Well not me but my wife is going on a Scandanavian tour + Finland from Korea next week. Is there anything she should know about before going. I’ve been to Europe myself a few times but not the northern part and I’m just worried bout her even though it is relatively safe up there.
That said, anything she should know good or bad? local customs? warnings? tourist traps?
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The original was posted on /r/sweden by /u/BobbyBacala9980 at 2023-07-25 06:55:33+00:00.
BobbyBacala9980 (OP) at 2023-07-25 08:26:44+00:00 ID:
jtcyq45Growing up in Toronto as a Korean… whenever I went to my white friends house I always wanted to take off my shoes but he’d just always say “leave them on”… I always thought it was barbaric. My shoes were disgusting cause in my opinion. Never understood why Americans/Canadians keep shoes on in the house. I honestly thought it was only Asians who took them off in the house. What other European nations take of their shoes in the house? This is actually news to me…
Same goes for Finland, Norway and Denmark? No-tipping???
Kriss0612 at 2023-07-25 08:35:31+00:00 ID:
jtczd79To my knowledge (and bare in mind Europe is very vast culturally and can be quite different), taking off your shoes when entering a home is standard everywhere in Europe. I couldn’t imagine people in southern Europe sit around on their couch with their shoes on, and I’ve never understood it myself…
Threaditoriale at 2023-07-25 09:16:31+00:00 ID:
jtd2cv6Old people in southern Sweden (Scania) still wear shoes indoors. I once (when I was newly immigrated) made the mistake of taking off my shoes when entering the home of a neighbour and he snarled at me: »Don’t remove the shoes, we’re not Japanese!«.
This is rapidly dying out, I’d say, but beware that cultural differences between countries and regions in Europe can vary widely on this point.
When in doubt, always remove your shoes in Sweden. Even in some public settings like libraries and offices you remove your shoes. Though, the normal is to wear shoes indoors in any public place.
Butterbubblebutt at 2023-07-25 11:36:39+00:00 ID:
jtde5sfNot everybody. I live in Scania and the older folks in my extended family always took off their shoes.
Nettoklegi at 2023-07-25 09:28:21+00:00 ID:
jtd381fNever been to a Swedish library or office where you would take your shoes off (except maybe kindergartens).
Threaditoriale at 2023-07-25 09:45:25+00:00 ID:
jtd4i6uMy current office is shoe free (apart from indoor slippers). I’ve worked in quite many places (Tech) with the same policy.
I’ve been to one library that was shoe free, at least during winter. It was a bit of a surprise to me. Also, the children’s clinic at the local hospital is shoe free.
Nettoklegi at 2023-07-25 09:47:09+00:00 ID:
jtd4myyWell, actually, just realised my physiotherapist has the same policy as do most training centres.
Swordfish_89 at 2023-07-25 12:11:40+00:00 ID:
jtdhwlrMy partners office job involves special indoor shoes, regardless of building type.
He started in a modern building, now works and walks through marble floored town hall daily. Our library is fine, but the upstairs rooms to loan usually have the people’s shoes piled up inside the doors.
Follow the lead of the people that you are visiting, if they remove shoes then do the same!
Even contractors used to do the same, a plumber removing boots at front door seemed funny 20 yrs ago, now it seems rude if they don’t when they come up to check what tools or part he needs to go off and collect.
s-maerken at 2023-07-25 09:09:28+00:00 ID:
jtd1uguTipping is not a thing here and we don’t want it to be, so don’t tip. If you tip you’re only encouraging the tipping culture to grow which nobody wants. You might think you’re being nice when you tip here but in reality you’re just ruining the non-tipping culture we have.
If you’re hellbent on tipping, don’t tip something ridiculous like 25% of the total. If I am ever pressured to tip, I tip a few SEK, maybe 20 SEK regardless of total.
Gregs_Mom at 2023-07-25 16:45:19+00:00 ID:
jtel632It’s fine to tip if you thought that the service was great and you can tip however much you’d like.
We don’t want it to be a standard or expected
eric_dh at 2023-07-25 08:47:04+00:00 ID:
jtd07fzNo tipping in Finland.
Common-Wish-2227 at 2023-07-25 08:47:39+00:00 ID:
jtd08x6No tipping.
Keffpie at 2023-07-25 08:47:01+00:00 ID:
jtd07a5Not totally true, it’s common to “round up” at bars, so if a drink is 96kr, you’d pay 100kr. At a restaurant, good service usually gets a 5% - 10% tip.
That said, recently a lot of places has bought card payment machines with American software that asks whether you want to tip 10, 15 or 20%… but this is sort of a scam by restaurants trying to get people to start tipping more.
V_VIX_X at 2023-07-25 10:00:28+00:00 ID:
jtd5oezNever rounded up or tipped anywhere, closest thing I’ve experienced was one bar that a big funnel on a wall where you could toss yourself or hand unwanted coins to the bar staff so they’d toss it in but that was only if people felt like getting rid of some change they didn’t want to carry around.
eolisk at 2023-07-25 08:56:41+00:00 ID:
jtd0wqeNo don’t introduce a stupid tipping culture! I’ve never rounded up or tipped for good service, nor have anyone I know of 🤷🏼♀️
Apemanstrong at 2023-07-25 11:11:54+00:00 ID:
jtdbs7jMost of my friends and family will tip for great service. It is not uncommon.
