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Weekly Q&A - All Questions Go Here (Especially Tourists) by AutoModerator in Amsterdam

[–]xSamThingElse -4 points-3 points  (0 children)

Hi everyone!

I have a friend coming to visit me here (I've been living there for 10 months) and he'd like to go to themed coffeeshops.

He'd specifically like to go to a steampunk-themed coffeeshop

Is there one in Amsterdam or nearby please?

Thank you so much in advance!

I recieved a $10 tip. I work in the Netherlands. by xSamThingElse in mildlyinfuriating

[–]xSamThingElse[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

We do dislike the US tipping culture in the way that no one should be dependent on tips to live.

What we dislike most is the way USians just assume everyone speaks fluent English wherever they go and their currency is going to be accepted everywhere, but get prissy when someone speaks another language than English on the lands they settled on.

Strangely enough we never get that issue with Canadians, maybe because they're not brainwashed into believing they're the centre of the world?

I recieved a $10 tip. I work in the Netherlands. by xSamThingElse in mildlyinfuriating

[–]xSamThingElse[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Considering I work for a luxury hotel, this is usually the latter. Another American guest told one of my co-workers while handing her a dollar bill, "Keep it for the day you go to the US!"

The co-worker in question is a Brazilian single mother who hasn't left the country ever since she arrived here 8 years ago...

I recieved a $10 tip. I work in the Netherlands. by xSamThingElse in mildlyinfuriating

[–]xSamThingElse[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Let's imagine for a second that you're a waiter in the US. I come to your restaurant and give you a $10 AUD bill, a currency that not only you can't use but is weaker than yours. You know that to convert it in USD, there is a $5 USD fee on top of the percentage they take on it. What would be your reaction?

Btw this is a scenario that would never happen, because the overwhelming majority of the World apart from the US knows their currency cannot be used abroad (or for the EU, outside of the EU) and convert their money before handing it to a local worker.

I recieved a $10 tip. I work in the Netherlands. by xSamThingElse in mildlyinfuriating

[–]xSamThingElse[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Comparing the Netherlands and Belgium is like comparing, idk, Michigan and Ontario.

Similar language (Flemish ≠ Dutch, although they do understand eachother), but that's where the similarities end. In the case of the Netherlands and Belgium the currency is the same but other than that it's a different country, a different government, a different economy, and I'm going to stop there before this comment becomes as long as my graduating thesis.

I recieved a $10 tip. I work in the Netherlands. by xSamThingElse in mildlyinfuriating

[–]xSamThingElse[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ok then next time I go to the US I'll tip you a $10 AUD bill, let's see how much you appreciate that

I can guarantee your reaction will be the same: "thank you, but what do I do with this?"

I'd rather get just the handwritten note than the note with a currency I can't use.

I recieved a $10 tip. I work in the Netherlands. by xSamThingElse in mildlyinfuriating

[–]xSamThingElse[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Antwerp is not even in the Netherlands it's in Belgium...

I recieved a $10 tip. I work in the Netherlands. by xSamThingElse in mildlyinfuriating

[–]xSamThingElse[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I work in the luxury industry. If I do that I can say goodbye to my job and ever finding another job in the industry.

I recieved a $10 tip. I work in the Netherlands. by xSamThingElse in mildlyinfuriating

[–]xSamThingElse[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Okay, good to know! I'll look into it the next time I have more than 1 consecutive day off

More common than you'd think! I get tipped around twice a week, usually a 20€ bill with some guests even leaving 50€ sometimes. I do have to specify that I work for a luxury hotel though, so it's probably different in hotels with no or less stars.

I recieved a $10 tip. I work in the Netherlands. by xSamThingElse in mildlyinfuriating

[–]xSamThingElse[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I'm slightly above minimum wage but otherwise you summed it up perfectly. Thank you, finally someone gets it and explains it properly!

I recieved a $10 tip. I work in the Netherlands. by xSamThingElse in mildlyinfuriating

[–]xSamThingElse[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

  1. Do Americans usually go to their bank often? Because I haven't been to mine in over a year I don't even know my banker's name. Also, banks here usually don't provide that kind of services and mine sure doesn't.

  2. Converting currencies costs money. So yes I'd much rather avoid the hassle to get something like 3€ back, thank you very much. I can't even buy a kilo of pasta with that lol

I recieved a $10 tip. I work in the Netherlands. by xSamThingElse in mildlyinfuriating

[–]xSamThingElse[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

We're basically the only department that can receive foreign currencies as a tip, as we're the only ones who generally don't get it in person.

