Over in America, the tipping system is a little different to Europe. In most Euro establishments, staff are paid enough (not necessarily a lot by any means, but…), however in America, most waiting staff have to rely on customers’ tips to bring home a decent enough amount of money to live on. This confuses some American tourists, who are surprised that tipping is not mandatory, only considered appropriate if the staff & establishment itself actually deserve it. Whether through attentive service, delicious food, or a good atmosphere, if you enjoy your time, you tip. If the food was mediocre at best, the staff seemed very dis-interested, or you were kept waiting an un-necessary amount of time, you don’t tip.
Starbucks previously used to pool all the waiters’ & waitress’ tips (not uncommon), but then split the pot between all staff, including the management level workers, who didn’t actually wait the tables. A judge in San Diego has ruled this practice wrong, and has told Starbucks to pay back to the workers the amount they were short changed, check out this article for more details…
Apr 19 2008
US Starbucks Employees Slightly Less Screwed Over
Apr 17 2008
Not Present And Correct?
Something that is still missing from Kazakhstan (or at least Astana, I’ve not been to Almaty for a few years) is the identiclone high street effect you see in the West. Although the exact franchises vary, over in Europe you can often find McDonalds, Starbucks and KFCs. Whether their absence in this city is a good or bad thing depends on whether you care about an area’s cultural history, or are drunk at 1am and want a bite to eat. At least that is how I find my opinion differs 😉
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