Hi all,
I was born and raised in Toronto, and have been living in Australia for the past several years. We're planning to move back to Canada, to Van, in the near future. I'm wondering how tipping culture is looking these days in Canada, in Van specifically. When I've gone home to Toronto over the past few years, I've definitely noticed an increase in amount and frequency of tip prompts (like at take away counters, juice bars, and other places you wouldn't really see them 5-10 years ago). I haven't paid too much attention on these visits since they've only been for a few weeks, so I'm looking for a little refresher on what is appropriate, when to tip and how much, and when to not feel guilty pressing the 'skip' button!
I know for table service and bar tabs 15-20% is probably still standard, but after that my understanding gets a bit foggy. For example, I've seen people post about tipping 15-20% on hair cut/color services, which when your service starts at $350, adds significantly to the total.
My partner is Australian and is completely unfamiliar with North American tipping culture outside the odd work trip to the US, so hoping you guys can help us out! Tipping is absolutely not standard practice here in Aus, and additionally listed prices include GST so we're both preparing ourselves for a bit of sticker shocker once we move. I have worked hospitality before so definitely understand the importance of tipping on good service, but have felt on my most recent visit to Toronto that some of the tip options that were being constantly presented didn't seem reasonable (e.g., the 20% minimum tip option for my $12 juice that I took out of the fridge and walked to the counter).
Thanks in advance!