How much do you tip?

[Stoday]

I came across this shocking newspaper report today: http://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local-beat/Time-In-Prison--70426052.html?yhp=1

There seem to be very different customs in various countries, so I wondered how much you normally tip when dining out in a restaurant?

Here in the UK I normally tip 10% on the full bill, including wine & tax. Rarely, when the service is particularly bad, I tip nothing — once a year or so. I think I'm more generous than average.

[Pam]

We do not go out to eat very often any more. When we do. we tip on the quality of service. Usually about 20%. But less if service is poor.
Pam

[paris]

20% for good service.  Waiters don't even make minimum wage. They really count on their tips.   It has been different in other countries we have visited. That is one thing I like to check before traveling. 

[galvo]

Here in Oz, wait staff earn a living wage. Tipping is usually reserved for really good service.

[glitter]

I tip 15 to 20%- unless the service is bad then I will tip somewhat less- depends on why it was bad- I used to be a waitress and back in 1990 - we only made $2.15 an hour-plus tips, they only make $3.50 now, I do not know of any waitresses in the US making more.... its all about the tips here- that being said- I made pretty good money

[YLGuy]

20% of the bill before tax unless the service was bad, then less.

[Falkenbach]

As pointed out by Galvo, tipping is not traditional in Australia. In recent times, they seem to have started placing tip jars on their service counters. I object to this, personally. I'll tip for very exceptional service, and I will do so at my discretion, not because of some expectation. I don't want to see the introduction/expectation of a custome we have never had before when it is already costly enough to enjoy a night out in this day and age.

I am aware that hospitality wages are not the highest - but then neither are mine!! They are on an hourly rate, as am I, and with the penalty rates that many of hospitality workers get, their hourly rate is usually higher than mine anyway.

[willowtreewren]

I generally tip 20%. My daughter was a waitress for a while in college. I know how much servers rely on tips.

Aleta

[looneytunes]

We normally tip 20% for good service, 10% for fair service and nothing if the service is just plain rotten. 

[rookiegirl]

I like to tip at least 20% or more and with cash rather than my Debit card.

[Hanify]

There's a big sign at Auckland airport telling visitors we are not a tipping nation.  I hope it stays away too.

[Slywalker]

I tip at least 20%.  My son put himself through college waiting tables, usually two jobs or more.  He taught me the importance of tipping.  Unfortunately he is now very critical of wait staff when I go out to eat with him as he is putting all wait staff up again his standards.  Pretty funny sometimes.  During the holidays I usually tip a little more.


I wish that the States would adopt the Australia method of paying a livable wage to the wait staff.  It is pretty sad that this segment of workers aren't paid correctly for their work.

[Poppylicious]

... and with cash rather than my Debit card.

Absolutely!  For some odd reason I always think that cash will get where it's supposed to get, but having it added to the bill will just line the pockets of the big bosses.  I'd hate to think I could be arrested for not paying a tip like the couple in the link ... how terrible!

I think that most people in the UK tip around 10%.  In October they made it illegal to use tips to make up staff wages here ... I don't know if that's affected staff negatively.

[dwcrawford]

10 to 20% depending upon level of service and attitude of waitstaff.  Assume poor service is lack of experience so that rates 10 unless it is accompanied by rudeness or totally neglect (rarely) which  rates 0.  15 percen for average and 20 as a reward for extra attentatives, (except for regular people who wait on me and get extra at holiday times).  It's the Texas way!

[thegrammalady]

i usually tip 15% to 20%. having managed a restruant i'm aware that bad service isn't always the fault of the server. there was one time i tipped the bus boy, and not the server and told the manager exactly why i did it that way. most servers do make less than min wage, however i was told by an owner in oregon that by state law oregon wait staff must make min wage.

[Hanify]

The minimum wage for 16 and over in NZ is $12.50, and it's $10.00 an hour for 'new entrant' workers - so if you've got a job as a 15 year old in a supermarket or something.  Some places do put out a jar or something that you can put $$ in.  I prefer that to the system of putting it on a bill - I am always worried that'll just go to the owner not the staff.  Because we don't routinely do it here, it's a real extra surprise for the waiting staff if you leave something for them.

[jennyc]

Out here tipping wasn't always a big issue but as service gets worse i think it is becoming much more of an issue. Tips are a gratuity out here, i worked in hospitality for almost 10 years before i had my son (restaurants and then pubs/hotels upto management level) and we learnt not to expect tips. the really good waitresses/waiters could walk out with maybe $50 at the end of the night.  (as i said 10 years ago, but could have changed now)

In Pubs, the only way to get really big tips was to do the poker machine payouts and in the places i worked it was only managers who did those becuase you were dealling with such large sums of cash, i got a few good tips with big payouts from regulars but that was it. The biggest was a 500 split between myself and the barmaid working.

anyway... Hubby is the type that if the service is good he'll tip well if it isn't he'll leave 5c to show he really wasn't happy.

