Tipping
-
I've always disliked making decisons about the right amount to tip. I hate to be regarded as cheap and I always create a story in my mind about the poor unfortunate worker who is likely underpaid and depending on tips to feed the family and I'm sure I over tip. Now it is getting ridiculous because I'm travelling so much on business that the tips are adding significantly to the cost of the trip.
HOW MUCH IS THE RIGHT AMOUNT TO TIP? HOW MUCH DO YOU TIP? For instance I was taught that you tip $5 per night of stay in a hotel for the maid service. That becomes really expensive for an already expensive hotel room. So, I'm curious ( is it true that in Europe they don't tip? I know Europeans are not favouvered by wait staff in North America because they don't adhere to local custom and tip, instead using the European custom even when in another land)Shuttle Bus:??
Taxi: ??
Porter:??
Hotel: ??
Pizza/Fast Food: ??
Restaurant: ??Hairdresser/Barber:??
Manicure:??
Masseuse:??
Facial:??
Other SPA??The list goes on. This is really stupid. People should just be paid properly for the job they are asked to do and it should just be part of published the price of the service, no extra percentages added on. How did we get this way?
-
Shuttle Bus: No.
Taxi: Yes, rounded up to the nearest £1, maximum £1.
Porter: Never needed one.
Hotel: No way!
Pizza/Fast Food: rounded up to the nearest £1, maximum £1.
Restaurant: 10 to 20%, but zero if food or service sucked.
Bar/Pub: in Britain no unless I know the barman/barmaid, rounded up to the nearest £1 or sometimes a drink's worth for the end of their shift. In Sweden, rounded up to the nearest 5 kronor.Hairdresser/Barber: No
I can honestly say I have no experience of the last four!
(and no recent experience of a barber either
)Basically if I do tip it's around the 10 to 15% mark.
5 bucks tip per night for hotel maids?! That's half the minimum hourly wage in the UK- assuming a maid takes 30 minutes per room (max!) she's on minimum Uk wage on tips alone- aren't their employers paying them at all?
@sorgesu said:
This is really stupid. People should just be paid properly for the job they are asked to do and it should just be part of published the price of the service, no extra percentages added on. How did we get this way?
How true! At least here in Europe it isn't that bad.
-
in germany:
Shuttle Bus: no
Taxi: no, or maybe 0,50 to 1 euro
Porter: never met one
Hotel: NO!!!
Pizza/Fast Food: definitely not
Restaurant: depends on the service. if service was crap, then: none, in regular restaurants 1-2 euros, in fancy restaurants maybe 5 euros
in bars and cafes: round to the next euro or x,5 euroHairdresser/Barber: 1 euro
Manicure: i guess 0,5 or 1 euro
Masseuse: i guess 0,5 or 1 euro
Facial:i guess 0,5 or 1 euro
Other SPA: i guess 0,5 or 1 euroi like living in germany!
-
Shuttle Bus:??
Taxi: never ride one
Porter:most the places I stay dont affer this; I poor boy it most the time
Hotel: if I get room service
Pizza/Fast Food:fast food/never or maybe round up the leave the coins, pizza and BBQ are my weaknesses, if I carry out and the pie is well made and stacked high, I will leave a 10%. discount joints like BK, big mac, taco bell, I dont go to those.
Restaurant: this all depends on the attention I get. Even when I am dissatisfied with the service/food, and want to 0 out the tip, I tip 10%, and a note about the service on the bill. I will leave a 15% when the food/service is mediocre, if the waiter is exceptional, and makes my visit enjoyable by keeping the drinks coming and I don't have to ask for stuff twice I'll do 20%+. I tend to frequent the places where food is always good and the service is exceptional.Hairdresser/Barber: oh yeah...it seems haircuts are overpriced anyway, I like the place where they offer me a drink while I'm waiting, play smooth music and really treat you nice; 30-50%
Manicure:?? who's got time for that?
