (duh), but because bussiness owners. I think it's highly unfair that they don't function like every other job, and in Europe it goes pretty fine for all parts. Either way, it's a matter of opinion. What I don't understand is your wording, reads as class-based and enraged, but you go girl.

 

OT: I just came back from doing Route 66, and we tried to step out of it to visit more authentic places. My opinion on the German guy's statements, based on my experience:

 

- Money talk: I don't feel it's taboo in Europe, but talking to much about it could read some times as money-success obsessed, and I don't think that's healty for a society.

- Fast food was ok. Bigger than I expected.

- Small talk with workers: I'm very introverted and small talk is unnecessary for me as well, it doesn't make me comfortable. I felt Americans tend to be really social and close, but it also has its ups, like having the feeling that you could get help all the time. I wouldn't make a big deal out of it.

- Against tipping, but to each country their habits. It wasn't great to think you're going to get diner for 15 $ and end up paying almost double between all things, but I guess we're just not used to it. If I were American I'd make my calculations different and that's it.

- The American dream part reads as tone-deaf, in my opinion. I saw a loooot of people damaged by that.

- I'm Spanish so the loud part didn't grab my attention. I can understand that, but Germans are TOO silent as well. I remember going to a friend's apartment in Berlin, and everything was dead silent by 8 p.m. at FRIDAY night, almost feeling threatened by the chance of whispering  Again, to each their culture, just not my cup of tea.

- Casinos were shocking as well, but I guess that's just Vegas, c'mon.

- Now obesity rate was indeed a SHOCK, but food sizes, the difficulty to find healthy food and so on were major surprises as well, and I think it goes together in the end. I found it difficult to fight against eating a huge amount of calories, let alone if you have to grow up and live there. There should be more attention put on this topic.

 

Still, all of this has been my experience as an (probably ignorant) European travelling through the country for two weeks, I might be wrong in everything. I'd be interested in more information if that's the case.

[LewisK]

Ok, just saw his tweet with the drawing comparing an European to an American. He's a ******* moron  Not saying we Europeans are better at all, but the reasons cited in that drawing are just ignorant to a great extent.

[Joey307]

58 minutes ago, LewisK said:

@Joey307 not quoting all your posts, but I have also worked on the field for several years, and it's one of the toughest works on earth; it would be my last choice if I had the possibility. However, I'm against tip culture as well: not because of workers (duh), but because bussiness owners. I think it's highly unfair that they don't function like every other job, and in Europe it goes pretty fine for all parts. Either way, it's a matter of opinion. What I don't understand is your wording, reads as class-based and enraged, but you go girl.

The amount of **** servers have to take from cooks, management, and customers in their restaurants, only to be **** online because of a system they didn't invent is worth being enraged about. 
 

You do realize that most restaurants operate on extremely slim budgets, right? That's why they can't afford to pay their servers. If all the locally owned restaurants were forced to pay this "livable wage" BS they would raise prices more than 20% and become a ghost town, and thus shut down immediately. 

 

And tipping is NOT anti-worker. Those who would work harder are often rewarded better shifts, better sections, and provide better service, thus making more money than worse servers. They will also be more likely to move on to more expensive restaurants to make better tips. What other jobs can this type of rewarding be found? 
 

 

[Gov Hooka]

8 hours ago, aotwbys said:

No idea why anyone on the planet would ever spend a dime on coming here lol

 

So many folks I've met internationally dream of seeing the US national parks. It is truly one of the only redeeming things in this complete dogshit country 

Edited August 22 by Gov Hooka

[Bloodflowers.]

If I had the money to visit America, I would visit Vermont, Pennsylvania, New Hampsure (whatever it's typed), Alaska and Hawaii. 

 

New York and Vegas is like visiting London and Paris in Europe... boring, uninspired and for basic bithchez

 

[dinorhino]

10 hours ago, TeemoR said:

- Well yes, it's more extreme in NYC and Las Vegas but that's all accurate pretty much everywhere at this point....I live in the Midwest and it's exactly like that here. All of what he said. The prices, the tipping culture, the 'fake nice', the huge discrepancy in prices between healthy and trash food basically forcing most people (including the middle class at this point) to eat junk....maybe they don't ask you to tip at Starbucks here like they do in NY or las Vegas but you still tip for ridiculous things here as well.

- How is he wrong about the whole American dream? It's a dream, like he says, as it doesn't become reality for most people as you explained above, who can barely afford homes, necessities etc. 

- I am not sure he is saying people are friendly 'out of pure kindness', I thought he understands it's fake and forced, but maybe I misread it. 

He said some true things, but then added terrible opinions on top of it, some of it even contradictory. The "fake niceness" he criticises but then praises Americans on another point for being outgoing and friendly/talkative is contradictory because they're both related. 