[lizabee]

20% for good service, 10% if the service was bad.  There have been a couple ocassions where I didn't tip at all, because the service was down right horrible

[pelagia]

I generally tip 20% of pre-tax bill at a restaurant (in US).  When I travel I always check on tipping practices in advance. 

How about tipping for other services?  I am always wondering what is appropriate.  Do you tip the hairdresser?  The guys who deliver a new mattress or appliance to the house?  The person who delivers the newspaper (at the holidays?)?  If so, how much?

[looneytunes]

We used to travel extensively in our resepctive careers and tipping of hotel bellstaff, valets, etc depended on the level of service.  If they simply did their jobs, $2 to $3.  If they went beyond $5. 

I do tip my hairdresser $5 as she is a single mom and does a great job.  I do not tip the mail/delivery folks as they are paid a good living wage. 

[peleroja]

It sure was easy when the standard tip was 10%!  When it went to 15%, I just got lazy and couldn't be bothered trying to figure out the extra 5%, so I invariably tip 20% and then raise it to the next dollar!  Maybe when I run out of money I won't be so generous.  For particularly bad service, I leave a penny with a note as to why the tip is just a penny.

[dwcrawford]

The newpaper delivery people zoom down the street throwing papers aimlessly wherever they hit -- something they get it to the curb and other times actually make in the thr front part of the driveway.  I have no idea who they are as I pay annually by mail or online.  And yet each year at the beginning of the holiday  I get a preaddrewwed envelop in which to mail their Christmas tip.  It used to be prestamped, in which case I'd steam the stamp off and reuse it.  Now you're suppose to put on your own stamp.  Oh well, just an addition to the paper recycle box!

[Ken Shelmerdine]

Here in the UK tipping mainly entirely disgressional and so it should be. I myself usally tip about 10% but there is an area of restaurants in Manchester called the Curry Mile where a large proportion of their clientel are university students who either leave a few pennies of loose change or nothing at all.

In countries where tipping is almost mandatory at a ridiculous 20% I say that in giving that level of tip you are subsidising a bad employer and as long as the general public continue this tradition then the remuneration paid to the staff will remain a pittance and mean minded rogues like these kind of employers will prosper.

In some of the high profile 'posh' caviar gusling restaurants in London visited by the rich and famous I know for a fact that the waiters work for nothing and rely purely on tips. Is this not a ridiculous state of affairs?

[dwcrawford]

When I eat at the "posh" expensive restaurants if they put caviar on my plate they don't get a tip.  Yuk, that stuff taste amazing like fish eggs.

But I do like the American way of tipping, as in choice.  You tip for good service and better service when you return to the same restaurant.  You can do the no tip, or the penny or nickel as others have suggested to hopefully improve the service fo the next time (or even the next patrons)...  It is like You Get What You Pay For in one sense or the other.  Kind of like in America if you want a better car or house, you pay a little more.

Oh my, its kind of like health care too.  Over the years people have paid for what they wanted.  Some went first class and want and get first class care whle others aren't that picky and go for HMO, etc. where their doctors, hospital, etc. are selected for them.  It all depends on what you pay and what you were willing to sacrifice to get it.  I want first class doctors and first class hospitals.  I don't want it all taken away from me now that I am in a position to have it all.  I know it is selfish but the wealtiest and working people have always paid for health care for the poor and under financed eldery.  I'm fine with that.  Though I'm a bloody liberal democrat in most things, I want to retain the level of care I've come to expect.

Oops, how'd I get here from TIPPING?  I apologize to the content police.

[jennyc]

other places..... we generally don't tip except in restaurants/hotels. Bar staff keep a 'tips jar' on the counter, i do find i'll tip a good bar person a higher percentage than a waiter (i think having been both it's becuase of the waiters mentality, if they are being nice it is usually tip driven where as if a bar tender is being nice its just becuase they are really nice).
 
As to other services we leave a 6 pack of beer for the garbage truck drivers (the pickup closest to xmas, they leave their runs to later and then race around trying to beat the other driver to your street, i think they tally who gets the most beer.) It used to be common when i grew up to leave beer for the drivers on special occasions, it ensures a good garbo run each year, now we have 3 different bins and 3 different trucks so i'm not sure of the logic now, but hey i'm not one to break tradition.

But with other delivery drivers and tradesman i don't tip but i will usually offer them a cold drink or a can of coke or something, like the baxter guys, esp in summer like now when they are carting 30 days worth of supplies up my horrid driveway.

dwcrawford: i'd find that newspaper tipping envelope rather offensive, what we do with really annoying junk mail is pack it into any number of pre stamped junk mail envelopes (you know the ones) and post it back to them. So if a bank sends an annoying credit card offer and i'm in a bad mood i stuff it full of junk mail and send it to them.... sorry off topic