Masseuse:I wish
Facial:??
Other SPA it has been a few years since I stayed at a place that nice.@unknownuser said:
People should just be paid properly for the job they are asked to do and it should just be part of published the price of the service,
and when they and do an exceptional service that makes you glad you visited that establishment, they get a generous gratuity;imho
Jackson: LOL about the hotel maids, I think they usually help themselves to whatever is left lying around.
Posted by: Insipidus
-
Netherlands:
Shuttle Bus: none, not neccesairy it's all handeled with bus tickets
Taxi: 1 or 2 euro depends on how long the drive is and if the guy was nice
Porter: .50 euro perhaps
Hotel: None, the maids and such when you stay for a week or so tip the maid 5 euro's or so in advance they will take better care of your room
Pizza/Fast Food: when delivered round it off with 1 euro or so
Restaurant: depends if the food and service sucked none, otherwise if you sit there the entire evening a euro or 3, 4 pp. Make sure you tip the guy who is serving you and not the one bringing your bill.
Bar/clubs: if it's night nothing because you are ordering at the bar there not coming to you. If they are serving at your table or so, tip the waiter at the beginning of the evening and you are planning to stay long tip something like 5 euro's or so and tell the waiter that you want him or her the entire evening. You will get your drinks much faster that way because he or she will be watching your table. And afterwards make it another 5 euro. Though only do this is youre with a group.
If you are sitting outside at table or so and it's busy same story as above. If you are alone .5 euro to 1 euro is enough.
Though test your waiter by talking to him and see if he is nice that should also determine howmuch and if he get's anything.Hairdresser/Barber: none
Manicure: none
Masseuse: none
Facial: none
Other SPA: NONEAnd remember all tips are optional if the service was slow sloppy or something like that pay nothing and just leave.
-
I always remember that the word "tip" comes from: to insure promptness...it's an extra miles measured reward in my book.
-
In Finland: generally no. Consumer law says that the quoted price is what you have to pay. In restaurants you may tip if you feel that you have received extraordinary service. But generally nobody minds if you don't.
Anssi
-
I cant say its a Spanish way, but I tip if I feel its deserved, no matter what it is about,.. restaurant, taxi, hairdresser, whatever..
And the amount is also a matter of feeling.
I think its ok.
Its good.
I would love my clients behaved the same way.
jv
-
It's very interesting that I'm getting mostly answers from Europe. I think the answers are very indicative that the customs are indeed differnet. Tom, as the only North American, you weren't very specific. So are you saying you doggedly do not tip at all?
-
Here in the poor part of Canada...
Airport Shuttle Bus Driver: $2 if they've helped me with my bags
Taxi: Round up to the nearest dollar + $1 to $2
Porter: rarely use one but if I did I'd give a buck or two.
Hotel: Typically I leave all the pocket change accumulated during my stay. I will also leave any beer I might not have got around to drinking. (When I went To Boulder Colorado for the SU users' conference I had five or six bottles of Becks left over when I was checking out. I went and found the Hotel maitenance guy and gave him the beer. He looked at me like nobody in his whole life had ever been so nice to him. His reaction was priceless).
Pizza Delivery Guy: $1.50 to $2
Restaurant: typically 10% to 15% of the pre-tax subtotal. At a buffet or diner I leave a couple bucks at the table. No tip left at fast food places like Wendy's.
Bar: When they won't run a tab I'd give around $0.50 with each drink. With a tab I'd give about 10% to a waiter and 20% to a waitress.
Hairdresser: about 20%
Spas: If I ever go to one I'd likely tip 15% to 20%.
