Re: CHAT: currency [was Re: OT: the euro & 01.01.02]

----- Original Message -----
From: "Thomas R. Wier" <trwier@...>
To: <CONLANG@...>
Sent: Saturday, December 22, 2001 6:59 PM
Subject: CHAT: currency [was Re: OT: the euro & 01.01.02]


> Quoting Tristan Alexander McLeay <anstouh@...>:
>
> > It may be odd, but when you do it every day, it's natural. Today, I
> > bought a drink. Its price was $1.99. I paid $2.00 and got no change.
> > I never expected any change.
>
> I would expect such change as a matter of course.  Indeed, sometimes
> when I expect 24 cents in return, the person at the counter gives
> me a quarter, and I think nothing of it. That kind of thing is usual.
>
> > (Note: in Australia, it is customary to not tip unless your service
> > is more than outstanding. I have no idea whether you'd tip in a
> > supermarket in America, though.)
>
> America is very unusual in this respect. There was an article in
> _The Economist_ last year that compared countries based on which
> professions customarily receive tips for service.  America was
> way above all the other industrialized nations, with something
> like 40 professions that get tips, IIRC.  This has lead to
> speculation along the lines that Americans try to make up for
> their increasing inequity by being generous; _The Economist_
> cast doubt on this, but I don't remember why.  (Perhaps because
> Americans are typically more generous in giving to charities in
> the general, which is certainly true relative to most European
> countries; I don't know for sure.)
>
> But Americans do not typically gives tips at the grocery store, no.
>

Well, European countries tend to give more official aid to 3rd world
countries.

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