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Hourly wage for "domestic diva"


Sandrita

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What many non-Canadians don't understand is that Canada has a minimum wage that is considerably higher in most instances than the US and certainly miles higher than Mexico. When you know that the person serving you is getting at least $12/hour, you don't feel the pressure to subsidize their wage with a hefty tip if the service is not that great. Minimum wage in Canada is across the board (although it does vary from province to province)- someone digging a ditch is not paid a lower minimum wage than someone serving in a restaurant or whatever. Whereas I've been informed by Americans that the minimum wage varies according to the type of work- in service jobs where employers expect the staff to be getting tips, the minimum wage can be really low. ( I had a house guest from Denver who told me she worked as a hostess in a nice restaurant and was paid NO SALARY AT ALL- she was expected to make her money in tips alone) So Americans know that their servers can't survive at all without good tips- it's the major part of their earnings. Canadians who aren't well.travelled and unaware sometimes are shocked to find out that the server in Mexico is only being paid 30 pesos/hour, or less.  It's more a matter of being clueless than being cheap, I believe.

Canadians also have generally less disposable income, as Canadaian taxes are high. As in Mexico, there is a 16% tax on all goods and services, wheras some US states have no sales tax at all.

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Just now, ComputerGuy said:

Thanks for the continuing effete and pompous comments, jonny boy.

jonnyboy can change his user name and open new accounts on the forums he's been booted off of, but it doesn't fool me. Know-it-all about all things Mexican (and everything else), yet constantly bashing Mexicans. He's been active here before under a different name.

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21 minutes ago, mudgirl said:

What many non-Canadians don't understand is that Canada has a minimum wage that is considerably higher in most instances than the US and certainly miles higher than Mexico. When you know that the person serving you is getting at least $12/hour, you don't feel the pressure to subsidize their wage with a hefty tip if the service is not that great. Minimum wage in Canada is across the board (although it does vary from province to province)- someone digging a ditch is not paid a lower minimum wage than someone serving in a restaurant or whatever. Whereas I've been informed by Americans that the minimum wage varies according to the type of work- in service jobs where employers expect the staff to be getting tips, the minimum wage can be really low. ( I had a house guest from Denver who told me she worked as a hostess in a nice restaurant and was paid NO SALARY AT ALL- she was expected to make her money in tips alone) So Americans know that their servers can't survive at all without good tips- it's the major part of their earnings. Canadians who aren't well.travelled and unaware sometimes are shocked to find out that the server in Mexico is only being paid 30 pesos/hour, or less.  It's more a matter of being clueless than being cheap, I believe.

Canadians also have generally less disposable income, as Canadaian taxes are high. As in Mexico, there is a 16% tax on all goods and services, wheras some US states have no sales tax at all.

Good point

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4 hours ago, chicamysterious said:

The pay in most jobs in GDL is lower than here. I have a few friends who work in the tech field and they are paid well. As for Chapala they like to refer to it as Gringolandia. They were shocked at not having to pay to park at walmart their first time here.

I think security is an issue with Mall parking  in Guad,also people who park in say Walmart lot and go wandering around other stores

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I feel that it's unfair and ignorant of those who are generalizing and bashing Canadians.  I was a server many years ago, so I can appreciate how hard they work.  Therefore, I tip 20% on my bill.  As I said before, if the service is exceptional, I will tip more.  If the service is lacking, I'll speak with the server first to see if the issue can be corrected.  If not, I adjust my tip accordingly.   I don't want to be lumped into a category of 'cheap Canadians'.

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I know quite a few very generous Canadians but unfortunately apparently there are lot of frugal ones as well.

When I got here I had never really been in contact with Canadian and did not know about the stereotype. My real estate agent was Canadian, one day  asked why Canadian wore a maple leaf on lapel and he told me  that they did not want to be taken for Americans, not seeing a whole lot of difference at first sight I asked a  Mexican restaurateur here how he felt about Canadians and Americans, he told me the Canadians were codos, rubbing his elbow and told me a few stories to illustrate his opinion. . that is also when I heard the joke about the Canadians and the canoe.

