When do you tip and not tip, worldwide ?

[Partyguy]

A tip, or gratuity, is a small amount of money given voluntarily as a token of appreciation for a service rendered. According to Webster's Dictionary, the word "tip" is also considered by many to be an acronym: T.I.P. - "To Insure Promptness" or "To Insure Prompt" service. Tipping is a way of thanking someone for good service. We might also leave a very low tip, or no tip at all, as a signal that the service was terrible.

 

 

People who dont tip at a reataurant in the western world make me sick ! People dont realize that servers at restaurants usually have to pay a 4-6% house tip on your bill regardless if you tip them or not, so if you went into a restaurant and had a $100 meal and didnt leave a tip that server would in fact lost 5 dollars for your non tipping cheap ass to come and have a meal... Its unfortunate that there isnt a mandatory class in school that people could learn some life etiquette.... shocking bloody shocking

 

here are some informative links:

 

www.tipping.org

 

www.getrichslowly.org/blog/2006/10/12/basic-tips-on-tipping-how-much-and-to-whom/ - 221k -

 

www.findalink.net/tippingetiquette.php

 

www.magellans.com/store/article/367?Args=

[OCgringo]

"Its unfortunate that there isnt a mandatory class in school that people could learn some life etiquette.... shocking bloody shocking"

 

I will go the other way....why do we have to pay HIS employees to do their job,

I hate tipping, maybe because no one adds 10-15% to my fee just because I did what I was paid to do,

 

its a bad system ,

 

OC

 

and yes I tip at Resturaunts in the USA, which I seldem go to anyway....

[rchapstick]

Never heard of your 4-6% house tip rule. I'm not saying it does not exist, but I do not believe it is widespread.

 

Unless service is terrible, I do always tip. For very good service, I tip quite well. However, if service is bad, then I make a point not to tip, and make a point to inform the manager why I did not tip.

 

I find your tone a bit hostile (see "your non tipping cheap ass"), as you seem to assume most/all of us in the western world do not tip, or at least do not tip well. You might find your message better received with an attitude adjustment.

 

Then again, maybe you are one of those lousy, whiny, incompetent waiters who people choose not to tip.

[shygye]

I guess France is not considered part of the Western World? The service charge is usually included in the bill.

 

People who don't understand that different countries may have different customs, traditions, and rules of etiquette make me sick.

[bust]

I always thought tipping was a way of supplementing low wages, a payment to certain service sector workers beyond the advertised price. These payments and their size are a matter of social custom. Tipping varies among cultures and by service industry. Though by definition a tip is never legally required, and its amount is at the discretion of the person being served, in some circumstances failing to give an adequate tip when one is expected would be considered very miserly, a violation of etiquette, or unethical. In some other cultures or situations, giving a tip is not expected and offering one would be considered condescending or demeaning.

 

[Damen]

When in Rome, do as the Romans do.

 

I tip if it is the local custom to do so.

[Fiery Jack]

...if you went into a restaurant and had a $100 meal and didnt leave a tip that server would in fact lost 5 dollars for your non tipping cheap ass to come and have a meal...

 

And you'd get a nice complementary shot of that serving person's snot or even piss in your soup or stew next time you ate there.

 

If it was anything like the joint I washed pots in during the 1990s, anyway.

 

On the other hand, being British, now residing in Japan (where tipping is neither expected nor encouraged (and at least it wasn't widespread or usual in the UK back when I was there, with exceptions like the poncey restaurant where I was pot washer, see above)), I find tipping to be a right royal pain in the arse. It makes me uncomfortable, puts me in a sour mood at the end of an enjoyable meal or whatnot, because I'm never sure how much or how little to give for fear of coming across like a cheapskate or a show off. And, like the above poster said, no one tips me if I do a good day's work (and wouldn't even in a "tipping" country, given the nature of the trades I've been involved with during my chequered career: writing, education, management etc.). Tipping reeks of snobbery to me, and I wish it would disappear. Just give the poor bastards a decent wage.

 

Of course, given the present set up, I do tip, and I tip well, I think, when it is appropriate and part of the culture of the country I'm visiting. But it's when tipping becomes expected to the point of being obligatory, compulsory thus meaningless as a gesture of appreciation or praise, that I get pissed off. Try getting out of a taxi now in a large UK city without giving a tip, and you'll be treated to a "free" lengthy stream of blue language and fruity curses that would make a drunken sailor blush.

 

My good (taxi-driving) friend Sileakhunt might want to comment here? :smirk:

 

jack

 

[Mekong]

Never, no I am not a cheap arse but I come from a country where the service ataff are paid the correct salary and dont have to rely on hidden charges to support their slave salaries.

 

Tipping is an interesting read, not only does it semi define where tipping is part of the culture it also expains the meaning of the phrase and it is not the acronym you assume it is.

 

Another USA custom that is trying to be imposed on society, if you feel the need to tip stay at home.

[CTO]

I tip up to 10%, I ain't rich, and it's a gratuity, so if shitty service, no tip, good service could be more but most often 10%

 

Bangkok taxis, change up to 10Baht

 

Waitresses etc, up to 20baht.

 

It only occurred to me recently that 25 baht was the hourly rate for a person working in a coffee shop etc, so giving 20 baht was giving a hours wage. Not wanting to be kee neo, but did they deserve it? If so yes. If not no.

 

 

[Lord Toad]

I agree with other posters your implied attitude is wrong.

 

I know tipping from three sides as I spent many years working in and managing restaurants and pubs. I have also traveled to many countries around the World.

In my mind tipping is one of the most divisive issues. In some countries France is a good example service is clearly included in the bills, in other countries (Thailand) service is shown as an extra, in other countries (USA) service is expected and not shown or suggested. Every country seems to have it owns service protocol and all a traveler can do is try to find out what it really is.

As a restaurant owner manager it is a bloody nightmare because whatever you do is wrong. In the UK there have been all kinds of issues from keeping staff happy to keeping the taxman happy. Keeping the staff happy involves arbitrating on that age old debate of who gets the tip: does it go to the server only, or is it split with the kitchen, or the bar staff. Then you have the issue that everybody wants to work Friday nights (good tips) and nobody wants to work Monday (no tips). If you, as the management, manage the tips then you have to deduct tax at source, but tips cannot be considered as part of minimum wages. Actually that was the case but it has now all changed (I think) as the taxman wanted to get his hands on the tips. Which maybe why the you suggest that there is a possible tax element in that the taxman may presume the server has been tipped and tax accordingly. Of course as an employee I always wanted as much of the tips as I could get. So if I was at the sharp end (serving customers) I wanted to keep my tips, if I was in the boiler room (the kitchen) then i thought the outside staff should share. As a manager I tried to ensure the staff used a fair, to everyone, system.

Here I over tip taxis, normally by giving minimum amount of 6O Baht, do not tip if there is a service charge, leave small change if no service charge plus put money into the hand (thus direct to the person and not in the tronk) if I have a good server.

But donâ??t lecture on tipping because whatever you say will be wrong somewhere!