The tipping culture here in Montreal (or Canada as a whole, I don't know if it's different in other regions) is somewhat new to me. I was born in a place where tipping is illegal because it is considered to be a form of bribery, and in Australia, you would tip a someone if you were pleased with the service - it is not expected, and certainly not compulsory.
Here, it seems the contrary. I've been made aware that tipping is part of the waiter's salary, and that you are expected to tip about 15% of your bill. Now, I've already said I'm confused about how the tax is not included in the price, but inconsistently so. It seems amazing that I have to actually fork out an extra 30% on top of the original cost shown on the menu.
You could say that "one gets used to it" - as humans we are able to adapt to survive. However, I question the need for unnecessary complexity. I am not yet familiar with the employment benefits system here, but this system seems to be potentially unfair for the employees too.
Posted by sniffles at October 30, 2002 12:25 PM