What is the tipping practice in Thailand ?

[amexpat]

14 hours ago, Unamerican said:

As far as I know, they all do: it is not for the dentist!! 

My dentist can afford to pay the receptionist. Would you tip at a lawyer's office? At the bank? 

[FruitPudding]

15 hours ago, Unamerican said:

As far as I know, they all do: it is not for the dentist!! 

 

Why should the receptionist nurse get a tip?

Edited August 7 by FruitPudding

[digbeth]

19 hours ago, Unamerican said:

I do not think you mean “service charge”, the typical 10% in the bill is not that.  It is just part of the cost, like the 7% VAT. 

 

ask any hotel employee if they get that 10% service charge and most would say they do, it gets divided at the end of the month, so during high occupancy, their take home pay is more compared when there's no guests 

[thaibeachlovers]

On 8/19/2023 at 9:29 PM, observer90210 said:

To follow the general implicit practice, I tend to leave around 10% of the check in a restaurant in Thailand for the tip, provided the food and service was good naturally.

If there is an actual "general implicit practice to leave around 10% of the check in a restaurant in Thailand for the tip" it's because people like the OP have been giving tips, apparently regardless of the actual service ( somewhat like when IMO idiots give sin sod for their non virgin previously married beloved to be their wife ). It doesn't take much for all the restaurant etc workers to start looking at a tip as an essential part of remuneration, rather than as a sign of gratitude by the customer for a job well done.

 

I never used to leave a tip unless the service was exceptional, or I was a regular and got on well with the staff.

 

Next thing we know, taxi drivers will be demanding tips, hotel employees will be demanding tips etc etc.

 

IMO, just don't, unless the service deserved something extra. It may not yet be too late to rescue Thailand from this odious practice.

[thaibeachlovers]

22 hours ago, TheAppletons said:

 

  Do you apply this rule to hotel stays as well?  Difficult to find a decent hotel without a service charge.

Believe it or not, many of the perfectly acceptable hotels in Thailand do not add service charge. IMO it's something they add to posh hotels because they know the muggins tourists will prefer it to trying to work out how much to tip the staff.

[Ralf001]

21 hours ago, Yellowtail said:

I get out a good bit, and I do not remember a hotel with a service charge. 

 

You ever book on Agoda and the likes.

 

Gunna pop over to Samui for the weekend... None of the hotels were sans  services charges and taxes.

 

 

[Unamerican]

On 8/7/2024 at 5:43 AM, amexpat said:

My dentist can afford to pay the receptionist. Would you tip at a lawyer's office? At the bank? 

Who said that the tips are for the receptionists? 

[Unamerican]

On 8/7/2024 at 11:29 AM, thaibeachlovers said:

Believe it or not, many of the perfectly acceptable hotels in Thailand do not add service charge. IMO it's something they add to posh hotels because they know the muggins tourists will prefer it to trying to work out how much to tip the staff.

I doubt it is much to do with tipping.  More likely the rules of Agoda etc.

[Unamerican]

On 8/7/2024 at 11:18 AM, thaibeachlovers said:

If there is an actual "general implicit practice to leave around 10% of the check in a restaurant in Thailand for the tip" it's because people like the OP have been giving tips, apparently regardless of the actual service ( somewhat like when IMO idiots give sin sod for their non virgin previously married beloved to be their wife ). It doesn't take much for all the restaurant etc workers to start looking at a tip as an essential part of remuneration, rather than as a sign of gratitude by the customer for a job well done.

 

I never used to leave a tip unless the service was exceptional, or I was a regular and got on well with the staff.

 

Next thing we know, taxi drivers will be demanding tips, hotel employees will be demanding tips etc etc.

 

IMO, just don't, unless the service deserved something extra. It may not yet be too late to rescue Thailand from this odious practice.

Why only ”naturally”? 

[Unamerican]

On 8/7/2024 at 10:59 AM, digbeth said:

 

ask any hotel employee if they get that 10% service charge and most would say they do, it gets divided at the end of the month, so during high occupancy, their take home pay is more compared when there's no guests 

In what country is this? 

[Yellowtail]

1 minute ago, Unamerican said:

I doubt it is much to do with tipping.  More likely the rules of Agoda etc.

It has to do with different tax rates for different categories.

[digbeth]

3 hours ago, Unamerican said:

In what country is this? 

most of the good hotels give equal share to all employees, 

probably not 100%, the hotel might takes a cut but the paying rate are pretty good

here are some example of what the customer's 10% mean for the employee

 

this is on top of their regular salary, which might be meagre 9,000 - 11,000 baht a month

 

 

[daveAustin]

Do what you want but please do not corrupt Thais with obligatory out of control American-style tipping. It does not make you look generous and clever. They think you senseless and don't respect you.

 

Personally never tip 'standard' khao man gai etc restaurants. Bars, usually after a few. Nice restaurants, yes, but within reason. Building maintenance etc, never, but give food/fruit whenever. Big deliveries yes. Blokes digging holes to put trees in garden yes. A few baht, smile and genuine wai goes way further than dopey big tipping. 

 

 

[JTXR]

There is no accepted practice.  Some restaurants will include a 10% service charge in the bill.  If they don't, they don't expect a tip and Thai people do not tip in such places.  We regularly eat in three local places  (within a couple of blocks of the house).  Good but ordinary Thai food.  The bill for dinner for two is in the 200 to 300 hundred baht range.  I generally leave 20 baht on the table when we leave at they places, because we're regulars.  It's not at all expected, and no doubt people shrug it off as something nutty farang do, but I imagine it's appreciated.  I tip my barber (again a very local one-chair shop) an outrageous 25%, but hell, he charges 120 baht and I give him 150). 

[FruitPudding]

2 hours ago, daveAustin said:

Do what you want but please do not corrupt Thais with obligatory out of control American-style tipping. It does not make you look generous and clever. They think you senseless and don't respect you.

 

I don't get much sense of respect from bar staff in Thailand, in general.

 

They are no different from tuk tuk drivers.

 

Scammy and disrespectful by nature.

 

Edited August 10 by FruitPudding

[Yellowtail]

5 hours ago, daveAustin said:

Do what you want but please do not corrupt Thais with obligatory out of control American-style tipping. It does not make you look generous and clever. They think you senseless and don't respect you.

 

Personally never tip 'standard' khao man gai etc restaurants. Bars, usually after a few. Nice restaurants, yes, but within reason. Building maintenance etc, never, but give food/fruit whenever. Big deliveries yes. Blokes digging holes to put trees in garden yes. A few baht, smile and genuine wai goes way further than dopey big tipping. 

 

 

The pikers all say this. The staff most always seem okay to me. 

[susanlea]

Best not to tip much. Spend it on food.

[transam]

1 minute ago, susanlea said:

Best not to tip much. Spend it on food.

Your brush-cutter wages, eh......😥

[FruitPudding]

52 minutes ago, transam said:

Your brush-cutter wages, eh......😥

 

What's that supposed to mean?

[Yellowtail]

28 minutes ago, FruitPudding said:

 

What's that supposed to mean?

He's calling her stupid and poor because he's a bootlicking Harris cultist and susanlea is a Trump supporter. 

 

He is obsessed with Trump. 

[transam]

2 hours ago, FruitPudding said:

 

What's that supposed to mean?

You wouldn't understand, between me and Dolf...😉