Hi there! You are currently browsing as a guest. Why not create an account? Then you get less ads, can thank creators, post feedback, keep a list of your favourites, and more!
Top Secret Researcher
#101 Old 16th Aug 2007 at 9:33 PM
Quote: Originally posted by ateKna
No matter what country I am in, I ALWAYS tip. It is an expectation of someone in the service industry that they are getting a tip from the customer. It is a mechanism of society that we respond to a wait staff by rewarding them with a customary 18% tip.


In America, then this may be the case. I've been all over the place, but I've never seen anyone in any country demand something like 18% or 14.78878463% of the bill. The fact that people actually calculate their bills astound me. If I do tip, it's usually a pound or two.

And as for the bit about the fact that it's an expectation, again that only seems to be in America. As has been said, tipping in Japan is considered a strong insult. How many other cultures are similar to that?

Here's some more examples:

Asia

Tipping is frowned upon in Asia and shows anger at the low prices, although there are regional variations.

China

In China, traditionally there is no tipping. However, hotels that routinely serve foreign tourists may allow tipping. An example would be tour guides and associated drivers.

India
In India there has traditionally been little or no tipping. However, many upscale restaurants have helped establish a new trend of tipping in India. The act is known as chai-pani (for tea or water) or baksheesh (a term used to describe both charity and bribery). Occasionally autorickshaw drivers ask for a tip, but this is uncommon.

Malaysia
Tipping is not customarily done in Malaysia.

South Korea
Tipping is not the custom in South Korea and it is almost never expected. Many hotels and a few tourist restaurants add 10% service charge on their checks. However, it is deemed customary (although not mandatory) to tip porters and maids in international hotels, and it is always considered a generous gesture to ask taxi drivers to keep the change.

Taiwan
In Taiwan tipping is rare except when a customer uses a porter at an airport, which is usually 50 new Taiwan dollars per luggage, or wants to show appreciation for exceptional service. Many restaurants and hotels already add 10% service charges. Taxi drivers may not wilfully refuse to make change or ask for tips.

Austrailia has already been mentioned.

New Zealand
Tipping is not part of New Zealand culture and is often treated with suspicion or actively frowned upon, as many people view it as a largely American custom that over-compensates certain workers while others are left out; additionally there is a feeling that tipping is paying twice for one service. Despite this, some forms of tipping are common, such as rounding up a taxi fare. It is almost as likely, however, that the taxi driver will round the fare down to the nearest dollar. Some cafés keep a jar on the counter marked "tips for staff" in which customers can leave small change. Occasionally tips are given in a restaurant for exceptional service; particularly in the larger cities like Wellington or Auckland. Others may feel that the people who do this are being ostentatious and showing off their wealth. New Zealanders traveling overseas often find the custom difficult and confusing.

France
In France, service charge is always included, and so tipping, or le pourboire (lit. "for a drink"), is not expected.

Spain
Tipping is not customary in Spain and it is almost never done among natives. In fact, the Mexican Spanish term propina actually connotes bribery, not respect, as in European Spanish. While in bars and small restaurants, Spaniards only leave as a tip the small change they receive in a plate after paying the bill. In more sophisticated restaurants it is customary to leave between 5% and 10%. No tips are expected outside the restaurant business.

I would like to clear up the little matter of my sanity as it has come into question. I am not in any way, shape, or form, sane. Insane? Hell yes!

People keep calling me 'evil.' I must be doing something right.

SilentPsycho - The Official MTS2 Psycho
Advertisement
Test Subject
#102 Old 16th Aug 2007 at 10:17 PM
Yes but I will point out that as a foriegner in some of the Asian countries such as China, tipping is acceptable. Such as in hotels, or lavatories. Tipping in some countries can be looked upon as bribery, but it really depends on where you go and what type of establishment you are in.
Generally any upscale restuarant I have ever been to has been in favor of tipping, although my travels have been confined to Europe, Canada, the US and a few places in South America. In France, just like in NY, there is a service charge but at finer establishments, and also big nightclubs, there are still tips given out. In my experience, because I work in the fashion industry, I have learned by example of the people around me that tips are given in Italy, France, Germany, and especially here in the US. So I guess because I am American(actually I am Austrian/American) tipping would not be considered an insult to most people, and my background would make behavior appropriate. However, you bring up a very good point, SilentPsycho, and you have certainly done your research.
#103 Old 16th Aug 2007 at 10:43 PM
Quote: Originally posted by ateKna
For everyone that thinks the customer does not owe a tip, I disagree completely. No matter what country I am in, I ALWAYS tip. It is an expectation of someone in the service industry that they are getting a tip from the customer. It is a mechanism of society that we respond to a wait staff by rewarding them with a customary 18% tip.

