There's always time for a little moan

Well, ten days in and I’m having the time of my life over here in the USA, however I’m suffering from withdrawal symptoms and am going to take this opportunity to have a little rant .

Firstly, computers. Does anybody else find that computers are ridiculously unreliable or am I just unlucky? My wallet is now $173 lighter through no fault of my own.

The remaining subjects about which I need to get a few words off my chest are the two ‘T’s, tipping and taxes.

If anybody has seen Reservoir Dogs, think back to the opening scene where the characters are staging a debate about the rights and wrongs of tipping.

Now I appreciate that certain low income jobs rely on tips to make ends meet, however I think that over here the whole concept has gone too far.

I’m more than happy to tip when somebody has gone out of their way to provide me with exceptional service, but tipping should not be automatic. If a service was lacklustre why would I want to pay a penny over the stated price?

Also when I purchase a beer for $4, I would like to have the choice of whether or not to donate my change to the bar lady and not have it placed in the jar without my consent.

Finally I have a few choice words about taxes over here. Like everybody else, I grudgingly accept that most products have a few pennies added on for taxes, but why not just include it in the advertised price like they do at home?

Nothing is more annoying than counting the change in your pocket and going to pay for something, only to see the price go up when taxes are taken into account.

Why not just include taxes in the advertised price to make it easier for the customer and avoid any nasty surprises? It’s not like they have a national health service to fund.

Rant over, I’m on holiday.