Hookers: I don't use their services, don't plan to, and don't know anyone who does - so I don't know if they get tips. -
Susan:
Frequently, I travel for the Urban Land Institute. Here are their tipping guidelines based on what they're willing to reimburse:
Hotel Maid 1.00 per day
Doorman 1.00 per bag
Bellhops 1.00 per bag
Skycaps 1.00 per bag
Cab Drivers (luggage assist) 1.00 per bag, $1.00 minimum
Cab Drivers, no luggage 15%, minimum $1.00, rounded up to next dollar
Food a range of 15-20% of total depending upon service, 20% for large group (more than 5)Any expenses such as spas are considered personal. In the past, I've tipped masseuses up to $20, depending on how posh the spa is.
My barber is self-employed and charges $14. I usually, but not always, throw in a couple of extra bucks, although when you think about it, she cuts about 4-5 heads an hour, is almost always busy all day, and therefore makes more money than I do! Hmmm...have to rethink that tipping thing...
I've never tipped for a shuttle that's provided by the hotel, but usually use the same 15% guideline if it's a private shuttle service.
Mostly, I decide what quality of service I received, then tip accordingly. If I know that, for example, the server is a struggling single mom, I'll ususally go a little higher. Or if it's someone I know I'll be seeing again (a couple of bartenders come to mind), I'm often a bit more generous.
So when will they start tipping architects?
-
Not at all, Susan...some do still go the extra mile when providing service, and I gratefully acknowledge my pleasure at them doing so. I personally pretty much do for myself, so not much opportunity to worry about it, except:
the wise waitress who keeps my dad's water glass full, smiles at my brother's silly joking, and doesn't bring my cheeseless cheeseburger (I'm alergic to milk) on a bun toasted in butter, gets at least 20%...usually more if one of us is trying to steal the check and needs to figure quickly
my barber (who remembers my name each of the 3-4 times a year he sees me) gets a couple of bucks if I say yes to trimming up my beard
and the little gal on roller skates at the drive-in (yes, we still have one and one still does) does quite well always
Oh yeah: there was a samlar driver (rickshaw jockey in Korat, Thailand) who got a hundred bucks once for outrunning a bunch of thugs dead set on doing an ugly american much harm
-
From a Central Illinois perspective:
Shuttle Bus: A buck or two if they've gone out of their way to help.
Taxi: Hardly ever see a taxi here.
Porter: Never used one, but would probably be a buck or two.
Hotel: Knowing how poorly maids are paid and treated, I usually leave a couple dollars and say thank you personally if I can.
Pizza/Fast Food: If delivered, a couple dollars. Else none.
Restaurant: Where I am a "regular" and the food is good and not expensive, I tip as much as 50%. I get excellent service and they make sure that my table is happy and well served. The manager gives us freebies too sometimes. Generally between 10 and 25% based on quality of the service.Hairdresser/Barber: A buck or two if they've been pleasant - I go to cheap places and don't usually see the same person
Manicure:?? No idea
Masseuse:??
Facial:??
Other SPA??All that said, I would prefer a different system where service workers are considered to be real human beings and are paid a decent wage. That's not the system in the USA though.
-
Once a waiter brought me my credit card slip to sign,
And as he put it on the table before I even had the
Opportunity to pick it up he said by the way sir it is
a custom here to leave 10% for the service.
On which I took the slip and signed it without leaving
him a dime.
I said to him Its agains my traditional religious beliefs to tip.
I honour Your custom but You must also honour mine.
By the way- I was totally dissatisfied with his service.Tipping shouldnt be something we take for granted
-as he put it : its a custom.We didnt have tipping at all here where I live but
when American tourists started comming over they
brought over the custom of tipping. And people
now expect it whatewer their level of service is.A new really expensive restaurant opened in my city
a couple of months ago. Good rich clientelle are
leaving large tips that a friend of mine told me he
earned more in a week from tipping than in month
from wage. No wonder that everyone wants to work
there. Before You know it it will be a privilage to
work there without a wage at all. -
Here in Canada people who receive tips are required to declare them on their income tax returns. I had a friend who worked as a part-time waiter explain to me that in his experience waiters and waitresses typically only declare 10% to 14% of their tips. He said they were expected to tow the line because if one waiter at the restaurant declared all his tips all the others working there would be under suspicion of tax evasion. He said there was considerable peer pressure to do as everyone else did and if he didn't he wouldn't be surprised if he would be beat up, or at the very leased framed for stealing or something else that would get him fired.