The same can be said for other things. Most of us put on a pair of pants, shorts, skirt, whatever (something to cover ourselves) before going outside. If it wasn't a set rule, then a lot less people might not put on anything They might just be happy with underpants or something.

Even though THAT is an extreme example, the same conditioning can be applied to tips. Should we really be so cheap that we go out to have a meal, in all probability with another person or persons, and then embaress ourselves by not leaving a tip? How cheap is that. If you go to a restuarant where you can't afford a tip or do not believe in tips, then you really have no business going to that establishment in the first place.

As for tip jars, they are just designed to coax consumers into depositing their extra change and as I said before, have no bearing on the service provided. They are certainly a completely different invention than the concept of tipping a person that provided you a service, because tipping jars occur at places where people are doing a routine job and not customizing your service.


Comparing tipping to wearing clothes holds no weight with me extreme or not. It's completely irrevalent. Sure it's socially acceptable to tip, but that has nothing to do with wearing clothes. We wear clothes to protect us from the elements throughout the year. While wait staff can do without tips, we cannot do without clothes. If we don't wear clothes we can get sick and die. Show me a waiter or waitress that died because they didn't receive a tip, They probably had other issues.

Feeling embarrassed because you didn't leave a tip is relative. I don't tip all the time, but some of my friends do. They tease me about it, and one had a cow because I didn't. I still didn't feel embarrassed. In fact, I found it amusing.

Again, the idea that I shouldn't go because I can't or won't tip is hideous. To me, it shows just how out of control the tipping culture has become. I wouldn't be at all sad if it was done away with,
Test Subject
#104 Old 17th Aug 2007 at 1:24 AM
shirokuma, I was trying to illustrate that because it is a a standard to tip, particularly in the US, just like it is a standard to put on one's clothing. Not just because of embarassment, but because in both regards it meets moral expectations. Think of how you would feel if you saw someone without pants. Now think of how you would feel if you were a server and you had done your job properly, and no one left you a minimum tip. In both cases, you would feel upset, one at seeing someone without pants, and one because no one left you a tip.
I guess I was hoping to use a universal illustration that everyone would understand but I used poor judgement in picking that example, because it is so unrelated in comparison to the current deliberation.
I see your point of view that you do not feel embarassed about leaving a tip. But also because you do not believe something is right, it is ok to make a statement. Think however, how someone might misinterpret what you do. By you leaving no tip, a person who works with the expectation of recieving that tip will suffer at your expense. I will deviate from my example about clothing from now on, but I just want to clarify that last post as something that reflects on society on a reactive level. In other words, although they are not in the same schema, on a reactionary level I think that there was some bearing to what I said.
Ultimately I agree that not everyone should subscribe to an idea that tipping is the best invention since the space shuttle. I actually think employeers should be the ones to pay waiters a commision, but tipping has a long history and has evolved to what it is today, forcing the common man to reach into his pocket for 20% or around that. Many of the people I am around would certainly have things to say about me if I didn;t tip, and you can't expect some of these resturants to pay waiters a fair wage, and so inevitably part of going out to eat involves paying that part of the bill. Just like inevitably being a gentlemen involves opening doors for the ladies.
Original Poster
#105 Old 17th Aug 2007 at 5:00 AM
Quote: Originally posted by ateKna
For everyone that thinks the customer does not owe a tip, I disagree completely. No matter what country I am in, I ALWAYS tip. It is an expectation of someone in the service industry that they are getting a tip from the customer. It is a mechanism of society that we respond to a wait staff by rewarding them with a customary 18% tip.

This makes absolutely no sense. A tip by definition is:

A small sum of money given to someone for performing exceptional service; a gratuity.

The customer is not required to tip the waitstaff or anyone else that is performing a service. It has to be earned. You don't tip sucky waiters because you think it's a cardinal rule. YOU can always tip all you want but the rest of us will remain sensible and tip when the service has exceeded our expectations.

I wonder when and if you get really bad service will you leave a tip? I mean what type of message will that send? The consumer is under no obligation to tip if the service provider cannot take the time to be helpful and courteous.

