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Subject: Re: Currency and tips advice. Posted on: Mon, 23 Apr 2007 19:31:46 +0000 (UTC)

On Apr 23, 11:43 am, Piero wrote:
> This summer we will go for the fourth time in the USA.
> Now I'm quite trained on money/tips behaviour, but I want to ask if
> something changed in the last 3 years...
> Here in Europe tips are not very common, and generally 'normal' people
> almost never give tips, so we are not trained to do so...
> I normally in USA leave 15/18% on restaurants, 2-3$ on buffets with some
> light table service (like beverages), and 1-2$ on Motel's room every night.
> I'm in some wrong? Something changed (maybe increased)?

That sounds just about right. Some expensive restaurants you may want
to consider 20%.

>
> Another question: here is normal to pay something (also very cheap, like
> a cup of coffee) with a 20 or 50 euros bill getting the change back
> without problem.
>

It'll be a problem using euros in the US, where most people are not
used to foreign currencies. A lot of places (esp. smaller shops) do
not like large bills such as a $50 or a $100 bill, again esp. if you
only buy a cup of coffee.

> I remember my wife buying something very cheap on a big family store
> (something like 'all items for 1$ each') having trouble with a 20$ bill
> (and also with the language: I'm the only that speaks, in some way,
> english, and she was alone)...
>

Shouldn't be a problem with $20 bills, which is the most common
denomination used in the US.


> My first thing to do there will be to harvest 1$ bills and 25c coins...
> It seems that all there works with them...

$20 should be fine.


> For bigger amounts: credit card...
>
> I think you (they) are, maybe, lucky for that...
> Here we have coins, no bills, for the amount of 1 and 2 euros, and
> there's a feel that our currency worth less than real (not true: 1 euro
> = 1.36 US$).
>
> Ciao, Piero.