He also talks about the American dream positively and very heavily implies it's accessible and achievable and endorses it rather than simply talks about it as a concept. I could go on, but his opinions are pretty much terrible across the board except like 3 points at best

[Popboi.]

The insane tipping and taxes on checkout will always be such a mess, always trust the US to show stuff as cheap only to nearly double the price.

[Joey307]

10 hours ago, Mezik said:

Tipping does not benefit 'every party involved' and the American culture of exploiting worker's rights definitely does not need to be respected.

 

With food inflation I only tip 10% - 12% on a meal. Guess what, prices increased but servers are not working any harder than they have always been. It's not my responsibility to pay you an extra $10/hr because your boss it to cheap too. 

 

If you're unhappy with how little your employer pays you - find a different job. 

I've already explained in other posts how it does benefit each party involved, because none of you are service workers and thus too ignorant to understand without me breaking it down for you, but the audacity of you to tell me to find a different job while fully admitting that you use my service is ridiculous. 
 

By the way, servers can and will remember you. I give ten percent service for ten percent tippers 

Edited August 22 by Joey307

[fromily]

idk this seemed v clout oriented w the whole 'i'm a european!' thing. like in my experience europeans usually just say what country they're from... but anyways...

 

1. yes 100% american tipping culture is INSANE and i cannot believe it is legal. in Australia there are sometimes tip jars on counters at cafes or small restaurants but there's zero pressure to contribute it's literally just a hangover from when more transactions were in cash and people would sometimes just put their change in the tip jar. it's literally just a 'keep the change' situation. idek if there are laws about how that $$ is divided up or if it just goes to the owner?

 

2. it's shitty to photograph obese people who are just trying to exist in public. same goes for casino goers. I mean at least the overweight women's faces aren't on screen but jesus if you're trying to go viral maybe keep the people you're saying (correctly) are being victimised by casinos anonymous?

 

3. i 100% trust that he is right that all these chain restaurants we hear about on social media are not that good. especially to someone coming from europe. like no one here thinks that maccas or hungry jacks or kfc is AMAAaaAAAzZING. like you might like some stuff on the menu and prefer fries from one place over another but it's not gonna change your life and the idea of eating it regularly???? teenage behaviour.

 

but yes this was very 'viral take' coded so dude got what he was looking for i guess

[Hephaestus]

13 hours ago, StayFrosty said:

1st time my family and I went to Portland, Oregon we were speechless; our mouths agape by all the badonka donk big back beluga ass ******* there. I get what he means. 

The scream I let out 

[Mezik]

5 hours ago, Joey307 said:

I've already explained in other posts how it does benefit each party involved, because none of you are service workers and thus too ignorant to understand without me breaking it down for you, but the audacity of you to tell me to find a different job while fully admitting that you use my service is ridiculous. 
 

By the way, servers can and will remember you. I give ten percent service for ten percent tippers 

Cool, so you admit that you don't do your job properly?

 

10% on a $100.00 bill is still an extra $10/hr on one table - please provide me the rational why you think $20.00 should be the minimum?

 

Also this whole notion "if you can't afford a 20% tip don't go out" is classist. Tipping isn't mandatory, and if a couple wants to go out for a date they don't need to consider anything but the food prices and taxes. Not some cranky twink server who believes they're entitled to have their wage paid for them because they are choosing to work for an employer that exploits them.

[Joey307]

1 hour ago, Mezik said:

Cool, so you admit that you don't do your job properly?

 

10% on a $100.00 bill is still an extra $10/hr on one table - please provide me the rational why you think $20.00 should be the minimum?

 

Also this whole notion "if you can't afford a 20% tip don't go out" is classist. Tipping isn't mandatory, and if a couple wants to go out for a date they don't need to consider anything but the food prices and taxes. Not some cranky twink server who believes they're entitled to have their wage paid for them because they are choosing to work for an employer that exploits them.

1. I am more than capable of doing my job properly for those who aren't there to waste my time 

 

2. No, it's not $10 actually, because servers have this thing called tip-out. At the end of each of our shifts, we all have to give a pre-determined amount of our tips to bussers, hosts, bartenders etc. Who and how much you have to tip out is dependent upon the restaurant but it's always mandatory. 
 

For example my tip-out is 4 percent, so your 10 on 100 is actually 6 after tipping out. We as servers have to pay others' wages just like you customers do, believe it or not, even if you don't tip. We're literally paying to wait on you at that point. 
 

3. "tIpPiNG iS OpTioNaL" okay and it's optional for me to give you horrid service in exchange. You get what you (aren't) paying for. Is it "classist" to say you don't deserve a nanny if you can't pay the nanny? 
 

STOP TALKING ABOUT INDUSTRIES YOU CLEARLY KNOW NOTHING ABOUT. 
 

Be like your fave