Customer Experience Differences Between The US and Italy
Helpful Tips For Travelers To Italy
It is fairly common for travelers to Italy from the US to post content describing their insights into the cultural differences between the US and Italy. Some of it is original, much of it is repetitive and a small amount is interesting. Since we just returned to Rome from the US, I similarly felt the urge to share my observations with the hope that you find them at least a little interesting. I’m starting with customer experiences and I will continue with a couple more related topics in the coming weeks.
Since my focus is typically on information for travelers coming to Rome or Italy, I will make sure to explain how these differences can be useful to the travel planning for people coming to Rome.
Returning To The Unfamiliar
Having lived outside of the US for more than 5 years, I’ve listened to many stories from travelers to Rome about how different certain cultural touchpoints are as compared to the US. I didn’t think it would be as noticeable as it was and while some aren’t true for us, others were surprisingly clear. This is part one of a series of three articles describing these differences with today’s focus being on the Customer Experience.
It is important for travelers to consider these examples when preparing for an upcoming trip to Rome. That way you won’t be as annoyed when you are waiting for your bill to arrive at your table or can’t find the right size flat-head screw. You’ll feel more confident as you approach the unknown and you won’t focus on meaningless cultural differences.
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How It Feels To Be A Customer
Wait Staff Behavior, Turning Tables, Including Gratuity
It is common for travelers coming to Rome to describe the restaurants as being a lower pressure experience than in the US. Largely, it is a result of the tipping culture and how the table in an Italian restaurant is considered yours for the entire meal time. In other words, there isn’t a pressure to turn tables multiple times for a dinner service, like in the US.
This difference was obvious to us as we ate out at restaurants for many of our meals in Los Angeles. On the positive side, our waitstaff was jarringly friendly, helpful and effective. Coffee and sodas were refilled frequently enough, special requests (i.e. no butter, or well done) were handled accurately and I was happy to learn the names of each of our servers. Also, much like in Europe, the staff is more commonly using mobile credit card readers when it is time to pay the check. That weird disappearing act with your Visa is becoming a thing of the past, albeit not universally.
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On the negative side, we were asked three or four times per meal if they could clear our plates. Once the table was cleared, there was a palpable feeling that they wanted to tell us to GTFO. In addition, the entire tipping process has been redefined. I know that this might be more of an issue in California because of their restaurant specific minimum wage changes, but I have no doubt it will be spreading across the US in short order.
It seemed like almost every restaurant automatically added a 20% gratuity to each bill, despite the party size. It no longer makes sense to call it a “tip” since it is neither optional nor based on service quality. Maybe, like in Italy, calling it a service charge would be more appropriate.
On our first couple of checks I didn’t realize what was happening, but our son was happy to point it out. On one level, it didn’t bother me too much because 20% is generally what I tip, but what I did find annoying was the second tip. In addition to the 20%, you were prompted to add an additional tip of varying percentages with no mention of the already applied service charge. I got the sense that they were hiding the original amount so that you might double tip which I found irksome.
If you are used to this in the US and come to Rome, you might be surprised that there isn’t typically a “tip” line on the bill, although it is gaining in popularity slowly. Please take a look at a prior blog article that goes into more depth if you’d like more information on the tipping culture in Rome.
Lowes and Home Depot vs. Leroy Merlin
As a past home owner in the US, I was a frequent visitor to Home Depot and Lowes over the years. When I needed tools or supplies, they were my first stop and the familiarity I had with these stores provided a strange level of confidence that they probably had what I needed.
Since coming to Rome, and living in the Centro, my go to places for tools and supplies are the relatively tiny ferramente. They are amazingly helpful hardware stores and maintain a wide selection of tools and supplies packed into tiny spaces. I would estimate that 9 times out of 10 they have what I need. When they don’t, I’ll make a trip to Leroy Merlin. Even though it roughly serves the same need as a Lowes, I feel lost and disoriented immediately upon entry, in addition to the ever present language barrier. I’ve made a couple trips over the last 5 years in Rome, which were largely unsuccessful.
When I recently returned to the US, I had an opportunity to stroll through a Lowes store. It was familiar and confidence building. It made me feel like I was ready to install solar panels on a roof I don’t have. I could find what I was looking for without asking for a project I wasn’t doing and I felt like I belonged.
I know comparing the new (Leroy Merlin) to the familiar (Lowes) isn’t a fair comparison, but they are ostensibly the same type of store. They are both home improvement and gardening stores, but my comfort couldn’t have been more different.
Travel Preparations
So, among the various things you will be doing to prepare for your trip to Rome, these and other cultural differences will be important to be aware of. For example:
Get a good understanding of the tipping culture of Italy. It is changing, but many of the basics as described in the article: tipping culture in Rome continue.
Even experiences that should be universal probably won’t be. Catch up on your vocabulary (i.e. screw = vite and nail = chiodo) and be ready to approach a home improvement store like the first time you walked through Lowes so many years ago.
Where To Vacation From Here
This vacation was an eye-opener for both me and Mrs. Curmudgeon. We’ve traveled most of our adult lives, but this has been the most notably impactful one that we’ve experienced. It could be related to the distance we traveled (over 6.3K miles), the time zones we crossed (nine) or just being more and more set in our ways, but I believe that acknowledging these differences can prepare you for your next trip, regardless of the destination.
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