RoundishWaterfall at 2023-07-25 09:05:14+00:00 ID:
jtd1j13Please don’t tip man.
Swordfish_89 at 2023-07-25 12:05:50+00:00 ID:
jtdh95jI moved to Sweden 22 yrs ago at 33… before then only people with new carpets asked others to remove shoes at the door. I had Swedish friends in UK though so learnt to do it there.
So within months of living here and visiting UK it felt so wrong to have shoes on inside anyone’s home, even my sisters.
My biggest struggle back in UK was no where to site to remove shoes because i have mobility issues, most places here have plenty of space or seating. And years on from carpeted rooms, and seeing what we vacuum up off hard floors without outdoor shoes coming in… OMG, carpets in UK with outdoor shoes must have be so gross! So thankful for hardwood floor and indoor slippers. lol
Grayseal at 2023-07-25 12:35:49+00:00 ID:
jtdknwlThe only instance where you tip is when the tab is 780:- and you want to round it up to 800:-, et cetera. Assume that the restaurant/bar staff are already being paid. Avoid tipping more than 20-30:-.
MagzyMegastar at 2023-07-25 09:51:12+00:00 ID:
jtd4yb6Taking of the shoes when entering a private home is the norm also in Norway. However, there is one particular place were this is taken to the “next level”. In the city Longyearbyen on Svalbard (not the mainland Norway), the local tradition is to take off your shoes also when entering hotels, office buildings, museums etc. The reason for this being that historically there were coal mines near the city, and to avoid dragging coal dust into the buildings, people left their shoes at the door, and this is now the local practice in this particular city.
Thaeeri at 2023-07-25 13:36:02+00:00 ID:
jtdsbhhIn Sweden we often do tip a little bit if the service at a restaurant was really good, but usually by simply rounding up and not more than 5-10%. But no one will give you the stink eye if you don’t, it’s simply seen as a nice bonus when a patron does.
We never tip at coffee shops, hair salons or hotels. Some tip taxi drivers, but it’s way more uncommon than in restaurants.
artonion at 2023-07-25 10:28:00+00:00 ID:
jtd7x2qI work in service. Do not tip. There’s no need. Tipping is “optional” but it’s not expected. If you ever feel insecure about it, just inform them “My Swedish friends said I’m not expected to tip, is that not the case?”. The Nordic countries are already quite expensive, you don’t need to pay extra just because you are a tourist.
eolisk at 2023-07-25 08:55:30+00:00 ID:
jtd0trrNo tipping anywhere in Europe.
PrinceOfFucking at 2023-07-25 08:44:49+00:00 ID:
jtd01j6Many restaurants will subtly ask for tips by letting you Enter the tip amount when paying, the workers ofcourse get a real salary (but not that much) so the tips are just extra, OP exaggerated a bit with them being crooks
If you think the food and service was really good you can tip them as you like, but its not at all as in like the US
DursueBlint at 2023-07-25 09:41:06+00:00 ID:
jtd46cqWell the previous comment may be a bit too much with the barbarian comment. The no shoes inside is a side effect of homes having gotten far better heating in the last 20 years. Before that though it was common for people to switch to inside shoes when coming home and it is still practiced in a lot of schools as a way to keep costs down. The cultural differences are honestly quite interesting. With Korea I wonder if it is due to korean homes traditionally having floor with heated vents beneath.
Netcher at 2023-07-25 09:31:53+00:00 ID:
jtd3hceYes, no tipping. Now, you can tip (but please don’t, we do not want that shit here), it is not illegal, it is just not something you really do.
The servers (and the rest of the personnel) are payed wages for their work. You do not pay them a second time, you already pays for their service with the bill. The pay is around 2700Euros/month
… now, there are a few underlying cultural norms here that are fairly complicated. Think of it like this; It’s a very strict honor-culture (Not that any Scandinavian would use those words). The honorable thing in this case is to pay exactly the right amount and to each equally. The amount is pre-negotiated and before you order, you know what you are going to pay at the end. Some might reason “But I want them to like me and treat me really well, so I’ll pay them extra.” That is a dishonorable thing to do. It is bribery, exchanging wealth for special treatment. That i a bad thing.
The weird honor spills over into alot of things, For example; Scandinavians tends to refrain from lavish gifts, the honorable way is to only give what the receiver can reciprocate in some way. Buy a friend a glas of wine = Nice Gesture BUT Insist on always paying the tab = Not okay.
Apemanstrong at 2023-07-25 11:11:02+00:00 ID:
jtdbpamDamn! Are you even Swedish? Or are you just different? I will happily tip for great service, and most of my friends do so too. It is not bribery. Yes, servers have a decent wage. But they also work their asses off, and do take a lot of shit from guest.
What you are stating here is your own opinion, and not something that is agreed among Swedes.
