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?

[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.

 

[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...😉

[diveasia666]

On 8/7/2024 at 6:49 AM, Ralf001 said:

 

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.

 

 

Hilton adds service charges too, btw

[Ralf001]

14 minutes ago, diveasia666 said:

Hilton adds service charges too, btw

yeah.... and ?

[1FinickyOne]

On 9/6/2023 at 5:46 PM, Jingthing said:

I've got an unusual situation. 
Living in a high rise condo I've haven't tipped the office staff, security staff, maintenance staff, gardeners, etc. etc.

I realize if I lived in New York extortionate tips would be required for door people at least. But this isn't New York.

I kind of wish the condo management organized a formal tipping jar for New Years that would be shared with all staff in which case I would throw something in, but they haven't.

I have tipped maintenance staff when they do a service for me in my condo at the time of service, but that's different.

Well now I have one specific door/security staff person that has consistently given me ridiculously good service over a long period of time. From little touches to somewhat bigger things. I don't really need anything that he's done, but it's really been charming and I certainly wouldn't be so rude as to tell him to stop it.

One example of how unusual this is. If I'm loaded holding shopping he enters the elevator and pushes my floor. It goes on and on. It's a little bit of entertainment to see what uncalled for service he will do next.

So obviously he well deserves tipping. But it gets tricky. Do I tip a little bit for every little thing or do I give him a very big tip for the New Year? If I only tip him and no other service staff isn't that kind of rude? I'm also a tiny bit concerned that it would "corrupt" the situation as I really don't know if he's some kind of freak that just loves doing that sort of thing and it would be insulting to tip suggesting he was doing it for that. He keeps doing it, never hints in any way that I should tip, and I don't expect he would stop if I never tipped.

Not sure at this point.

providing good service is polite in this society and looked upon highly - he is probably glad to do it and does not need a tip - that said, extra money is always appreciated. I might wait until Christmas or New Year and give a larger amount and do it in such a way that nobody sees it... 

[steevjee]

On 8/19/2023 at 6:51 PM, Sigmund said:

On reading some comments, one gets a fine illustration on the word "stingy".

Tipping may be a yankee obligation, but in civilised Europe it is plainly a gesture of recognition to the good service - should it be after a mean of for a handyman.

Having worked as a waiter to pay for college years ago,  I have seen some unruly waiters/waiteresses litterally spit in the food or add a bit of "eau de toilette" directly from the loo, in the dishes of the regular known customers  who were either rude or never left a small tip. Since that day, I always tipp and do never manifest any arrogance with the staff.

Phew! I'm not Yank or Euro, so I only tip when it feels right at that time. I often see a little old bloke walking the road collecting plastic bottles, I always stop to give him at least 50 bht. He is clearly very appreciative and that is a reward for me.

 

Yanks and Euros making it a common practice just make the receiver expectant and often not even appreciative.

[Captain Monday]

On 8/19/2023 at 3:04 AM, Captain Monday said:

The tipping Farang remains in his comfort zone

 

Please leave Americanisms where they come from

On 8/19/2023 at 4:15 AM, KhunLA said:

Actually, them Yanks picked tipping up from them Euro folks.

 

"But wealthy Americans, visiting Europe, brought the practice to the U.S. in the mid-1800s, unsurprisingly eager to mimic European customs. "

Yank origin of ...

 

A must read. 

Tipping out of control 

 

[DonniePeverley]

10% service charge, and adding the 7% vat on afterwards. 

 

They aren't getting any tips with this crappy Americanism with bills. 

[Unamerican]

On 8/7/2024 at 11:49 AM, Ralf001 said:

 

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.

 

 

An incredibly expensive hotel, maybe? 

[Unamerican]

On 8/10/2024 at 4:43 PM, digbeth said:

 

 

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

 

 

Do these signs mean that each employee gets the advertised amount for the month?   Or is this the total that, maybe, gets divided up amongst all employees?  The latter will probably not gain  very much for each of them! 

[FruitPudding]

16 minutes ago, Unamerican said:

Do these signs mean that each employee gets the advertised amount for the month?  

 

Lol, hell no.

 

16 minutes ago, Unamerican said:

 

Or is this the total that, maybe, gets divided up amongst all employees?

 

Yes, of course.

 

16 minutes ago, Unamerican said:

 

 The latter will probably not gain  very much for each of them! 

 

It's a minimum wage job, to be fair.

 

If they got that each, they'd be earning more than people with master's degrees and probably some PhDs.