3 ms·

I always tip 20, but I honestly hate doing it for many reasons. I also hate separate sales tax. Just build it into the menu. I just got back from Portugal. 9

by pcurve 4y ago

I always tip 20, but I honestly hate doing it for many reasons. I also hate separate sales tax. Just build it into the menu. I just got back from Portugal. 99% of places took cards. When you are ready to pay the bill, they bring out the portable POS machine, you tap your card, and you're done. No awkward tipping screen. No separate calculation for sales tax. No pressure to buy bottled water or charging of table fee like in Italy. What you see in the menu is what your final will be. Eating out was cheap, fun, hassle free, and tasty.

ac29 4y ago
> I also hate separate sales tax. Just build it into the menu. Presumably this is in part for the same reasons as the article's take on tips. If one business includes sales tax in their prices and another doesnt, the one who doesnt is going to look cheaper to customers even though its actually the same price. Sales tax is also surprisingly complicated in the US. At least where I live, there is sales tax from the State, County and City in addition to a variety of special sales taxes for things like transit districts. It means, for example, its easy to find places where the sales tax is different on two sides of the same street (because there is a city boundary there or something else).
- dheera 4y ago
  > Sales tax is also surprisingly complicated in the US. Sure but the sales tax number for your establishment's particular location is constant, so you can still build it into the menu.
midoridensha 4y ago
>I just got back from Portugal. 99% of places took cards. When you are ready to pay the bill, they bring out the portable POS machine, you tap your card, and you're done. No awkward tipping screen. No separate calculation for sales tax. No pressure to buy bottled water or charging of table fee like in Italy. Here in Japan, it's much the same. After you're done ordering, the server leaves a slip of paper in a special holder on your table with the bill written/printed on it. It's just a total of the things you ordered, which are clearly printed with prices on the menu. When you're done, you go to the cashier at the front with this paper, and pay. Most places take credit cards, plus various online options (PayPay, LINE Pay, etc.). Many also take Suica/Pasmo cards (the contactless cash cards you use to get on the subway). Sales tax is included in the price. Tipping *does not exist*. Water is free. (It's tap water though, but it's fine. Water quality here is excellent for tap water.) Table fees (cover charges) I think exist in some places but not in normal restaurants, and they're clearly shown before you sit down. Japan has more Michelin-star restaurants than anyplace in the world outside of France. Restaurants aren't much more expensive than cooking at home, depending on what you order/make of course. I honestly don't know why anyone bothers going out to eat in the US any more unless they're rich. It's a complete rip-off.

by pcurve 4y ago

ac29 4y ago

> I also hate separate sales tax. Just build it into the menu. Presumably this is in part for the same reasons as the article's take on tips. If one business includes sales tax in their prices and another doesnt, the one who doesnt is going to look cheaper to customers even though its actually the same price. Sales tax is also surprisingly complicated in the US. At least where I live, there is sales tax from the State, County and City in addition to a variety of special sales taxes for things like transit districts. It means, for example, its easy to find places where the sales tax is different on two sides of the same street (because there is a city boundary there or something else).

dheera 4y ago
> Sales tax is also surprisingly complicated in the US. Sure but the sales tax number for your establishment's particular location is constant, so you can still build it into the menu.

midoridensha 4y ago

>I just got back from Portugal. 99% of places took cards. When you are ready to pay the bill, they bring out the portable POS machine, you tap your card, and you're done. No awkward tipping screen. No separate calculation for sales tax. No pressure to buy bottled water or charging of table fee like in Italy. Here in Japan, it's much the same. After you're done ordering, the server leaves a slip of paper in a special holder on your table with the bill written/printed on it. It's just a total of the things you ordered, which are clearly printed with prices on the menu. When you're done, you go to the cashier at the front with this paper, and pay. Most places take credit cards, plus various online options (PayPay, LINE Pay, etc.). Many also take Suica/Pasmo cards (the contactless cash cards you use to get on the subway). Sales tax is included in the price. Tipping *does not exist*. Water is free. (It's tap water though, but it's fine. Water quality here is excellent for tap water.) Table fees (cover charges) I think exist in some places but not in normal restaurants, and they're clearly shown before you sit down. Japan has more Michelin-star restaurants than anyplace in the world outside of France. Restaurants aren't much more expensive than cooking at home, depending on what you order/make of course. I honestly don't know why anyone bothers going out to eat in the US any more unless they're rich. It's a complete rip-off.