Like any stereotype , it does not mean everyone is that way but I guess there are enough people who are that way to give a bad name for everyone. My real estate agent, who had a funny sense of humor also made a joke about people needing a calculator to calculate the tip.

In Chiapas the standard tip is 10% and the Canadians do not have any reputation one way or another  and there are few of them.. no one seem to be fighting to give 15 and 20% and more tips. as  the majority of the tourists are Mexicans and the Europeans have no clue about tips as the 15% in included so restaurants started suggesting tips, alway 10% never more than that.

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The concept of a tip used to be a reward for good service (and encouragement to continue that level of service). Somehow along the way that changed and it is now considered to be required (even being included in the bill in some establishments, whether the service was abyssmal or not) and those who tip lower than others are branded as tightwads. 

I guess we can thank the employers who aren't willing to pay their staff a living wage for this shift in the definition of a tip. 

 

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6 minutes ago, mudgirl said:

The concept of a tip used to be a reward for good service (and encouragement to continue that level of service). Somehow along the way that changed and it is now considered to be required (even being included in the bill in some establishments, whether the service was abyssmal or not) and those who tip lower than others are branded as tightwads. 

I guess we can thank the employers who aren't willing to pay their staff a living wage for this shift in the definition of a tip.

Now that's the truth right there.

In England, they don't tip. They pay (arguably) living wages. In lots of countries, they don't tip. I won't go to a restaurant that includes the tip; that's the height of misdirected self-importance, as far as I'm concerned. Is that keeping me out of some otherwise fine establishments? If so, I never noticed.

I'm not cheap. I am, in fact, generous. But I'm not clueless.

bmh said: " I guess there are enough people who are that way to give a bad name for everyone" How many is that? Three? Tell you something else: Canadians in Canada don't complain about Canadian tipping.

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And Canadians also know that not all Americans are bombastic red neck b.s.ers. Not all Muslims are terrorists. etc. etc. and the list goes.

How about treating individuals as individuals? Dislike what an individual does. Don't lump everyone together lest you show your own ignorance and biases.

A#%holes come in all races, creeds and colours.

 

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For much of my life I have lived south of Vancouver in Washington State.  As little kids we could cross the border without IDs. The only difference we noticed was that they used a different kind of money. We also picked up both US and Canadian TV with a rooftop antenna. Because Idaho and Oregon were farther away, we felt closer to those living in the lower mainland of BC than US citizens in other states.

Even down here we have had Canadian TV available since Feb 21, 2001 when the Canadian Anik F1 satellite went live. It's now called Shaw Direct and it gives me the TV from the same cities as before, Seattle Vancouver and Victoria.

So for me, I do not really notice a difference. Sure they speak a little differently in some parts of Eastern Canada.  But I could say the same thing about someone from Boston or from someone from the deep south.

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1 hour ago, bmh said:

I know quite a few very generous Canadians but unfortunately apparently there are lot of frugal ones as well.

When I got here I had never really been in contact with Canadian and did not know about the stereotype. My real estate agent was Canadian, one day  asked why Canadian wore a maple leaf on lapel and he told me  that they did not want to be taken for Americans, not seeing a whole lot of difference at first sight I asked a  Mexican restaurateur here how he felt about Canadians and Americans, he told me the Canadians were codos, rubbing his elbow and told me a few stories to illustrate his opinion. . that is also when I heard the joke about the Canadians and the canoe.

Like any stereotype , it does not mean everyone is that way but I guess there are enough people who are that way to give a bad name for everyone. My real estate agent, who had a funny sense of humor also made a joke about people needing a calculate to calculate the tip.

