Questions for our American friends

[Xexemedes]

To gain waiter/waitress loyalty I like to pay my bill with a credit/debit card and tip in cash. I fill in the "tip/gratuity" line of the credit card receipt as "0" giving them the option to claim the cash or not. It is a small victory for them but much appreciated.

My GF and I are regulars at our favorite haunts and over the years have been given our fair share of comps and more importantly honest information about menu selections (always interesting to see the eyes dart left and right, the pleading "no not that" look, and the inconspicuous head shake) . Also if we are given free desserts or drinks, I figure in the missing cost and apply the appropriate amount for the tip-this works wonders.

[knobby109]

Tipping is normal in restaurants in the UK but unknown in pubs and bars.Yet in general we get excellent service in pubs even though bar staff aren't generously paid.The minimum wage applies in this country and by law tips may not be considered as part of the wage.Apparently this isn't the case in the US and customers are effectively blackmailed into paying staff their wages because the employers don't.

[DTravel]

Originally Posted by knobby109

Tipping is normal in restaurants in the UK but unknown in pubs and bars.Yet in general we get excellent service in pubs even though bar staff aren't generously paid.The minimum wage applies in this country and by law tips may not be considered as part of the wage.Apparently this isn't the case in the US and customers are effectively blackmailed into paying staff their wages because the employers don't.

The US has a minimum wage law also and tips can NOT be credited towards that here either.

[knobby109]

Originally Posted by DTravel

The US has a minimum wage law also and tips can NOT be credited towards that here either.

My understanding is that in the food and drink sales sector some at least of these provisions can be set aside.I have Googled the subject and find many statements like it varies from state to state and that the employer can pay below minimum wage but if your tips don't raise your pay enough they have to make up the difference.

[scoundrel]

Originally Posted by brianwp

Waitresses here in Georgia make something like 2.11 an hour, then supplememnted by tips. Which may be a good thing, or not...

Do waitresses in Georgia qualify for the Minimum Wage, brian? And does the Minimum Wage include or exclude their tips?

[Nobody1]

1. How hard is it now for a skilled worker to get a Job?
2. I've heard that private security firms ( Xe ) are used for the case of a disaster, instead of the regular army ( New Orleans ).
My question is : How does this affect to the people?

[DTravel]

Originally Posted by Nobody1

1. How hard is it now for a skilled worker to get a Job?
2. I've heard that private security firms ( Xe ) are used for the case of a disaster, instead of the regular army ( New Orleans ).
My question is : How does this affect to the people?

1) Depends on the skill, but basically its hard to get a job here currently.

2) Need more information. The National Guard (the US equivalent of the militia) gets called up to respond to some natural disasters but not all. We also have a number of non-military and non-government agencies that will respond. FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) is the part of the federal government that is responsible for disaster planning and response. The Red Cross also responds. Various insurance companies will send teams, etc. Any of them may hire private security for things like guarding warehouses and medical facilities but they do NOT have any kind of law enforcement authority.

[Mal Hombre]

I've noticed that Americans sometimes have trouble recognising British accents,I've been mistaken for an Australian or a Canadian,What's that aboot eh?

[scoundrel]

Originally Posted by Mal Hombre

I've noticed that Americans sometimes have trouble recognising British accents,I've been mistaken for an Australian or a Canadian,What's that aboot eh?

To the British ear, American and Canadian accents can be difficult to tell apart. The same is true of Australian and New Zealand (Kiwi) accents. I am fairly certain that an Australian would have no difficulty recognising a New Zealander's accent, and an American would probably know a Canadian if he/she heard one. I imagine the deciding factor is familiarity.

[TCO95]

Originally Posted by scoundrel

To the British ear, American and Canadian accents can be difficult to tell apart. The same is true of Australian and New Zealand (Kiwi) accents. I am fairly certain that an Australian would have no difficulty recognising a New Zealander's accent, and an American would probably know a Canadian if he/she heard one. I imagine the deciding factor is familiarity.

Also depends on which part of the country the person is from. East coast Canadians, (Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, PEI and New Brunswick) have distinctive accents from western Canadians. As do Americans from the New England states compared to Texas, California or the southern states. Canadians from Ontario sound the most like Americans from the mid-west (Michigan, Ohio, Illinois, etc.) Listening for certain words, phrases or lilts helps me. For example most Canadians will pronounce Toronto as "Trawna" slurring the syllables and making it more nasal. Most Americans will pronounce it more like "Tore on toe". Check out a sports cast and you'll see what I mean.

To my ear, Aussies speak in a higher pitch while Scots speak in a lower one. I find the Irish tend to speak more quickly almost rushing through their sentences. But the easiest way, for me, is to listen for key words like 'Sheila' or 'Lass'.

Of course if you took a person from Scotland, Newfoundland and Texas and left them to chat they would all be speaking English but they might actually need an interpreter.