IcyHedgehog1549 at 2023-07-25 12:10:14+00:00 ID:
jtdhqqmThat’s the dumbest thing I heard. And trust me, not a lot of ppl would work as a server if you did not get tip. It is not worth it.
manInTheWoods at 2023-07-25 09:26:47+00:00 ID:
jtd341bIn Sweden, you can tip 3-5% in a nice sit down resturant if yuou like. Many people do, and have been doing that since as long as I can remember. It’s not somethig new.
Apart from that, taxis were common to tip also but now they just scam you anayways so don’t do it. :)
isetnt at 2023-07-25 09:19:46+00:00 ID:
jtd2li8Wearing shoes indoors is a big no no in most of Europe, except maybe big parties where you go in and out a lot
BloodyHellBish at 2023-07-25 08:42:18+00:00 ID:
jtczv1eTipping culture isn’t really a thing here since servers make liveable wages.
I can only speak for sweden, but I suspect the same goes for all of Scandinavia since we’ve all had large workers rights movements.
BobbyBacala9980 (OP) at 2023-07-25 08:59:02+00:00 ID:
jtd12wswhat’s a liveable wage for a server? and minimum wage in Sweden?
Threaditoriale at 2023-07-25 09:18:47+00:00 ID:
jtd36rqThere is no legal minimum wage. It also varies from region to region. Wages in the three capitals can be nearly double that of the country side. But housing costs are even higher, on the other hand.
But typically no-one is paid less than 20k SEK per month in Sweden for a full time job, which means around 16k after taxes. Mind you, there is universal health care and free education including universities, so 15–18k per month goes quite a long way. Rent for a small apartment is usually around 5k and food costs for one person is typically 2–5k depending on culinary skills and diet.
moistbagofdicks at 2023-07-25 09:19:52+00:00 ID:
jtd2lt1Sweden doesn’t have a set legal minimun wage, but instead rely on sector and industry agreements through collective bargaining which effectively sets a minimum wage. The mean wage of a server today seems to be about 27k swedish per month, so about 3.4k CAD if I am looking at this correctly. Young people under 20 might make quite a bit less though due to said agreements.
Edit: I dont know the industry but from what I can find the minimum wage for restaurants is about 25k SEK per month. Dont forget to account for different cost of living between here and Canada/Korea.
lyckoslanten at 2023-07-25 09:12:43+00:00 ID:
jtd22zmSweden has no minimum wage.
A quick google says the average wage for male servers is 27500 SEK and for female servers it’s 26500 SEK.
LumberJackPanda_13 at 2023-07-25 09:15:16+00:00 ID:
jtd29jcThere is no minimum wage in Sweden but the average salary of a server in Sweden is 27000kr
BobbyBacala9980 (OP) at 2023-07-25 10:53:08+00:00 ID:
jtda2ynHow does anyone survive on 2500 USD a year… or are you talkin bout monthly?
Edit: nvd… someone said monthly… salary is usually annually so i thought it was for the whole year which didnt make sense
borickard at 2023-07-25 16:28:26+00:00 ID:
jteigozWe always talk about income on a monthly basis if not explicitly mentioned. 🙂
Klagaren at 2023-07-25 11:09:25+00:00 ID:
jtdbjvbOh yeah wages are usually expressed as monthly here, that’s another difference haha
cedric3107 at 2023-07-25 09:16:54+00:00 ID:
jtd2dwfNo minimum wage in Sweden. Unions negotiate a common contract for most major industries. Restaurants actually have a rather bad one, but still very liveable.
appalachianmonkeh at 2023-07-25 09:27:51+00:00 ID:
jtd46t0I disagree with that Sweden has a no tipping culture. Sure, waiters do have a livable wage and unions that up the lowest standard. You’d never be expected to tip at a café or a fast-food place, but you’re certainly expected to tip if you’re going to a more proper restaurant. Not giving a tip at all in a place like that would mean that you’re implying they gave you bad service. You’ll however never be expected to leave the tip in cash. When they expect a tip you’ll be able to enter “the total amount to pay” when you’re paying with card, i.e. the amount you owe for food and the amount you want to tip on top of that
Arkeolog at 2023-07-25 10:27:42+00:00 ID:
jtd7w76Yeah, my mom was a waitress when I was a kid (‘80s and early ‘90s) and she instilled in me that at a sit down restaurant ~10% tip is customary unless the service is really bad. But I’ve noticed that a lot of people around my age and younger don’t tip at all or are very unsure about whether to tip or not.
Lokecrafter at 2023-07-25 09:27:43+00:00 ID:
jtd2ix5There is no minimum wage supported by law here in Sweden. All that is done by workers unions who define minimum and recommended wage based on your age and experience. With that said according to Framtid.se the average salary before taxes of a server is 27 300 SEK.
Rapustaja at 2023-07-25 08:38:58+00:00 ID:
jtczm9vFin and Swe here, we tip in fine dining restaurants where you had a waiter, unless the service was bad. The staff do not need the tips, but the money goes to staff parties or gifts to the staff (kitchen also) so I always feel good tipping if the food/service was nice
TheSwedishTitty at 2023-07-25 09:55:21+00:00 ID:
jtd5a11If you sit down and have dinner for example, it’s polite to tip the server if they’ve been good! But 10-20% is not necessary :) /server in stockholm