In Chiapas the standard tip is 10% and the Canadians do not have any reputation one way or another  and there are few of them.. no one seem to be fighting to give 15 and 20% and more tips. as  the majority of the tourists are Mexicans and the Europeans have no clue about tips as the 15% in included so restaurants started suggesting tips, alway 10% never more than that.

It is interesting and curious that when some Americans travel they also wear maple leaves as they would rather be taken for Canadians as Americans supposedly have a bad reputation for various reasons. 

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16 minutes ago, bmh said:

The whole thing is pretty silly , I cannot imagine wearing a French flag .. but then I am French and we do not care what people we do not know think..

It seems silly to me also. Especially when people wear shirts, hats, etc. in their flag colours. 

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When I was in Denny's in the states last month I paid with my debit card.  For a tip I was offered 4 options.  18%, 20%, 25% or other. In Ajijic I have been tipping 10% and if the service was exceptional 20%.  Unfortunately the 20 % seldom came up.

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I was out for dinner and drinks one night with some friends. The service was terrible. We waited 10 minutes after we first sat down before a waiter even came by the table to ask if we wanted a drink. The restaurant was busy, but most people were already eating, there didn't appear to be anyone waiting for their food or drinks. Throughout the evening, the waiters were all standing by the till gabbing with each other, paying no attention to their tables- we kept trying to get their attention, but they were oblivious. 

We left a tip, but a small one, assuming they'd get the message. They actually had the balls to chase us down on the street after we left, informing us that "the bill didn't include the tip". (BTW, there were 4 nationalities represented in our group)

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I had lunch with a large group of people last week.  The woman sitting next to me is Canadian.  She asked me what to tip.  She was planning to tip 10% as she felt that was sufficient.  The service by the way had been excellent. 

I suggested at least15%.  I did not pay attention to what she did so don't know if she followed what I suggested.  I left more than what I had planned to make sure the waitress was  compensated for her excellent service with our large group.

 

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3 hours ago, mudgirl said:

I was out for dinner and drinks one night with some friends. The service was terrible. We waited 10 minutes after we first sat down before a waiter even came by the table to ask if we wanted a drink. The restaurant was busy, but most people were already eating, there didn't appear to be anyone waiting for their food or drinks. Throughout the evening, the waiters were all standing by the till gabbing with each other, paying no attention to their tables- we kept trying to get their attention, but they were oblivious. 

We left a tip, but a small one, assuming they'd get the message. They actually had the balls to chase us down on the street after we left, informing us that "the bill didn't include the tip". (BTW, there were 4 nationalities represented in our group)

So please satisfy my curiosity...where did you dine????

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7 hours ago, mudgirl said:

The concept of a tip used to be a reward for good service (and encouragement to continue that level of service). Somehow along the way that changed and it is now considered to be required (even being included in the bill in some establishments, whether the service was abyssmal or not) and those who tip lower than others are branded as tightwads. 

I guess we can thank the employers who aren't willing to pay their staff a living wage for this shift in the definition of a tip. 

 

Do you remember when you never tipped the owner? ie beauty shop.

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3 minutes ago, Newjersey expat said:

Do you remember when you never tipped the owner? ie beauty shop.

Yes. And I find it weird when a small family run business with no employees has a tip jar on the counter. Considering it's their business with no salaries to pay and all the profit goes to them.

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2 hours ago, Metuchenmama said:

I had lunch with a large group of people last week.  The woman sitting next to me is Canadian.  She asked me what to tip.  She was planning to tip 10% as she felt that was sufficient.  The service by the way had been excellent. 

I suggested at least15%.  I did not pay attention to what she did so don't know if she followed what I suggested.  I left more than what I had planned to make sure the waitress was  compensated for her excellent service with our large group.

 

As a Canadian, I would tip 15% in Canada for excellent service. In Mexico or the US I'd tip more, because I know how little servers' salaries are in those places. But in Canada I know the server is receiving a reasonable salary. Tipping 25% or 30% in Canada would be akin to paying a guy in Mexico with a bucket and a rag 500 pesos to wash your car.

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