Tipping

[Fuzz]

Just read this article about how tipping and outright bribery are becoming customary in our society.

Article

What are your feelings about this? Should it still be called a tip if it's applied to your bill, or should it be called a service charge? Do you tip if the service is just on par, or I'm already paying you, what more do you want?

What about bribes? Do you still tip after giving a bribe?

I have given people gifts as a thank you for doing something for me and as an incentive to continue giving me favourable treatment. Is this a bribe, a tip or just a gift of appreciation?

[MrGlass]

I rarely bother tipping in Australia, and if I do, it's not much - only a few dollars.

If it's applied to your bill, I think that's a service charge.

I always thought that a tip should be optional - your way of rewarding good service. If it's applied to the bill, where is the incentive for the staff to perform?

[rdb6]

To me a bribe is offering a monetary incentive to get something in return you are not entitled to, such as goverment contracts etc. Giving a maitre' d a gratuity before being seated in order to get a better table isn't a bribe, you're entitled to a good table. Giving a city inspector $100 in order to get a building permit is a bribe. Bribes are unethical as well as illegal. I am an operations director at a full service golf facility where tipping is an integral part of the business. The employees who work in our restaurant count on tips to live. We typically add 20% to anyone having an event at my facility. We categorize it as 20% service/gratuity charge. I personally am a good tipper, I tip everyone who gives me good service.

[Baldy]

Tipping and bribery, by whatever name you choose to call it, is pretty common everywhere except for the Western democracies. IMO, this happens everywhere except it's more blatant and upfront in countries such as Asian, Africa, South America, Eastern Europe, IOC, FIFA, etc.

Part of life and in most places it's part of doing business. It is what it is. For me tipping is giving because I WANT too vs bribery is shelling out $$ money because I MUST. One is definitely much more pleasant than the other. Both serves the same purpose.

[Fuzz]

To me a bribe is offering a monetary incentive to get something in return you are not entitled to, such as goverment contracts etc. Giving a maitre' d a gratuity before being seated in order to get a better table isn't a bribe, you're entitled to a good table.

Looking at this from the other side, shouldn't you be getting the best table available at that time, without having to pay the gratuity?

[Baldy]

Looking at this from the other side, shouldn't you be getting the best table available at that time, without having to pay the gratuity?

To borrow an old Soviet Union line: All tables are equally best, however some tables are better than others.

[Bartolomeo]

I tip $1 a drink no matter what bar I am at, even if its Vegas or local saloon.......

I dont tip at McDonalds, Wendy's, etc.........I was in the restaturant business so I understand how the game works......As far as bribing, it all depends where I am at and what I am trying to achieve........Bribing works if your trying to get in a club with a group of guys rather than wait in line, money talks for that matter

Even if the service absolutely sucks, you should leave some sort of tip, even if its 5-10%........that should tell the server they need to improve but never stiff someone a tip

Tip someone who goes above and beyond their normal duties, shows how much you appreciate them

Just some random thoughts off the top of my head

Bart

[sfordham]

I tip when the service meets or exceeds or expectations. No service, or poor service, no tip. Simple.

I look at this way, I go a restaurant not just for the food but for the service. I pay a premium at the restaurant to have them make and serve my food. The price of the service is tied into the sometimes extreme mark-up in the food.....a $2.50 cola for example. If you want get paid "extra" from me in form of a tip you better not expect it but earn it. If all you do is simply take my order to pass along to cook staff and dump my plates off at the table you won't get anything extra from me. Make recommendations, check in during the dining experience, and be moderately attentive and you will be rewarded.

The US is tip crazy - tipping a buck or two for a $4 coffee? Workers in the US have the expectation that they WILL be tipped merely on the job that they work (bartender, server, barista) and not because of the service they provide.

[Fuzz]

The last time I had really bad service, I left a tip of three 5c coins.

Remember, there is always one place you should tip generously... the stripclub!

[Wicky]

Tip crazy is right. I went to a local ToGos samich shop and in front of each samich maker on the counter were rows of $1s and $5s. Made me feel a little as if I were being strongarmed. Just gimme the freekin sandwich for Christsake. Yeesh!

[El Presidente]

I tip in Oz for great service. The wage for Oz workers is good.

I always tip 15% in the US and Asia with up to 25% for exceptional service.

Cuba 20-30%.

Europe 10-15% but they have to earn it.

Bribes? In a past life I would pay bribes in Asia to get business done. It is the system in many countries although always seen as a "marketing fee". You don't do it and you don't get the gig.

Each country has its own vagaries in how to tip/how to bribe.

[Stalebread]

Here in France I think restaurant, cafe workers here make better wages than their counterparts in the US. And there is often a service charge included. So they don't depend on tips so much but I tip anyway. Probably overtip.