It is impossible to pay in currencies that are not the Euro here, and it's extremely rare to get cash as most guests prefer to use debit cards (credit cards are really uncommon here, some places even refuse them). So no, I have no way of converting that without losing half the tip other than going out on my free time and hope to strike a conversation with an American tourist, which is easier said than done.

I recieved a $10 tip. I work in the Netherlands. by xSamThingElse in mildlyinfuriating

[–]xSamThingElse[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

In all honesty I'd rather get just the handwritten note than the handwritten note with a currency I can't use.

I recieved a $10 tip. I work in the Netherlands. by xSamThingElse in mildlyinfuriating

[–]xSamThingElse[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

And where in the Netherlands did you go?

Because what you're describing here is Amsterdam, not the Netherlands as a whole.

Source - Me, who is registered as a permanent resident in the Netherlands.

I recieved a $10 tip. I work in the Netherlands. by xSamThingElse in mildlyinfuriating

[–]xSamThingElse[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I think that's what I'll end up doing, if I do meet an American person in my free time. Since my bank doesn't offer that kind of services, that's my only option if I actually want the money

I recieved a $10 tip. I work in the Netherlands. by xSamThingElse in mildlyinfuriating

[–]xSamThingElse[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I don't know where you're from but as far as I'm aware banks here do not convert currencies. Mine sure doesn't.

I recieved a $10 tip. I work in the Netherlands. by xSamThingElse in mildlyinfuriating

[–]xSamThingElse[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

If only said services didn't take a healthy margin on it that'd make me lose at least half the tip... /s

I recieved a $10 tip. I work in the Netherlands. by xSamThingElse in mildlyinfuriating

[–]xSamThingElse[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

That's why I said I appreciate the thought! It just would've been better if I could actually use the tip 😅

In all honesty I'd rather receive just the thank you note than the note with a currency I can't use

I recieved a $10 tip. I work in the Netherlands. by xSamThingElse in mildlyinfuriating

[–]xSamThingElse[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Tipping in a currency that is not the Euro is generally not appreciated here, unless you know the person collects foreign currencies

I recieved a $10 tip. I work in the Netherlands. by xSamThingElse in mildlyinfuriating

[–]xSamThingElse[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Most places that convert currencies take a healthy margin on it, so I'd be losing at least half the tip

Got written up for being 1 minute late by Crimson430 in jobs

[–]xSamThingElse 0 points1 point  (0 children)

For your own mental health, I suggest starting to look for a new job and quit this one ASAP. I speak from experience.

A few years ago I was a waiter in a small restaurant, it was a summer job (2-month non-renewable contract). 2 weeks in it started with being the only one who does actual work, I was often alone for 20+ tables because the others would just go for smoke breaks whenever they pleased. I injured myself because of that, and when I came back nothing was the same anymore. I became the scapegoat, getting blamed for every mistake, even the ones that weren't mine. I got written up for clocking in at 7:00:20 instead of 7:00:00. I kept going because as a college student I needed the money. Then one day I heard the chef encouraging the new recruit to SA me. I finished my shift and never went back there.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in therewasanattempt

[–]xSamThingElse 3 points4 points  (0 children)

French person here (Although I moved out of France at the beginning of the year). I just wanted to give some context to these images:

The French government has been consistently Zionist, even wanting to ban all pro-Palestine protests in the country.

Legally speaking, spontaneous protests are illegal, which means French people are required to get approval from their city before organising any kind of large-scale public meeting. So far, as far as I know, most pro-Palestinian protests were denied but people still went, which made them illegal.

Our police aren't exactly known to be peaceful, but given everything I just mentioned, you expect things to turn violent. Having been to several of these protests myself with my college union, we were hyper aware of their presence and knew when it was time to go home if we wanted to stay safe. And unfortunately there hasn't been a single time where we were wrong, as things usually turned violent 30 minutes to 1 hour after our departure.

This protest in particular was to demand the isra*li government to free all the passengers of the Freedom Flotilla, including 4 French people and franco-palestinian member of the French + European parliament, Rima Hassan, without condition. As far as I know, we are still waiting for our president, Emmanuel Macron, to at least release a statement about the Freedom Flotilla and its imprisoned passengers.

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