h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I'm in the hotel and I'm going to order myself a nice veggie lasagne and tomato salad - do I need to root out change for a tip?

Read the receipt. In some places, a gratuity is already included as part of the charge (although you could of course give more if you wanted). Well, I don't know how true it is in GB, but in the States, I've been rather generous with my tips due to not reading the receipt.

The tip is already included in the price? To me it seems to go against the whole point of tipping. To give someone a little extra if they´re doing a good job in order to motivate the, But if they´re getting a tip no matter what they do, what is the point?

Often they only include it on the receipt if it is a large group of people together, in which case they are often under-tipped. I think it's kind of odd too, that they've come to expect a tip from everyone even for mediocre service, but...
*shrugs in a "it's not my home planet, don't ask me about its problems" sort of way*

Actually, in both France and Europe, gratuity is included by law for restaurant service, and I've found it has a mixed effect. It's true it doesn't encourage great service at times, especially in cheap and crowded places (unless they want to go for anything extra), but it does also mean more people actually can make a longer career out of it (as opposed to just waiting tables until their film career takes out), so you can get more experienced people. I don't think there are any laws about hotel tipping, but it more depends on the policy of the Hotel itself. It might also be indicated on the room service menu.

Tipping is way missused. Originally a TIP stood for To Insure Promptness, and was placed in a box marked TIP before you were seated to make sure you were served right away.
I have no problem tipping people that do a good job and over-tipping someone who puts in some extra effort, but now it is expected that you give a 15% gratuity, no matter the type of service you get or you are a cheapskate. Don't get me wrong, I have worked for tips three seperate times in my life (busboy, waiter, bartender) so I know how tips are appreciated but for someone to expect 15% just because I am sitting in there section and they are in a surly mood is nuts! I have gotten nasty looks from bartenders for not leaving a dollar tip for getting a 2 dollar beer!

Sorry for the slight off-topic rant.

Well, my interpretation of life here in Britain is that generally tipping is not neccessary. Certainly it is neither compolsory nor a major ettiquette problem unlike some other countries. Often it is included in the bill in resteraunts (which I think is misleading, why not just raise the price of the food and pay table staff a percentage?). Also I disagree with the principle of tipping, it makes for an uneasy relationship between staff and customer, and is basically performance-related-pay. Staff should be paid enough without having to rely on tipping.

I've never really understood tipping.

Do you hand the bus driver extra because he didn't drive like a maniac?

Do you tip a shop assistant for giving you change that doesn't consist of several score one and two pence coins?

Do you tip the milkman for not p**sing in your gold top?

Tipping exists just to make those in menial jobs feel good. In saying that, nobody ever tips me.

The damned injustice of it all.

I would only ever tip waiters, tipping anyone else is almost unheard of.

I usually find these things straightforward - I tip in restaurants where it's waiter/waitress service and they are attentive and efficient, and I say 'and one for yourself' in pubs to the barstaff, unless they are surly. They normally just put 10p in a glass and it encourages them to notice you when you go back for another round.

If I'm in a taxi I'll usually round up the fare to the nearest convenient amount, unless the driver has scared me.


But the one I struggle with is related to the question that Duncan raised at the start of this thread. I've stayed in a hotel or B & B for a few days. Somebody who I have never seen has been in every day and cleared up after me. Do I leave a tip? And if so, how much?

And should I make the bed, when they are just going to strip it and remake it, or do I leave it in a slobby mess? Oh, the agonies of ettiquette!

Only ever tip if you feel they've done a good job. If a bill arrives with service included and you feel the waiter/waitress has done a pathetic job then don't pay the service part. If they challenge you explain that you do not want to pay for something you don't recieve. Never get angry be polite, make them feel small by all means, they have no right to charge you for something you haven't had. (this applies to the uk only)

I will tip my hairdresser, but only because my mother used to, I go to my local hairdresser instead of following all my friends into town, so instead of paying £20 I pay £8, I can afford to tip a pound or two.

With the Hotel, in the restraunt part, as above, as for the cleaners, how clean is your room? Have they done a good job? If you feel they deserve tipping then do so, maybe even leave a note saying how much you apprieciate the good job they've done. As to how much, it depends how much they do and how long you stay, I wouldn't do more than £2 a night, but if you pay too little then it is degrading and will be taken as more of an insult than not leaving anything.

