The beer dispenser gratuity is one of those "automatic gratuities" charged by the cruise lines. It is important to note that automatic gratuities, whether from the beer dispenser or various line items on a bill are not given to staff as tips. Instead, this money is collected by the cruise line, which in-turn applies the funds towards as much as 95% of their staff’s salary as documented in this article. This contradicts the historical definition of gratuity.
The oxford dictionary (via google) defines gratuity as:
a tip given to a waiter, taxicab driver, etc.
The cambridge dictionary defines gratuity as:
a small amount of money for someone who has provided you with a
service, in addition to the official amount and for their personal
use
The general consensus is that a gratuity is optionally provided by an individual that received services, as an extra reward for good service, in addition to whatever base compensation an entity earns; and that entity gets to keep it. The fee collected from the beer dispenser has some ethical problems in this area:
The question of "is it appropriate?" is tricky- because it’s a point of view. You can make various arguments for appropriateness- for example:
But given that the definition of "gratuity" is clear- it is supposed to be a tip, and management keeps the tips- I can say with confidence that the beer dispenser gratuity is not appropriate.
In American/Cruise ship culture, is this an appropriate practice?
YES. It is appropriate for a US based cruise/cruise line.
The gratuity is automatically added to all beverage purchases. Automatic gratuities are pooled so all Beverage Service crew will share it.
The machines still require regular cleaning, servicing and maintenance which is done by the bar staff.
You will find the same scenario on Royal Caribbean with their Bionic Bar where the Gratuity is also automatically added.
You will find the same scenario on Norwegian with their wine dispensers where the Gratuity is also automatically added.
Credit:stackoverflow.com‘
5 Mar, 2024
5 Mar, 2024
4 Mar, 2024