I’m not sure where to put this so here is as good as anywhere.
I’m from Australia where tipping is not part of the culture except in certain situations and even then it’s not expected or mandatory, it’s only done in appreciation of better than average service.
Now, I was over in the USA last year on a holiday and thought I had a handle on tipping, it was clearly an expectation in many places.
Taxis,
Hotel staff such as porters, people who carry your bags etc etc
Bars and restaurants.
Where I broke down and got confused was, is tipping expected in all retail situations?
Are you supposed to tip the cashier at Walgreens? McDonalds (or other fast food chains?)
What about the souvenir shop where you buy a couple of T shirts?
If I go to a more upmarket clothing/shoe etc store, am I expected to tip there too?
I’m going back to the USA in a month for a holiday again, this time I’m getting around a bit more, seeing El Paso, San Francisco and LA (specifically Santa Monica) as well as going back to Vegas, so I’d like to get my head clearer about this really unfamiliar (to me) custom.
I don’t want to piss people off accidentally who have an expectation that I should tip, but I don’t want to be throwing money away when I don’t have to.
Generally, most retail situations like stores or fast food places, no.
Sometimes, coffee shops(like Starbucks)/bakery(with an eating area)/delis will have a tip jar. Generally, change and maybe an extra dollar goes there. 15-20% not expected.
So retail stores where there’s a cashier, generally not required. Just really the service industry.
I can work with that, I can put it in my head as you tip the person when they provide some value add.
Ta for that Senegoid, I have NFI what I’m planning on doing in Santa Monica at the moment other than go to the beach and have a swim in the mornings. It’s my last stop before I come home so I may just chill.