Well that's my 2 pence worth.... If it's not been worth it then don't tip me

Mel

Always leave the room neat, it doesn't have to be perfect but it should be respectable!

Mel

Here in the States, I think we have some similarities and differences in tipping (as does every country). It's not really better just different, but I'll say what I normally do.

I always tip in restaurants (15%), unless the service is truly atrocious. If there are problems, it often is with the kitchen I've discovered, and I'd rather complain my problem to the waiter directly than acting nicely and sneaking out and leaving a lousy tip. I also know it's a difficult life in the business, and most waiters here are paid so low that their only source of income is tips. If the waiter is really good or friendly, I go up to 20%

Cab drivers should be tipped as well (I usually round up or do a percentage), unless their driving is appalling. Most are considerate and courteous, especially when driving in the madness that is New York, and many are risking their lives in some capacity daily (especially livery drivers) while getting started in this country.

With maid, I tend to do a few dollars a day for cleaning up after me. If I'm travelling abroad, this is often a good excuse to get rid of miscellaneous change (those unicef bags are also a wonderful excuse for random change). Bellhops or skycaps are often tipped a dollar a bag.

I also tip my barber 15% since he does a great job for cheaply, and I see him every day as I walk to the subway. He's in the neigborhood. You should also tip hairdressers and manicurists and masseuses, etc. for taking care of your body, or so I feel.

In many cases, I tip because people are doing jobs that often aren't that much fun and often not that much money, and since I'm more fortunate to have a well-paying job I like, I like to help out. But that's just my philosophy on the matter.

I think many people enjoy their jobs, but I do agree that they can be difficult at times. I think you tip because it makes a nice bonus not because their pay is low.

Mel

In some countries (e.g., Iceland as far as I can recall), tipping is frowned upon. People are paid to do a job and they take pride in doing it well. Tipping is regarded as unnecessary. However, in other countries (e.g., Egypt), tipping is a fact of life. When I went there on holiday last year, we were expected to provide tips for the men that drove the boats that took us from the cruise boat to the temples, the guides (one was so bad at her job that we didn't bother) and the cruise boat staff. We didn't tip the staff at the hotel where we stayed for a couple of nights, as they were charging us enough for the rooms / food! We did tip the lad who made up our rooms on the one cruise boat, though. On the first day, we went back to our room to find that he'd made a cobra out of the fresh towels. We thought it was a nice touch and thanked him for it. After that, we came back to a different animal every day, each one made out of fresh towels, the spare blanket and any bits of clothing we'd left lying around - including my Richard's spare glasses! We were so pleased that we gave him a tip just for himself, in addition to what he would have got from the pool of tips the boat staff receive from all guests.

As far as I'm concerned, if service is especially good (i.e., better than expected), I'll tip. However, I resent situations where I feel I'm *expected* to tip, regardless of the level of service.

I would agree with the Iceland principle. Under communist regimes tipping often becomes illegal (or atleast non-socially-acceptable). The problem with tipping is not only producing performance-related-pay and allowing employers to under-pay, but also degrades the staff, and emphasises status differences.

Well, I think we all agree that in an ideal world that tipping would be unnecessary because people would do a good job regardless of who you are and how they're feeling at the moment, and they'd be paid sufficiently to do it. Unfortunately, that's often not the case, especially here among the grim spires of Manhattan (it's almost criminal how low some of my friends are paid). And even with enough payment, some people want extra special treatment and will pay more for it. I usually tip for the first reason, but I'll admit sometimes the second.

Well, in 100 years it won't matter, since we'll all have robotic servants and waiters anyway, right? Or will they offer better service in exchange for some oil?

Well it's that time of the evening so I face the dilemna again...Last nights food was pretty good, so perhaps I should tip retrospectively?

The taking pride in doing your duty is right. But I´d also not tip a waiter just doing his job ie serving. But if he did an especially good job, then I would. But not tipping the guy at customs to let me in, because he is just doing his duty. And it would therefore be bribery to me. If we want waiters with careers, just go to a place where they don´t automatically tip but instead has high enough food prices to gobe the waiters a decent pay. If the waiters are good, it will be worth it.

But I´d definitely tip the cobra guy, what a nice thing to do. Except maybe your clothes was a bit messy afterwards. I hope he didn´t do it with any newly ironed shirts.