Tipping...Is it a cultural thing?

[dulcemariamar]

I was wondering if you think tipping is the norm outside of the US. I know in other countries people might tip a bit for good service but nothing like 20%.

 

Do you think other nationalities are leaving additional tips? Just curious because of a debate I had recently with someone who hated paying the tips, and laughed at the idea of leaving more.

[ulcards99]

I was wondering if you think tipping is the norm outside of the US. I know in other countries people might tip a bit for good service but nothing like 20%.

 

Do you think other nationalities are leaving additional tips? Just curious because of a debate I had recently with someone who hated paying the tips, and laughed at the idea of leaving more.

 

It is definitely a cultural thing. In other countries, it's based on the service, not the total bill cost. I am American, but I have NEVER understood paying a percentage of the check... I will pay tips based on the service we receive.

[leaveitallbehind]

It varies by country but there are many countries outside of the US that do not normally add a gratuity - as example - for food service in a restaurant.

 

It certainly is a controversial subject with cruise line gratuity programs which - even if not the intention - is very likely where this thread is headed. (Especially since it is posted on a cruise forum). Be prepared. :)

[griffy116]

Maybe culturally, but I know we have our own cheapskates here in the U.S. My son-in-law is one of them. When he cruised with us, we always slipped the additional money into his tip envelope because he always shorted the recommended amount. He felt no obligation to tip for his child, even though the waiters when to great lengths to make dining special for him and the stewards were cleaning up after three...not the two that he wanted to tip for. It was the most unpleasant situation on our vacation because we knew we had to, with the help of his wife (my daughter) get the envelope and add the extra money. He felt no shame whatsoever. Thankfully, that small child of his has grown up into a very generous young man who still cruises...and tips above the recommended amount. ;)

[mngolfer]

Invariably the best tippers are the people who have depended on them for their living. That being said I was told by a head waiter at a very nice restaurant that if you receive bad service leave nothing, not a small amount because if you leave a small amount they just think you are cheap. If you leave nothing maybe they get the idea. Out of the country, especially in the Caribbean I always try to tip at least something in almost every circumstance because we are so fortunate to live in a country where we have so much and a small amount can make a huge difference. Generosity will always come back to you somewhere, somehow!!!

[Sitzmark]

It is absolutely a cultural thing. In many places if you leave a tip you are actually insulting the recipient, a fact I learned the hard way.

[Topo Gigio]

We were once invited to a b-day dinner at the Versace House in Miami Beach. The gratuities were $737 (I'm an aviation freak as well so I remember this amount) and the lady who invited us didn't leave any additional tips. You could see at the waiters faces that they were not a happy camper. None of us were americans, and we all thought that the amount was much more than what they deserved anyway. Service was just ok for such a restaurant.

[gerif]

If service is poor, the servers don't need to guess why they are getting a poor or non-existent tip because we have already made a complaint to management.

 

Having said that, yes, tipping is a cultural thing. In many cultures the prices are adjusted such that the servers are paid a livable salary. Not so in the U.S. and on cruise ships where the gratuities (tips, if you will) are a large part of the servers' salary. So, as the saying goes, when in Rome . . . . Learn the tipping culture of the place you are visiting and act accordingly - we have the internet now, so not such a difficult thing to do.

[cruising cockroach]

If you go to some place like France (where not tipping is pretty much de rigueur) and dine in something short of a fancy full-service restaurant, you'll not only notice that clientele don't tip but the wait staff can handle many more covers per wait staff that in North America. They do this by: not explaining the day's specials (it's on the chalk board), leaving you a bottle of water for self-serve, self-pour your own wine, and dispensed with unnecessary pleasantries such as asking how your meal is (especially when your mouth is full). Paying with chip 'n PIN cards is also more efficient (they bring the machine to you and do it all in one step). And people tend to have multi-course meals at lunch too (main meal of the day).

[navybankerteacher]

Yes it is a cultural thing - based upon the notion that a service charge pays for service: good service warrants a larger tip than poor service, and bad service deserves no tip at all. It is the concept of incentive pay at its most basic level.

 

It also represents the "full disclosure" concept. At a restaurant you are paying for food - but because it is not a self-service cafeteria, you are also receiving service - for which you should pay separately. You pay more for the better items on the menu, so why not pay more for better service.

 

In the US sales tax is added on to the tag price of the item - something which many Europeans find annoying: discovering that they wind up paying more than the price tag. Some people think it is a good idea for consumers to be made aware as much as possible of the extent they are paying for local government - as opposed to the VAT approach where, in Britain for example, things have a built in 20% tax which, while supposedly everyone is aware of it, is hidden in the pride tag.

[Floridiana]

In many cultures the prices are adjusted such that the servers are paid a livable salary. Not so in the U.S. and on cruise ships where the gratuities (tips, if you will) are a large part of the servers' salary...

 

This information is the key to the tipping culture.

[SadieN]

DD grew up here in the Los Angeles area and she's been studying in Rome for the past several years.

 

In Rome the waiters are paid a salary. Many customers will simply round up to the nearest Euro or Euro5, basically whatever is easier.