If I have a poor experience in a restaurant, I wonder who am I punishing by not tipping. Maybe it's the wrong person. If the food is cold, is it because of the waitstaff or the kitchen? If meat is not cooked as I requested, waitstaff or kitchen? If the meal is not as described, is it because of the waitstaff or who-the-hell-ever put together the menu? Etc. etc. So my solution is to go ahead and tip anyway but I'm not likely to ever go back.

[NitrousPurger]

[Rogers72]

Here in the US, at Sit-down, Full Service restaraunts, I almost always tip 20% unless things were really bad (15%) or really good (30-40%). At bars, I usually tip around 10%. I tip others (hair/cab driver/valet/caddy, etc) whatever I feel like at the time. The more I have been drinking, the better I tip. I do not like it when I go in a sandwich shop to pick up something to go and the credit card slip has a spot for a tip on it but I will usually leave a couple bucks on it anyway. I had several jobs when younger (cough, exotic dancer, cough) that depended on tips so I like to think that I am a pretty good tipper.

[cigcars]

*Yes, unless it was bogus service, TIP that poor underpaid soul! In the olden days if you did indeed have a waiter/waitress whose service was less than rosy, they'd leave a nickel tip on the table. That was their universal sign/indication that, "Hey - you suck as a waiter(waitress)!"

[bassman]

Paid a bribe once in 1987 China. Was in a small town where foreigners were not allowed without an "Alien travel Permit". I had one, but the local police said it was "not in order". They took me to the police station & politely told me, over tea & cigarettes, they would issue me a "proper one" for 100 yuan. That's about $16. Seemed like a good deal considering the alternative.

[ChanceSchmerr]

I've gotten so tired of being nickeled and dimed with so many things in life today - taxed to the hilt, special fees on everything except a pack of gum at the store, so I personally have very little interest in tipping as a matter of necessity

I have always believed in tipping for such things as great service at restaurants/bars/hospitality industry. If you go that little extra bit, you deserve to be rewarded IMO. But plunking down the food 2 hours after I ordered it, after I had to beg for a refill in my glass of water - I don't give a crap what is EXPECTED - you've earned nothing in my books. For decent service, I'll tip 8-10%. For great service, 15-20%. I'm not looking for extra food or a primo table or anything, I'm looking for attentiveness, insightful comments on potential menu/wine choices, fast and professional service, a pleasant attitude....

You might say all these service fees/sales taxes/hospitality taxes/fees are not being charged by the poor folks serving at the restaurant or other....but you know what? If you've earned a tip, you'll get one - it should never be customary no matter how good or bad you are at serving folks at restaurants or bars! Yeah, it's a lousy and stressful job that makes you tired with sore feet at the end of the day - but that's your job, do it to the best of your ability or settle for little to no tip. Other people have stressful/draining jobs for low pay, and they aren't in positions for getting tips (how about all the janitors/cleaners/skyscraper window washers out there? What about Army soliders?) - Put up and earn it or stop whining about low tips.

Stuff I never tip for? How about Cabs from airports in cities where the airport is 3 hours from downtown, and no other public transportation exists. Ever fly into Halifax International Airport in Nova Scotia? The place is halfway to Montreal, so far out that the cab ride is an absolute rip off - and there are no city buses or anything to choose otherwise. When the cab companies have a monopoly like that, and rake in the cash as a result - I can't stand it, and refuse to tip very much at all. It's a greedy business model where the city is probably in cahoots with the cab company (if the airport's been there 10+ years and there has been no attempt at public transportation connections in that time), and I don't stand for such BS.

Similar situations include Victoria International Airport (Nearest bus stop is like 2 Km away....cab from my house costs 40$, where the distance would take about 3 bucks in gas to get there by car) and Toronto Pearson (city buses but no rail or subway link). Cabs serve a purpose but such greed-driven situations I can't stand.

Bribes.......I don't find them morally right, but have to side with the Prez on this one. They serve a purpose in certain cultures, and can be the cost of doing business. Also, try getting into some higher-end clubs without greasing a palm or two. That's rather harmless IMO.

Finally, in the "How not to tip" department - during my buddy's week-long stag in Vegas last year, one night we went all out and decided to go to the Club at Caesar's Palace, PURE i think it was. We went for the whole deal, Bottle service and everything. Expensive as hell. After 400$ for a bottle of Grey Goose and our own little roped off table outside on the upper patio (overlooking the strip...which would have been stellar except for the hideous 40 story-tall advertisement across the street at the Flamingo for Donnie and Marie Osmond staring at us....shudder) we felt like kings on earth. My friend Bill decided to ensure we would have such excellent service for the rest of the evening, so he went up to the attendant assigned to us at our table, and tipped him 100$

We left Pure no less than 10 minutes later to go gambling.

[Cletus]

I call BS on the article. I've never had to tip at a hotel to get the bed made. Ever. And I've never tipped or bribed anyone at the airport. And it is highly irregular to receive an envelope for the tip. But, while it is commonplace to have a tip added to your restaurant bill it's usually only for large groups (6 or 8 or more) and this will be stated on the menu.

