Amongst the very many things of life US-style which I don’t have a viable grounding is tipping. Here in AUS it’s not much practiced outside restaurants and even there optional. The economy being almost cashless is further complication. I do understand why it’s an economic essential in the US. Over here we call it paying employees a living wage.
I feel a dose of deep immersion therapy is looming.
From a customer perspective, how does it work?
Do I need to carry a stash of small notes with me?
Is it a broadly equal % off the bill nationwide or are some tips more equal than others?
Who, if anybody, don’t you tip? How do you tell? When does tipping become extortion?
If through naivety I under tip what happens?
I’m 38. I can’t recall if I’ve ever tipped outside of a restaurant setting. You’d tip movers or a bellhop or something, but it sounds like you think it’s more common than it is.
I’d say normal amounts are now:
Sit-down restaurant with a server, 20%.
Cab / uber 20%.
Bellhop (rarer these days) maybe $5 for one bag, $10 for 2-3 bags.
Hotel maid $5 per night (leave cash in the room), more if you made a big mess.
If you are buying something at a counter (food or otherwise) they will now very often take your credit card, then turn around a touchscreen to face you with suggested tip amounts. This is recent and basically bullshit, I always smile and hit “no tip” unless someone did something significantly more than just take my money at the till for a purchase. Why should I tip here but not the cashier when I’m buying groceries?
That’s pretty much it. Most tips go on the credit card payment, no need for a huge stash of small bills.
There’s a line on your credit card charge to add a tip, if desired. In a restaurant, it’s generally 20%, but basically you can give nothing if you wish. As a tourist, you’ll likely never go there again, so it’s not like someone will spit in your soup.
I don’t tip anyone outside of restaurant staff. It’s gotten out of hand and I just refuse to participate.
If you under-tip, nothing will happen other than you’ll have more money in the bank when all is said and done. Nobody will follow you home and knife one of your children. Tipping is always optional. I’ve seen a few places that add something like 15% to your bill so that their employees can “earn a living wage”. They say it’s not a tip and instead call it something else. Hey, if it’s over and above the cost of the food, it’s a fucking tip, IMO.
These days, we’re given the opportunity to tip at nearly every single point of sale in the economy - it’s out of control.
Outside of bars and sit-down restaurants (where 20% is the usual, though many still tip the 15% that used to be normal), there aren’t too many places you should be tipping in your situation. If you’re trying to check into a hotel early, or trying to arrange a special setup in your room, a $20 bill can help grease the skids. If someone takes your bags up to your room for you, a $5 bill would be extremely appreciated.
Note: no one is going to look at your sideways if you don’t tip in these situations.
Cab drivers get tipped as well.
Coffee baristas get tipped.
Hair/nail salon workers get tips.
Masseuses get tips.
If you go to Chipotle or some other fast casual restaurant, the screen is going to offer you a chance to tip. This is new, and it’s annoying - you aren’t expected to tip here, but you certainly can (I might leave 10-15% if my order was annoying, or the worker was especially helpful).
Seriously – gratuity options are starting to appear on nearly every sale that involves a credit card or electronic payment. I got that screen buying sodas at a gas station. Fuck that.
Absolutely - you should feel no compunction about undertipping from the baseline or not tipping at all if service was terrible. You are sending the message that you were unhappy with service if it’s one of the firmly established traditional tipping situations. But it definitely has no significance if you say “no tip” on the bullshit tipping screens that are now appearing everywhere you pay for anything at a counter.
People who bring you food and drink while you just sit there get tipped. That’s the big one. Like 90% of all the people I’ve tipped in my life have either brought me food, beer or both.
If someone does something that you would not rather have done, like carry a washing machine into your basement, tip that person. But as a tourist, you probably won’t encounter that.
I mostly tip at restaurants if I am being served in some way, usually 15-20%, or to some other round number, unless the service was poor. Usually on the credit card, so it’s easy to just add the tip amount. Some places that still have you sign a paper receipt include the exact amounts for 15%, 20%, etc., which is handy. For take-out - no tip. Fast casual where no one comes to the customer side of the counter - no tip. In the hotel if someone brings your bags to the room a few bucks is good, as well as a few dollars/day for the cleaning staff, if they cleaned your room every day (some places do not do this any more). If you book a tour with a guide I would tip the guide if you were happy with the tour.
Generally the only places you should tip are at restaurants if their was a waiter/server, and at bars if you’re hanging out by the bar, you tip the bartender $1 per drink as a sign of saying “Keep them coming”.
You can also tip your driver or your guides if you think they did an excellent job or went above and beyond. For example a bus driver who closes the door and about to take-off but then sees you coming and stops the bus and let’s you on and grabs your bags too, that’s definitely above and beyond and worth $2-3. Or you have a tour guide and they have a bunch of really good stories you actually like, you tip them $5 at the end of it which is basically a sign of “Here’s some beer money for after your shift”.
I stayed at a hotel that didn’t provide a mini-fridge last year, so I asked for one when I arrived. 15 minutes later two guys brought a massive full sized kitchen fridge on a dolly into my room. I’m not sure what would have happened if I’d asked for a washing machine, but now I’m tempted to try next time.
Nothing (maybe the stink eye). I know someone who doesn’t tip. He doesn’t go to the same place twice during a year.
I tip at least 20% In restaurants, breweries, and bars. I usually pay my check with a credit card and leave cash for the tip. I’ve heard that is appreciated.
If you are walking up to the door of a convenience store, like a mini mart or gas station, and someone holds the door open for you, you should tip them.
They are probably on their way in to rob the place and may not shoot you if you tip them first. Good thing to know in unfamiliar territory.
And, this includes (though not yet explicitly mentioned in this thread, as far as I can tell) delivery drivers for restaurants. In recent years, this has extended to drivers for third-party delivery services, both those who bring restaurant food (GrubHub, Uber Eats), and those who shop and deliver groceries, liquor, etc. (Instacart), though I don’t know what percentage of people who use those services give tips.