One trip back home she went to her favorite coffee shop straight from the airport and COMPLETELY FORGOT to tip the waitress. Waitress complained on FB. DD's friends basically told the gal why it happened. Next time DD saw her she gave her the 'owed' tip and a bit more.

 

Now it's a great travel story that happened at home.

[tip]

... yes, tipping is a cultural thing. In many cultures the prices are adjusted such that the servers are paid a livable salary. Not so in the U.S. and on cruise ships where the gratuities (tips, if you will) are a large part of the servers' salary. So, as the saying goes, when in Rome . . . . Learn the tipping culture of the place you are visiting and act accordingly - we have the internet now, so not such a difficult thing to do.

 

The above is indeed correct. In the U.S. I do tip at least 20% on the base of the check, but I do wish that our country would pay folks a living wage.

[QTPieTrader]

Tipping is discouraged in Singapore. (I don't know why but it is..) I always give a secret tip to a server who does an exceptional job.. I think that just the American mind-set.

 

QTPie :cool:

Edited October 1, 2014 by QTPieTrader

[cbr663]

I don't know how accurate the information is, but here is a general guide on tipping practices throughout the world: http://culinarytravel.about.com/od/planningculinarytravel/a/Tipping_Guide_Worldwide.htm

 

Learning the general practices of the country we are about to visit is often seen as a sign of respect. If tipping is a common practice, you should tip appropriately. If not, do not, even if you do not agree with the practice, show your respect for the local customs and do not tip.

[jamessemaj]

The US is the only place I know of where tipping is accepted and standard custom. People who shirk or don't tip at all are generally accorded a negative label, cheap. Other places vary about tips. Not uncommon is to add the tip as a service charge. One thing I believe is that it all balances out. In the US the charge for food and services is much less than Europe, so much so that even adding the standard tip you pay less total in the US.

[cruisemom42]

Learning the general practices of the country we are about to visit is often seen as a sign of respect. If tipping is a common practice, you should tip appropriately. If not, do not, even if you do not agree with the practice, show your respect for the local customs and do not tip.

 

To me, this is the heart of it.

 

Tip where you should, and equally important, don't tip where it isn't part of the local culture, just because you can.

[catergirl]

The US is the only place I know of where tipping is accepted and standard custom. People who shirk or don't tip at all are generally accorded a negative label, cheap. Other places vary about tips. Not uncommon is to add the tip as a service charge. One thing I believe is that it all balances out. In the US the charge for food and services is much less than Europe, so much so that even adding the standard tip you pay less total in the US.

 

your cousins to the north have tipping ingrained in our culture as well.:)

[catergirl]

"Waitress complained on FB."

 

sorry but I find this FB stuff a bit much. run to FB and complain about everything!:confused: talk about what I ate today...dah

sorry a bit off topic;)

[donaldsc]

It is absolutely a cultural thing. I always find out what the accepted tipping policy is in countries that we visit and conform to the local customs. I do not want to come off as an Ugly American in either the positive or negative sense. I may not agree with some of the local tipping policies but I do follow them.

 

DON

[vacation luvver]

Invariably the best tippers are the people who have depended on them for their living.

Since I have never held a job in which I received tips, I guess you think that I am not one of the best tippers. How do you know that? Do you know how much I tip?

 

That being said I was told by a head waiter at a very nice restaurant that if you receive bad service leave nothing, not a small amount because if you leave a small amount they just think you are cheap. If you leave nothing maybe they get the idea.

I have also heard the opposite - that if you leave nothing, they just think that you forgot to tip, but if you leave two pennies, then they know that you intentionally left a teeny-tiny tip. A friend of mine who is a waitress, and who has confessed to me that when she's in a bad mood, she gives horrible service, told me that she hates it when people leave her notes telling her that the service was terrible, but that seems to be a very clear way of letting one's feelings be known.

[jamessemaj]

your cousins to the north have tipping ingrained in our culture as well.:)

 

Exception noted. Maybe I should have said North America, because I think it's the same in Mexico. I probably missed other areas as well.:)

[mr green]

IMO tipping stems from employers in some countries, and industries, [such as cruising], who do not, and will not pay the staff a living wage, as long as customers tip.

 

john

[ukulelemick]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but waiting staff get paid crap wages and the diners in the US through this 20 percent tipping are actually making up the difference. I was told by a relative in the US of one lady who can make over $500 a night in a restaurant because of the tipping .

I just don't get it....In Australia I tip depending on the service and the amount is up to me.

L

 

 

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[Lastdrinks]

If service is poor, the servers don't need to guess why they are getting a poor or non-existent tip because we have already made a complaint to management.

 

 

 

Having said that, yes, tipping is a cultural thing. In many cultures the prices are adjusted such that the servers are paid a livable salary. Not so in the U.S. and on cruise ships where the gratuities (tips, if you will) are a large part of the servers' salary. So, as the saying goes, when in Rome . . . . Learn the tipping culture of the place you are visiting and act accordingly - we have the internet now, so not such a difficult thing to do.

 

 

What of the US ships that spend their seasons in other non tipping countries, ie Australia? For the most part, these ships only visit other ports where tipping is not part of the culture, yet are expected to tip, because it is a US ship.

 

 

Dance little lady, dance!