Gerry wrote:
> In article <2jt47rF15hj8bU1@uni-berlin.de>, Kirin <fake@email.com>
> wrote:

>>Many countries in the world are free of this nonsense. Waiters etc
>>are treated like EMPLOYEES, NOT contractors.
> 
> You mean Japan, then?  Where else is tipping generally declined?

There has traditionally never been any tipping in Australia or Ireland.
Can't remember being tipped when working shitty student jobs in the UK
either. I'm sure there is plenty more. I think I understand the
reasoning behind sepponia's tipping and how bad service in restaurants
etc could become without it. Even so, it seems a bit strange -
especially since it is almost entirely restricted to a handful of
occupations in the service industry. Profit sharing and other
performance related bonuses should be good enough for motivation - take
a cafe in a shopping mall - the minimum wage waiter gets a tip, might
share it with the minimum wage short order cook etc, but how many of the
janitors cleaning in the middle of the night who may also be on the
minimum wage will get tips etc? In principle a minimum wage should be a
living wage - if that can't be done without an increase in the
non-accelerating inflation rate of unemployment (nairu) then some form
of negative income taxation system would do the job.

An American guy tipped me in my bar the other day. 100 yen tip for 2
pints of Guinness. I told him he didn't need to etc. He asked me to
accept it. Since I don't know how to record tips in my bookkeeping
without screwing up the accounts, now there is a jar on the bar (for
donations, tips, dumping useless foreign coins & unconvertible currency
notes from India etc) which I'll find some charity to send to when it is
full.

-- 
"Oh don't give me none more of that Old Janx Spirit/ No, don't you give
me none more of that Old Janx Spirit/ For my head will fly, my tongue
will lie, my eyes will fry and I may die/ Won't you pour me one more of
that sinful Old Janx Spirit"