My GF and I recently travelled to the USA and had the most amazing time. I thought I’d make some notes on our experience, and I think they deserve their own page. If you’re an Aussie, then life in the US can be a bit daunting.
I think everyone who goes there is most worried about the culture if tipping. It takes some getting used to, but I’ll give my comments on it to help you through the ordeal.
FRIENDLINESS
The first thing you notice about the US is how helpful and genuinely friendly everyone is. Following a recent injury, I was still using a walking stick when we arrived. In Australia, QANTAS couldn’t have cared less that I was injured, yet everywhere in America was amazing supportive.
We arrived at McCarron International Airport in Las Vegas, and waited patiently for our bags. And older gentleman dressed in a suit ambled over to us and started a conversation. He asked where we were staying, and whether we would like a limo. We said that we planned to use a standard taxi, and he gave us directions on how to get through the terminal and to the taxi rank.
When we arrived at the taxi rank, the line was almost as long as a comet’s tail. We started the hobble along the line with our bags, and before I knew it, a guy came over to us and said “Come this way”. He got us out of the line, and we walked down the side of the queue and around to the front. We stopped there, and he hailed a taxi, and sent us on our way. And that is typical of the help we received all across the US.
TIPPING
One thing Aussies aren’t used to is the tipping culture in America, and to be honest, we’re a little bit afraid – or apprehensive – about it. In Australia, if you want any tips at all, your service has to be at least 150%. In America, you’re expected to tip about 10% at a restaurant, even if you didn’t like the service.
We’d read a few articles on tipping before we left, but knowing when to tip, how much to tip, and even how to tip, are things we were worried about. When we got to our hotel in Vegas, we had to wait a little while for our room, so we went for a drink. A waitress came over and introduced herself and took our order.
When she got back, I took my usual direct, honest approach. I told her we were Aussies, weren’t used to tipping, and asked for some advice. She explained percentages and amounts and then just said “Bottom line is, if you don’t want to tip, then don’t tip”. But here’s the basic run down:
Restaurants:
10% – 20% depending on the level of service. I should mention that you should expect the service to be 1,000 times better than Australia. Some restaurants put an 18% tip on your bill, so check that and make sure you’re not tipping twice.
The trick with restaurants is remembering that you don’t tip if you have to “stand up to order”. So fast food places like Burger King and corner Deli’s – don’t tip. Also, if you’re at a bistro where you sit at a table and then go to the cashier to order – don’t tip.
Drinks in Vegas:
Everyone has heard that while you’re gambling in Vegas, you get free drinks, and I’m here to tell you that’s 100% true. There’s no limits either, so you can play a 1c pokie/slot machine and press the button once every 10 minutes, and you still get free drinks. And it’s not just wine or basic spirits – it’s everything. We generally drank Mojitos and French Martinis. What you do is tip the waitress $1 per drink. If your order is complicated or large, you would probably give a little more. So while the drinks are “free”, they really cost you $1.
The only warning I’d give you is not to expect speedy service while you’re gambling. The reason is that the girls wander around until they get about 4 or 5 orders, then head back to the bar, make the drinks and then deliver them. Considering the size of the casinos, it can take a while for the girls to get around. You should expect to wait anywhere up to about 10 minutes for your drinks to arrive.
Dealers:
Pretty much everyone in America lives on tips. Vegas dealers only earn about $10,000 per year, so they need tips to pay the bills. To tip a dealer, you either wait until you leave and then toss a chip on the table and say “For you”, or what’s more appreciated is to place a bet on behalf of the dealer. About once every hour or so, when you place a bet, you place a bet for the dealer as well. You then play the hand as if it was your own, but if you win, the dealer gets the money. Obviously, if you’re losing, or you lose all your money, the dealers don’t expect a tip.
I started playing craps in Vegas, and I’ll include separate posts and links on the game – it’s awesome. The craps table has it’s own language which can take some getting used to, but on a few occasions, when I was winning, I placed a few bets for the dealers, and they really appreciate it. They also become more friendly, and they’ll often give you handy hints on the game if you’re including them in your good luck.
Hotel Services:
If dealers earn bugger-all, you can imagine what cleaners and bell staff are earning. When they bring your bags to your room, the get $1 per bag. Not much, but over the course of the day, they earn a bit of cash.
When room service drop by, they get a couple of dollars as well. To tip these guys, just have some $1 notes (known as “singles”) in your pocket, and as they go to leave, you just hand over a couple. No need for secret handshakes or any of that.
Housekeepers generally get about $2 per day. Just leave it on your pillow when you leave the room in the morning. You can leave a note for them if you want or need something specific (more coathangers, more pillows or a specific service), in which case you should leave a little more.
Cabs:
We were told by quite a few people not to use taxis in NYC because they’re expensive. But let me say that compared to Australia, they are insanely cheap. Flagfall was generally around $1 ($2.50 – $4.00 in Australia), and “extras” of $0.50 (I’ve seen up to $2.50 in Australia). The longest ride we took in NYC was about half the length of Manhattan, and it cost us under $10.
All I did was add a couple of dollars to each fare at the end. If the fare was, say $12.50, I’d hand over a $20 and say “Make it $15″. Even with a tip of a few dollars, the prices are still much lower than Australia.
American taxi drivers provide a better service, too. They pack your bags in the boot (trunk) for you, and unload them. And unlike Aussie cabbies who settle the fare as soon as the car stops, these guys unload your bags first and then settle the fare.
Just be aware that Manhattan cabs have two speeds only: Flat-out and stop. It seems that taxis won’t operate unless either the brake pedal or accelerator are touching the floor. They all drive like lunatics and very few people use indicators. Quite often you feel like you’re getting whiplash with all the aggressive stop-start driving, but for the price, you can’t really argue.
All in all, it takes a day or two to get used to tipping, but it’s not a big deal. Some times, when I went to tip, I was even told “You don’t need to do that”, but the service is so good over there, you kind of want to tip.
