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What is the general rule for tipping?


Boy Wonder

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47 minutes ago, VBF said:

Tipping is NOT required, anywhere, any time...UNLESS.......

YOU think the service or favour you have received  deserves a "thank you" gesture.

That's IT - no exceptions. 

 

I think the Thai word for it is  Prah̄yạd (ประหยัด) - or in English - parsimonious - correct me if I'm wrong on that

 

And if you don't like that, call me Charles........Cheap Charles! ?

Fine, if you want to play with words...play with yourself 

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4 hours ago, ezzra said:

In Thailand no tipping is required thanks god for that not having to go thru this awkward phase every time you finish a meal or check in and out from a hotel, of course that there are mainly tourists that spoil this for everyone else, but if you must give, anywhere from 2% to 5% is advised...

2 to 5%.. CHEAP Charlie!!  Use your head and think about what these people are living on.. If you get good service show your appreciation by being generous.. it doesn't cost much.  Keep your satangs in your pocket... 2 to 5 % is an insult.. 

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Really liked the one bloke here who said he bolts out of his hotel room straight away to avoid giving the poor schlub 20 Baht. :crazy:

 

Generally, I don't tip at small places, market stalls, shop house noodle joints and other places where it's not expected or anticipated - fast food, food courts, etc.  

 

I always tip in my local pub(s) and sit down restaurants as long as the service is good, which is usually is.  Don't think it's "expected" but I'm sure it's appreciated among the staff who aren't on high wages to begin with, and as far as I know, they pool the tips and share them at CoP/CoB, especially if the cook/chef does a nice job behind the scenes.

 

Typical amount for me is 40 Baht, usually easy to separate from the check bin change given and/or from my wallet.   Could be 30, on rare occasions only 20.  But most of the time I leave 40.

 

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When I was studying I drove a taxi to earn some money. The pay was lousy then, but the tips often very generous. It's more about appreciation than money. That's why I tip.

My wife's daughter worked in a restaurant where the tips were shared. When she came home, the first thing she mentioned with a big smile was how much tip she received that day. She was so happy about it. BTW, that restaurant had almost 100 % Thai customers.

Recently I was about to give a 40 Baht tip to a car mechanic who balanced and aligned tires and  wheels. There was no way he would accept it, but I could feel he was happy that I appreciated his work. There is a saying in German: "Give with warm hands."

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4 hours ago, ezzra said:

In Thailand no tipping is required thanks god for that not having to go thru this awkward phase every time you finish a meal or check in and out from a hotel, of course that there are mainly tourists that spoil this for everyone else, but if you must give, anywhere from 2% to 5% is advised...

People do spoil things for everyone else by giving too much, then they expect it all the time. I blame the Americans for this, the only time I will tip is if I like a restaurant that much I want to go back, but that has not been for a while as that restaurant went a bit daft with their prices.

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4 hours ago, Boy Wonder said:


Haha sorry to spoil it for you ? I've been conditioned to tip by being raised in the USA.


Sent from my iPhone using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

So you let other people run your'e life for you by " being conditioned", can't you think for yourself?

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I guess I'm an indoctrinated tipper as I appreciated a tip when I worked as a busboy and later as a bartender. I usually tip 40 to 60 Baht when the bill is over 800 baht. My wife will sometimes leave a "next to nothing" tip but then she will "palm" a tip to the primary waitress.

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2 hours ago, VBF said:

Tipping is NOT required, anywhere, any time...UNLESS.......

YOU think the service or favour you have received  deserves a "thank you" gesture.

That's IT - no exceptions. 

 

I think the Thai word for it is  Prah̄yạd (ประหยัด) - or in English - parsimonious - correct me if I'm wrong on that

 

And if you don't like that, call me Charles........Cheap Charles! ?

 

The term for tip in Thai is tiip ทีป :smile: or ngeun tip เงินทีปม no offence but I would really like to know where did you find 

prahyat is the Thai word for tip or who is the person who told you that?  

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15 minutes ago, possum1931 said:
3 hours ago, kannot said:

no it isnt "required"

I bet there are even people who tip even after they have also paid a service charge. you

know in the small print.

The service charge and VAT are in big print when your bill comes out though...

 

In Thailand, they do make it a bit easier at most places though. They use "net" to indicate no extra surcharges and "+ +" to indicate extra service charge and VAT and "+" if only service charge is added.

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Where I live in the rural North East near Khon Kaen tipping is not expected but when I get good service I do give a tip and the local people are very grateful as many are not so well off compared to those in the popular seaside resorts and Bangkok down south.    

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24 minutes ago, tropo said:

You guys like to call it a tip (in the USA), but I'd call it a compulsory surcharge or tax that is necessary to pay the salaries of service staff, who are on very low hourly wages. Tipping there improves the profitability of businesses while making it more expensive for customers. I don't know if they have service charges in US restaurants, but they do in Thailand. Tipping at a restaurant that is slugging you with 10% service charge would seem a bit over the top... and many add 7% VAT too. A tip is something you give for good service if it not required. Americans certainly do give the rest of us a bad name in Thailand though, with their ridiculously high tips. Tip if you want, don't tip if you don't want to - but most of all, don't stress out about it.

 

The idea of tipping as a percentage is absurd IMO. If a waiter has to serve you an expensive dish or fried rice, they're making the same effort. Let's compare the percentage tip on a very expensive bottle of wine vs a cheap bottle of wine. The tip as a percentage could be double or triple for the same effort.

Yank bashing aside, (the most outrageous tipper I know is a Brit) I've always shared your opinion that tipping as a percentage is absurd.  Sometimes my date and I would max out the menu prices and have wine so I was expected to tip much more than the couple who ordered the cheapest possible while their kid trashed the place. Nonsense. 

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