Do you tip?

[Rose]

Dear all - this may be a daft questions but...

This morning 4 very nice gentlemen arrived to start work on the house... I've made coffee and left them to it, but I'm not quite sure what the normal rules are in France... should I make tea/coffee?  Biscuits?  When they finish is it normal just to shake hands and say thank you?  I'm thinking I should just do what I would do in the UK but at the same time I don't want to cause offence or make a faux pas?

your advice as always gratefully received [:D]

[cooperlola]

I don't know whether we did the right thing or not but when our builders were here we made coffee twice a day - mid-morning and mid afternoon (certainly not tea - offered at first but always turned down).  In hot weather, I left a load of bottled water for them too.

On the final day, we brought out the beer when they'd finished.  They seemed very happy with that, and were always jolly and polite and worked incredibly hard.

One thing I noticed - the coffee breaks lasted as long as it took them to drink it and no longer.  No leaning on shovels and chatting at all.

[Rose]

Thank you coops... They certainly arrived bright and early and started work... I'll pop to the shops later and get some beer!  Thanks [:D]

[Rose]

Sorry... next stupid questions... what would be a good 'brand' of beer for 4 jolly frenchmen? [:$] Don't drink it myself... [blink]

[Pierre ZFP]

I'm sure a box of stubbies would be appreciated.  Maybe best to get a 'brand' like Stella Atoris or 1666 Kronenburg rather than the supermarket 'no name' stuff which might be thought of as less than optimum quality if you get my meaning

BTW, did you know that the Brasserie St Omer in, well, St Omer near Calais, not only makes their own beer (and OK it is too) but also sells exactly the same stuff as a lot of the supermarket in-house beer and even makes the Tesco's and Sainsbury's  'French' beer too.  Amazing innit?

 

[Rose]

[quote user="Pierre ZFP"]

BTW, did you know that the Brasserie St Omer in, well, St Omer near Calais, not only makes their own beer (and OK it is too) but also sells exactly the same stuff as a lot of the supermarket in-house beer and even makes the Tesco's and Sainsbury's  'French' beer too.  Amazing innit?

[/quote]

ummm no... I didn't know that Pierre! [:$]  But thanks for the tip about the beer! [:D]

[Gardian]

Do you tip?

Occasionally.  So a couple of weeks ago, when we had some people in to cut down and lop some of our trees, I gave the guy who was here all the time (and who was the 'up the tree' man) €40 when they'd finished.  It was hard work over 3 days, and he was very pleasant and considerate.

We'll need his help again, so anything that smoothes the way for next time, has to be money well spent.

[vergule]

[quote user="Gardian"]

Do you tip?

Occasionally.  So a couple of weeks ago, when we had some people in to cut down and lop some of our trees, I gave the guy who was here all the time (and who was the 'up the tree' man) €40 when they'd finished.  It was hard work over 3 days, and he was very pleasant and considerate.

We'll need his help again, so anything that smoothes the way for next time, has to be money well spent.

 

 

[/quote]

 

A bottle of pastis would have been sufficient and would have saved you 25€