You have made so many assumptions in your reply regarding HOs who offers different things to different people for different reasons. It makes you sound like an extremely entitled sitter. “They this, that, because, blah blah blah”. Homeowners and Sitters who feel they are getting a mutual exchange are a good fit and are happy. If there are lovely gifts and offerings from either party, that’s great But none of it is required. If the sitter is kind and does a good job with the Home & pets then that’s great. If the Home Owner is kind and offers a Home that meets the standards of the sitter, and pets that are well-behaved, then that’s great. You have made some extremely judgemental assumptions in your comment. I’m glad that you are finding owners that fit your needs, I would not be one of them since I haven’t left a bottle of wine or box of chocolates for anyone. And that’s OK. 
I’m entitled for what? and extremely
So the sitter arriving in a couple of weeks we requested arrive one day before our departure and depart one day after. We mentioned we we flexible a couple of days if helpful for sitters. They ended up booking a sit north of us and had 4 days gap. We said it was fine for them to arrive early and use our guest room. We’ll do a welcome dinner the day they arrive and a casual take out meal the day we depart (including them of course). The other 2 evenings they are free to use our car and explore on their own or join us out (will probably go to our local pub one night and a movie the next - we will be out of food to cook anyway LOL).
Sorry the hosts you’ve encountered are more transactional. I like hostess-ing so I don’t mind but it depends on the host, and some hosts do help out sitters to fit their schedules as well.
I was talking about minimum effort hosts, not all hosts
I guess this another reason a pre-acceptance video call is so important. I like to see that we have a nice rapport. No, we might not ever be besties, but it’s pretty easy (for me anyway) to tell if people are warm and friendly, and treat the situation as mutually beneficial.
Of course, these are usually the type of hosts that are kind and considerate and will leave you food, invite you to a home-cooked dinner etc.
I have withdrawn applications after a couple of ‘transactional’ type video calls, where I just wasn’t feeling it.
Of my 150-ish sits, I would say 80% have been generous - leaving some initial-days’ food, sharing a meal etc, and of those, a handful have gone above and beyond even that.
In my experience, it is very rare that HOs leave nothing at all.
Well they treated me to fish and chips and a glass of wine the night before they left, but then they did ask me to arrive the afternoon before.
@MerryPuppins, it’s a fabulous book & audiobook. Significant science nerd stuff that may be offputting to some readers. But great story, strong characters and entertaining style.
@Rhe, sounds similar to us. Most (not all) pet parents volunteer something - a meal together, extra nights, wine, gift, something.
A subset of those, for various reasons, have been especially generous.
We neither request nor require such treatment but it often helps to initiate a peer-peer, friendly relationship.
For us, as full-time sitters, any gesture need not be expensive - eg an offer to arrive before sit or stay after sit can often be very helpful in planning flights/travel.
That’s a thoughtful welcome basket.
Same, she not just left a completely empty fridge but also an empty pantry which was kind of bizarre
At least the dog was nice 
@co_ri_na maybe she doesn’t eat at home? We had a host with a freezer full of cashmere jumpers, no food. Blew my husbands mind 
, just had to move some around to fit in our frozen goods
Happy anniversary @Cathie 
Maybe they got free meals at work? Tech companies often do that — breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks and drinks. Then on weekends, some people just eat out.
She worked from home @Maggie8K 
just didn’t cook really, but a cracking coffee machine 
easy enough for us to shop and cook and also eat out. Great sit.
Having had sitter friends round last night they said they have had gift packs (uk) but dont expect that at all and either left non essential goods or cooked up a cake with chocolate to leave for the hosts on their return. Clearly its great to ensure they have essentials, and i always invite then early and feed them for an eve before ( and if needed after ) but its an exchange of benefits already- my home for their pet/house care.
Hi BunnyCat, It is only recently that I have ever come across an empty fridge a couple of times. I really wish home owners wouldn’t. I am more than happy to use up left over salad things, tomatoes, veg etc. butter, milk, yogurt and that kind of thing. One owner at least said that they had thrown all these things out due to the THS guidelines.. I much prefer it when owners say, help yourself to anything in the fridge, as would only go off before we arrive back. I hate food wastage, especially when perfectly good.
They both worked from home and had 3 year old twins
No expectations from my end just spoiled by other sits I guess it was just disappointing because it was a sit over Christmas & New Year 
Wow, @co_ri_na I don’t know how anyone leaves fridge and pantry empty! Sitting is eye opening as to how other people live.
We used to buy wine or local beers + chocolates, but found that the alcohol was often still there when we got back. We now usually buy lots of fresh fruit as well as some chocolates, and that seems to be quite appreciated. For long sits of 3+ weeks we often buy a €50 gift voucher that can be spent at most shops and cafes in our town - we think it is a nice way for sitters to explore the local town centre and treat themselves.
I have never done a homecooked dinner, because to be honest, between work and travel, the day(s) before departure are often stressful enough without adding more things into the mix. Husband and I always spend several evenings scrubbing our apartment from top to bottom before a sitter arrives so I hope the cleanliness offsets the absence of any homecooked meals :).
When hosts share a meal with me before they leave, they have different approaches, some cook something, some order a meal others take me out for dinner or lunch. What I appreciate is the chat and the opportunity to share experiences but I also understand that some people are stressed when they are getting ready to leave so I never assume anything and I’m prepared with some snacks just in case.