We worked out the implications of their illegal arrangements: In his restaurant a waiter working just 25 hours a week would have more after-tax income than someone working a conventional full-time job earning $45,000 to $50,000 per year! Of course one downside is they can't save money in a bank account or open an investment account at a brokerage as having money would raise the taxman's suspicion. Apparently it is not uncommon for waiters/waitresses to spend all their money as fast as they get it. And perhaps because they are relatively low status 'working-class' jobs, they falsely believe everyone else is doing much better than themselves. In reality they often have more spending power than the person leaving them the tip yet they feel themselves to be the ones hard done by.
Regards, Ross
-
Hi Susan, Glad to hear that you are getting out and about
Tips! I have a simply enough rule. If I feel I have got a
good service, I tip. In other words tips should be earned and
not expected as part of the job!Mike
PS: And if I feel I am being pressurised into giving a tip,
this equals bad service. I have found this with hotel porters
mostly all over the place. -
Looks like I'm WAY overtipping. I feel sorry for everybody and I'm convinced that they have a hard life and I personally amd responsible for making it better.
Pizza and Chinese food guy get $3 at the door. Sometimes $4 when it is a big order.
Hairdresser ( on an $80 haircut and blow dry: $5 and the Hairwasher gets $1 unless they also did something else in which case they get up to $3)
The manicurest gets $3.(thank god I only do this for weddings)The porter, very rarely used usually $2-$3 depending on the number of bags. I have done $5.
Shuttle bus $2 ususlly if they help me with my bags.
Restaurants I am told are moving from 15% to 20% nowadays. I struggle with the before tax and after tax thing. Sometimes one way sometimes another depending on the service.I was giving $5 per day in hotels for the maid but I have trimmed it down to $3. I particularly feel sorry for the maids in hotels.
Taxi drivers were usually around $5 expcept they started raising their eyebrows and remarking what a good tip I was leaving so I clued in and started leaving $2 or $3 depending on the length of the ride.
I reiterate: this is a stupid way of doing things and I wish there were some one to appeal to to make it different. Hell, if the government legislated a proper minimum wage for service workers, we wouldn't have to do this. No one tips me for doing the job I am suppoesed to do. -
@sorgesu said:
Looks like I'm WAY overtipping.
I'm not so sure- after all most of the replies above are European where tipping is not so widespread or expected and almost all of the replies are from males who everyone knows are the meaner gender! LOL.
@sorgesu said:Restaurants I am told are moving from 15% to 20% nowadays.
That's an interesting issue- who on Earth invents these trends? The fact that restaurant tips are percentage based means they're already index linked to the current rate of inflation so why the hell should waiters be entitled to a better deal than the rest of us?! I'd love to see he look on my clients faces when I tell them that my fees are now moving from 15% to 20%... well, just because.
-
Well seeing as I used to wait tables, way back when, I always tip 20% on a good waiter and good food. Even if the food is not that great but the waiter makes up for it... 20%. The lesser the service, the lesser the percentage.
-
@sorgesu said:
. . . Hell, if the government legislated a proper minimum wage for service workers, we wouldn't have to do this. . . .
It's a matter of respect. In the USA, we do not show respect for people who serve others. In the USA, no one will admit to being a waiter. They are all doing the job temporarily until a real job comes up. Same for a cab driver or most other service jobs. We don't value people because they are people. We only value them for what they can do for us.
I remember how the "rude French" changed into the nicest people after I learned that I was treating them rudely. They expect, perfectly reasonably, that they are first acknowledged as as fellow humans. It also taught me how I treated my fellow Americans like machines. I don't think most Americans see much difference between a gas station cashier and a sophisticated vending machine.
Off topic, but related.
Advertisement