In the U.S. the federal minimum wage is $7.25/hour. For tipped employees it is $2.13/hour (though most states are higher). Culturally, in the U.S. we tip a good percentage of the service industry. I've been told that other countries have higher base salaries and therefore tipping is less (and others on this thread seem to have confirmed this). When we travel to Mexico we know most of our $$ are going to corporations or the government and so we tip the service people generously.

Bottom line: if you can tip and feel good about it then do so. Don't make others feel bad because they want to leave a little extra coin in someone's pocket. I don't buy into the theory that Europeans (and I guess now Austrailans) get treated differently than Americans because they don't tip as much.

The author's anti-American bias is showing.

[El Presidente]

Hourly hospitality base rates for adult casuals are usually $15-$20 per hour. You will normally get paid extra for working overtime/late nights and possibly ‘time-and-a-half’ or ‘double time’ on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays.

Varies from emlpoyer to employer But $15-$20 per hour is the norm in a restaurant or bar in Oz.

[Fuzz]

I still remember, while on vacation in Tokyo, I went to a fantastic little sushi restaurant. Nobody spoke English, my Japanese was atrocious, but one waitress spoke a little Mandarin Chinese. Ordered as best as we could, got saki instead of beer (gotta thank my friend for forgetting the japanese word for beer is biru), but still had a fantastic meal. The waitress was very attentive and the rest of the staff very polite.

When the bill came, I tipped about 50K Yen ($50 AUD back then). Just as was leaving, the waitress tapped me on the shoulder and said I forgot my money. When I said it was her tip, she told me they weren't allowed to accept tips. Called the manager over and he said it was their policy. Strange.

[matt14]

Living and working in SEA I tip always and pay coffee money when needed. Just the way things work here.

On another note. My chinese boss has left china, the company is under investigation. For Tax Evasion and corruption within the national oil company. A good 5 years of picking up offshore contracts even though we have no sales or marketing Dept!

[Leopolis Semper Fidelis]

An overseas friend who visited us in the late 1970's gave a tip to the taxi driver who had taken him to the local railway station. The cabbie returned it to him, saying: "We don't have that custom, sir, and we hope it's never introduced."

[sama]

I call BS on the article. I've never had to tip at a hotel to get the bed made. Ever. And I've never tipped or bribed anyone at the airport. And it is highly irregular to receive an envelope for the tip. But, while it is commonplace to have a tip added to your restaurant bill it's usually only for large groups (6 or 8 or more) and this will be stated on the menu.

In the U.S. the federal minimum wage is $7.25/hour. For tipped employees it is $2.13/hour (though most states are higher). Culturally, in the U.S. we tip a good percentage of the service industry. I've been told that other countries have higher base salaries and therefore tipping is less (and others on this thread seem to have confirmed this). When we travel to Mexico we know most of our $$ are going to corporations or the government and so we tip the service people generously.

Bottom line: if you can tip and feel good about it then do so. Don't make others feel bad because they want to leave a little extra coin in someone's pocket. I don't buy into the theory that Europeans (and I guess now Austrailans) get treated differently than Americans because they don't tip as much.

The author's anti-American bias is showing.

great point... i work as a waiter on weekends, and if not for tips the wages would hardly even pay for the gas i burn getting to work. i'm not sure how wages are everywhere else in the world, but that is how individuals in the service industry make a living around here.

[FlyFishingDude]

In most European countries the gratuity is included in the bill but giving a dollar or two extra (in local currency) is always appreciated, but when you tip them 10 -15% as expected in the US they think your flaunting your wealth or just plain stupid because gratuity is included. In some cases even in the US, on the bill of fare it will mention that parties of 6 or more a 15% gratuity is applied automatically to the bill, you just have to read the fine print.

[Giuseppe]

In most European countries the gratuity is included in the bill but giving a dollar or two extra (in local currency) is always appreciated, but when you tip them 10 -15% as expected in the US they think your flaunting your wealth or just plain stupid because gratuity is included. In some cases even in the US, on the bill of fare it will mention that parties of 6 or more a 15% gratuity is applied automatically to the bill, you just have to read the fine print.

Its not really fine print, its common knowledge I would like to think.

I am from California in the U.S. and its usually $7.25 (or more) + tips here for the food service industry. Some regions and areas minumum wages are higher such as San Francisco due to the cost of living increeases.

I tend to tip everyone from haircutters to waitresses. Living on minumum wage here is far from a good life and if they are friendly, polite, and maybe even go out of their way 15% is worth it.

At bars if you tip heavy intially, usually your drinks end up becoming doubles or 4 fingers which is a great thing and worth it if you ask me. Then again I know alot of girls who can make $300+ a night in cash +min wage for just wearing a low cut shirt and a nice mini skirt while not pouring well.