# Tipping - a primer for a US tourist **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Tags:** vacation-travel\ **Created:** [May 22, 2023, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tipping-a-primer-for-a-us-tourist/984444 "2023-05-22T22:58:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![Blindmellowjelly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blindmellowjelly/32/13920_2.png) [@Blindmellowjelly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blindmellowjelly)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2023, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tipping-a-primer-for-a-us-tourist/984444/101 "2023-06-02T21:05:47Z")
No matter how much you squint your eyes snd wish, tipping a service worker is not corrupt. It is gratuity. I guess it’s culturally better than our history of slave wages. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2023, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tipping-a-primer-for-a-us-tourist/984444/102 "2023-06-02T21:11:35Z")
Moderating: This thread started as a request for advice on how to tip in America. If you want to discuss whether tipping is corrupt, benevolent, etc., please start a new thread. You can link to this one if that’s helpful. But let’s keep this one to just “who do you tip, where, how much, how” and similar. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2023, 11:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tipping-a-primer-for-a-us-tourist/984444/103 "2023-06-03T11:28:06Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > I guess then you dont frequent bars? Because tipping is almost required in a I haven’t been in a bar in probably 30 years. But my father was a bartender, and tips were an important part of his income. > [@DrDeth](#): > > If you are rude to your server nothing will happen other than you’ll be a rude jerk when all is said and done. You DO understand that I’m not suggesting that someone do these things, right? All I’m saying is that there aren’t any tangible repercussions for doing them, as asked by the OP. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2023, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tipping-a-primer-for-a-us-tourist/984444/104 "2023-06-03T13:41:44Z")
The question was: > [@penultima\_thule](#): > > If through naivety I under tip what happens? He wasn’t asking for advice on how to avoid tipping, he was asking the repercussions if he messes up. And @Chefguy is right, the repercussions for a tourist who will never return to that establishment are that he might feel regret later, and will have a little more money left. And the server or whoever that he undertipped might be a little unhappy. But even the server isn’t going to lose any sleep over a clueless tourist undertipping, it’s just not that big a deal. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2023, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tipping-a-primer-for-a-us-tourist/984444/105 "2023-06-03T20:00:10Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > But even the server isn’t going to lose any sleep over a clueless tourist undertipping, it’s just not that big a deal. However, at one bar I know of, Aussie tourists do not get the best service, as they are well known bad tippers. So you stiffing some server may have some repercussions against your fellow country people down the line. Do you want Australians (for example) to be thought of as cheap bastards? ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2023, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tipping-a-primer-for-a-us-tourist/984444/106 "2023-06-03T20:03:07Z")
Eh, he should try to tip appropriately (as he is, witness this thread) because under our current system, that’s fair to the servers. But if he makes a mistake and doesn’t, he shouldn’t stress over it. ---
**Author:** ![Mighty\_Mouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mighty_mouse/32/7776_2.png) [@Mighty\_Mouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Mouse)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2023, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tipping-a-primer-for-a-us-tourist/984444/107 "2023-06-03T20:51:19Z")
When we have European employees coming over for work assignments (three months to three years) part of the orientation is a lesson on the tipping culture in the US and why it exists. ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2023, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tipping-a-primer-for-a-us-tourist/984444/108 "2023-06-03T20:56:04Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > However, at one bar I know of, Aussie tourists do not get the best service, as they are well known bad tippers. Then those servers are _entirely_ deserving of minimal or zero tips from those particular customers. ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2023, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tipping-a-primer-for-a-us-tourist/984444/109 "2023-06-03T20:59:21Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Do you want Australians (for example) to be thought of as cheap bastards? Well, I think it would be worthwhile as a setup for the Julia Roberts “big mistake” scene, except it’s a 250lb Australian prop forward. [https://youtu.be/VxcU4q6KLyA?t=135](https://youtu.be/VxcU4q6KLyA?t=135) ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2023, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tipping-a-primer-for-a-us-tourist/984444/110 "2023-06-03T21:40:01Z")
> [@Novelty\_Bobble](#): > > Then those servers are _entirely_ deserving of minimal or zero tips from those particular customers. I didnt say BAD service. Just not the best. ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2023, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tipping-a-primer-for-a-us-tourist/984444/111 "2023-06-07T20:13:45Z")
Probably not a great personal policy to adjust your level of service based on how you _think_ someone might tip just from their accent. Can I piggy back a related question to the OP. We are doing a Hawaii trip next year, is Hawaii tipping culture functionally identical to the mainland USA or are there differences? ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2023, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tipping-a-primer-for-a-us-tourist/984444/112 "2023-06-07T20:32:53Z")
I haven’t been to Hawaii in a while, but I’ve been three times, and I noticed no tipping difference between the islands and the mainland. I paid a lot of tips with cash, though, because I ate at a lot hole-in-the-wall places where I thought it’d be appreciated. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tipping-a-primer-for-a-us-tourist/984444.md?page=5)