Euroland...

[Dinner]

Originally posted by The Vagabond

Apparently there is too much socialism in Euroland. Shops close damn early. After the US and Russia, where plenty of big supermarkets are open until midnight (or maybe even 24/7), this is perceived like an anomaly.

Yes, supermarkets and convience stores stay open 24/7 here as a rule at least in the big cities. Or at least they do where I live. A lot of jobs require people to work nights so if they get off at 2am they still want to buy dinner and pick up some stuff from the store.

[Pekka]

Vagabond, I agree with the tipping policy. It can work as in, you are the judge. You're glad to pay a tip if you really got good service. But if you're not sure or it was bad service, I mean... it's kind of embarrasing to me to not give tip, even a small one.

It can be said, that service declines if the quality of it doesn't matter, but I disagree, because we still have the consumer's choice to not go there next time because of the service. I'd rather have set prices myself, that's what I'm used to and I like it.

[Zopperoni]

Tipping over here is a rather arbitrary affair anyway. The wages for waiters/waitresses is set by a collective bargaining agreement anyway, and all the tip money is evenly distributed among all staff members (of the shift).

While I would generally tip more w/ a higher level of service, it's usually a matter of convenience. For example, if we're w/ a party of four and the tab is 110, we will take the easy way out and put down 30 each.

[Jon Miller]

It has to be bad service for me to give 10% at a sit down restaurant. In fact, I can't remember the last time I gave under 15% at a sit down restaurant (as I said, most the time (90+%) I give ~20%).

I don't remember ever purposefully not tipping, even for really bad service.

Places that don't spend much effort/time servicing you (starbucks, fastfood, buffet, etc) get only ~10% tip though.

Jon Miller

[Dinner]

It really is a shame how far Russian cuisine sank under communism. During the Tsarist period Russian cuisine, well the food the Russian elites ate not the peasants, was world famous for its richness and complexity. Other then reading old books or going to the few old Russian restaurants started in the west in the 1920's though it seems to be gone. Several hundred years of creating a world class cuisine and Russian people were reduced to thinking McDonalds was grand.

[Dinner]

Originally posted by Pekka

Vagabond made a nice observation, McD's and the likes are a bit expensive in many places. No, seriously, a meal can cost like 7 euros in here. There's no dollar menu and if there is, it's only like "one cold and old potato".

Fast food does not mean cheaper necessarily, so that's kind of weird. That's exactly what it should mean.

That's what kind of cheesed me off when I was in the EU. In the US you can often get a value meal (burger, fries, and a small drink) for around $4. If there is a special going on (like when McD's had $0.99 big macs) then you could have a big mac, fries, and a drink for around $2.50.

[The Vagabond]

Originally posted by Pekka
Vagabond, I agree with the tipping policy. It can work as in, you are the judge. You're glad to pay a tip if you really got good service. But if you're not sure or it was bad service, I mean... it's kind of embarrasing to me to not give tip, even a small one.

It can be said, that service declines if the quality of it doesn't matter, but I disagree, because we still have the consumer's choice to not go there next time because of the service.

Exactly

[Pekka]

Right, and that's just the way it is in here most of the time. And service, what service? If you have a problem, it's not that the staff don't know anything and so they can't help you, it's that you are the *******, so basically you never dare to say anything unless something is seriously wrong, and even then you kind of have to apologize about it.

It's like when my mom moved to the State, the first year she was kind of like naah, people have fake smiles, everything so just fake, but after some years now, she gets pissed off in here on a regular basis . Mostly about the lack of service (when you're used to it) and the fact that they go FU instead of OK let me fix it for you. You know? If that's the service, don't serve to begin with.

Also the prices, since you're used to lower prices in some areas, so it's like 'how do you guys manage to do these things?' these days. It's a huge transformation. So what she criticizes a lot is basically things that are done in a way that.. forbidden things that make no sense. For example stores closed, drug stores closed, everything works business hours when you're at work yourself anyway. So when she was here it's like "It's good that they're closed". Now it's like "WHY THE HELL ARE THESE PLACES CLOSED? Any good reason? No? But 'it's the rule'".

[Dinner]

I figure if the place wants my business then they need to provide good service. There are a million other restaurants or what not out there who all want my business so I go to the ones that make it clear they value their costumers.

[The Vagabond]

Originally posted by Zopperoni
Tipping over here is a rather arbitrary affair anyway. The wages for waiters/waitresses is set by a collective bargaining agreement anyway, and all the tip money is evenly distributed among all staff members (of the shift).

While I would generally tip more w/ a higher level of service, it's usually a matter of convenience. For example, if we're w/ a party of four and the tab is 110, we will take the easy way out and put down 30 each.

Such rounding up is a natural and convenient way of tipping. I usually do like this when in Russia or in Europe. In the US, I usually aim at 1/6 of the bill however.

[KrazyHorse]

Other impressions (having gone out to Geneva again later at night):

1) The mullet never died; it just moved
2) Stores close early
3) Sales of hair gel make up between 10 and 15% of GDP
4) I am ridiculously tall
5) European men love gold chains
6) I mean ridiculously tall (despite only being about 1.82m)
7) Either:
a) I look like a total idiot and people feel the need to stare or
b) Euro women find me hot and are forward enough to stare or
c) It's okay to stare at people for no reason in Europe
8) The Swiss are idiots. This is demonstrated by their refusal to accept credit cards anywhere and their insistence on retaining a different electrical plug configuration from the rest of Europe (despite having identical voltages)

[DAVOUT]

Originally posted by Oerdin
I figure if the place wants my business then they need to provide good service. There are a million other restaurants or what not out there who all want my business so I go to the ones that make it clear they value their costumers.

The costumer customer is like a faithfull client.

[DAVOUT]

You are harsh with the Swiss civilization; dont forget that they gave to the world the coucou-clock.

[Kuciwalker]

4) I am ridiculously tall

[Provost Harrison]

Originally posted by The Vagabond


Apparently there is too much socialism in Euroland. Shops close damn early. After the US and Russia, where plenty of big supermarkets are open until midnight (or maybe even 24/7), this is perceived like an anomaly.

Have you actually ever been to the UK?