How much of a Tip should I leave?

Ronnie Beck

^I pity the fool who leaves a tip

Atlantic Dawn

Unless your working in a country using slaves I don't see the need, a days wage for a standard days work, otherwise their employer is an exploiter.

My exceptions would be where you wreck (party or shopping bag ruin) a room I would be throwing double Irish wages for what I estimate would be to clean the mess up

MadsL

shruikan2553 wrote: »

I could bet 20 on a horse and if I win spend that on a better room. Both are a gamble.

You don't understand how tipping works in Vegas, they either can upgrade you or return your $20 because the hotel has a no tips at check in policy. No gamble involved.

Ronnie Beck wrote: »

^I pity the fool who leaves a tip

I pity the fool in the worst room more.

TommiesTank

Yamanoto wrote: »

Quick question...

When you say they don't change the bed in US hotels (in your experience), do you mean they don't make it, as opposed to actually changing the sheets etc?

They generally only replace the sheets when a new guest checks in, or the guest requests it. They fix up the bed every day i.e. straighten sheets, pillows etc.

SuperS54

Having lived in China for more than 10 years and having stayed far more nights in hotels on business trips than I care to remember I have never left even 1 mao as a tip for cleaners/waiters/bellboys/taxis etc.. It's not expected unless you're american in a western hotel and even then the recipient will probably laugh at you or curse at you behind your back. In any other situation they definitely will and may throw your tip back at you in some places as it appears you're acting the big shot and taking pity on the poor Chinese. Chinese people don't leave tips unless in some sort of rare and exceptional circumstance, Irish people didn't either when I lived back home but I suppose now that everyone is rich after the boom it's become expected....

rubadub

MadsL wrote: »

I pity the fool in the worst room more.

But he is gone by then, most here are talking about leaving tips after the stay, so they can't go back in time and treat him badly. Return guests would be different of course.

I know an old guy who was telling me he would give a big tip at the START of his stay, so got the benefit of the staffs appreciation of the tip. Dunno if these guys were expecting another tip at the end too though.

In the US there seems to be federal legislation now to guarantee min wage to all workers. i.e. in some states they are allowed pay very low wages as the job is well known to get tips, but if the tips do not add up then the employer must cover the shortfall to the point where the person gets min wage.

Fast food workers in the US are meant to be protesting about low wages.

http://econlog.econlib.org/archives/2013/08/what_if_tipping.html

if McDonald's paid $15 per hour, a Big Mac would cost $4.67 and the items on the "dollar menu" would go to $1.17. She quotes Morelix as saying that he "will be happy to pay 17 cents more for my Dollar Menu so that fast food workers can have a living wage, and I believe people deserve to know that price hikes would not be as high as it is often portrayed." This raises two questions:

First, if you're concerned about McDonald's workers and their wages, why not just tip?

Second, if you do tip, who will be the likely beneficiaries?

timthumbni

Tipping may well have began in England but the Americans have taken it to a whole other level.

I don't believe you should feel you have to tip (pay) anyone for doing their job. As far as im concerned thats their employers responsibility, not mine. That's not to say I don't tip at all, just that I don't feel that I have to.

Anyone who questions any tip I leave would be told to do one. To me someone questioning the amount of a tip is far worse than a customer leaving a small tip.

I understand the Americans believe this improves service. However my argument would be that if someone is providing a poor service, then they shouldn't be working there in the first place.

As for tipping cleaners I normally wouldn't do it unless I've really messed the room. If you have spent 150 quid a night on an Irish hotel I expect the cleaning costs to be covered by that.

As for tipping tradesmen I would be more likely to throttle them for the downright liars a lot if them are. ;-)

I do notice that tipping is getting more prevalent here. I would hate to think we ever reach the American gold standard of tipping. That's not an attack on America btw. Just that they always come to mind when I think of tipping gone crazy.

MadsL

timthumbni wrote: »

I understand the Americans believe this improves service. However my argument would be that if someone is providing a poor service, then they shouldn't be working there in the first place.

No. Americans recognise that a person should be paid for good service, tipping ensures that the person doing the work gets paid, not the owner.

HandsomeJonny

In the end I just left 130 RMB. **** it. I have to go back to the hotel anyway in the future.

timthumbni

MadsL wrote: »

No. Americans recognise that a person should be paid for good service, tipping ensures that the person doing the work gets paid, not the owner.

I think that's the difference. I believe that someone should get paid, just not by myself. Paying someone as far as I'm concerned in the responsibility of the owner or employer.

Anything else (ie tips) should be treated as a bonus but not a god given entitlement. Hence this nonsense in America of people asking if there was a problem with the service when they believe the tip wasn't enough.

Different strokes I suppose but I'm not a fan of the culture of tipping aside from an occasional thing. I normally acknowledge good service from someone with a polite word of thanks or on occasions having a word with their boss to highlight good service received.

MadsL

timthumbni wrote: »

I think that's the difference. I believe that someone should get paid, just not by myself. Paying someone as far as I'm concerned in the responsibility of the owner or employer.

Anything else (ie tips) should be treated as a bonus but not a god given entitlement. Hence this nonsense in America of people asking if there was a problem with the service when they believe the tip wasn't enough.

Different strokes I suppose but I'm not a fan of the culture of tipping aside from an occasional thing. I normally acknowledge good service from someone with a polite word of thanks or on occasions having a word with their boss to highlight good service received.

I think you utter fail to understand why tipping works in America. Because tipping has been established it is up to you to reward the employee according to how you judge the service.

In some places in France waiters are self-employed and pay hello money to the owner in order to work there.

Irish Guitarist

I once bought a pizza which cost £4.50. This was before we had the euro. I thought the girl serving me was nice looking so I handed over a fiver and told her to keep the change. She gave me the dirtiest look. You'd think I had just killed her dog rather than told her to keep the change. When I got home I discovered the pizza was burned. That's the last time I ever tipped anyone for anything.