Also, the clothes analogy is a faulty one at best.
Field Researcher
#106 Old 17th Aug 2007 at 9:24 PM
The whole concept of Tipping is that it's supposed to be an option on the part of the cutomer. If they want to tip, they can leave whatever they feel is a proper amount. I don't believe it's something that should be expected. I hate it when restaurants automatically add it to my bill. Everytime I see that, I no longer feel that gratuitous (sp?)

Today, a customer at my store surprised me by giving me a tip of $5 for helping her find clothes. I didn't need the money and I don't even know what my store's policy is on tipping (because in some places, they say that it's absolutely not allowed). I felt kind of weird about it because techinically, even though I had stayed over my shift by 1/2 an hour, the company would be paying me for that anyways. I donated the money to my friend who is doing a Breast Cancer Walk instead. Made me feel good and the customer felt good too.
Lab Assistant
#107 Old 17th Aug 2007 at 9:34 PM
Quote: Originally posted by ateKna
For everyone that thinks the customer does not owe a tip, I disagree completely. No matter what country I am in, I ALWAYS tip. It is an expectation of someone in the service industry that they are getting a tip from the customer. It is a mechanism of society that we respond to a wait staff by rewarding them with a customary 18% tip.


No - it really isn't an Australian thing. For a start, employees are asked to leave their money in their locker etc., and as a worker, it's perilous to be caught with money while working a register. That's why the American franchises put jars out the front. I used to work in customer service, and being caught with money is real trouble. You either get accused of stealing, rigging the till, or overcharging the customer.

It is a mechanism of your society perhaps, but our country is not a clone of America, and this would be received very dimly here.

Quote: Originally posted by ChihoSan
I wish our minimum wage was that high.


It's not brilliant, but it's alright. I've lived on it. It's also augmented with government payments to parents to take care of their children (about $100 per kid per fortnight).
Test Subject
#108 Old 17th Aug 2007 at 11:54 PM
Interesting, calalily. I had no idea it was percieved so differently there in Australia. I have never had the opportunity to visit there, unfortunately. I would think that just like when one goes to any other country that isn't there own, they usually find out about these things beforehand. In my experience, I haven't ran into tips being decline or looked down upon, so I should probably at least clarify that I was speaking from a North American perspective so as not to generalize places such as the UK, Australia, the Pacific Islands, or other places I am being told that tipping isn't customary.
My orginal belief is still intact, however, that in places where the primary income of service people are tips, and tipping is considered 'classy' and expected, I feel that if someone has done their job, then they are obligated to the tip. (Again, in applicable places.)
Field Researcher
#109 Old 20th Sep 2007 at 10:11 AM
Tipping isn't very big over here (stingy Dutchmen :p) but when I have some change I tip about 15-20%. It's not much, and it puts a smile on people's faces :p
Test Subject
#110 Old 20th Sep 2007 at 6:30 PM
I was kinda shocked when I went to America and everyone kind of demanded tips. I had to keep a pocket of change just to tip people for basically doing their job, often not even particually well. For example I was quite happily carrying my luggage in the airport with no problems when a handler came up and asked to help. I said i was alright but he insisted so i just assumed he was being helpful, we get about 20 metres up the concorse put my luggage down. I say 'Cheers' pick it back up again and begin to walk off, however i could hear him following me i turned around and realise hes got his hand laid out. He then has the cheek to say, 'I think you have something for me'... It took me a minute to cotton on to what he wanted. Id finished off all my american cash and only had sterling left so i opened my wallet flicked through some notes and told him i only had english money. He said, 'Oh i dont mind', i assumed he meant he didnt mind not having a tip but then saw his hand still open. I ended up having to give him a 5 pound note (which is about 10 dollars!) just to leave me alone.

I understand that this guy lives off tips but it seemed to me afterwards Id been a victim of the most polite mugging ever. The idea that someone would go out their way to apparantly help you out and then demand money is a bit adhorent to me. I think it would be much easier to people visiting america if the porters had a sign round their neck simply saying "$5 dollars to carry your luggage." I think they still think they are entitled a tip even if their service is below par. In Britain you are expected to earn a tip. For example in my ex-job i used to regually carry stuff out to peoples cars - that was my job which i got £3.60 an hour to do and i would look upon tips as a pleasent surprise not something Im owed.
Instructor
#111 Old 20th Sep 2007 at 6:44 PM
I would have been so ticked. Probably so mad that I would have told him I had no cash on me. I also believe tipping should be an option instead of a requirement.
 
Page 5 of 5
Back to top