Tipping

[Sir Dude]

Tipping in some countries like the US is way out of control with the entitlement of hospitality staff off the chart. Tipping should be done if you feel the service has been really good, above and beyond the usual 10% etc. that is often added to your bill regardless.

It also depends where I am. If I'm in a decent hotel and the hospitality staff are crushing the service, then fine... but if I have any doubts about the place, then I'll simply pay for each drink/food item as it is ordered and arrives, then no bill to get screwed over on.

[still kicking]

2 hours ago, ronnie50 said:

Lowest minimum wage in the western world..in the world's biggest economy.

You're better off being unemployed I am in OZ, my wife makes about 25 American dollars $ 

[Harrisfan]

3 minutes ago, still kicking said:

You're better off being unemployed I am in OZ, my wife makes about 25 American dollars $ 

You are lazy

[Airalee]

2 hours ago, Ralf001 said:

restaurant worker is payed $7.25 an hour.

$2.13 is the federal minimum wage for tipper workers.

 

https://www.paycor.com/resource-center/articles/minimum-wage-tipped-employees-by-state/

[Ralf001]

1 hour ago, Airalee said:

$2.13 is the federal minimum wage for tipper workers.

 

https://www.paycor.com/resource-center/articles/minimum-wage-tipped-employees-by-state/

hahahahahahaha...

[Harrisfan]

1 hour ago, Airalee said:

$2.13 is the federal minimum wage for tipper workers.

 

https://www.paycor.com/resource-center/articles/minimum-wage-tipped-employees-by-state/

Tip 87c so they get $3

[Airalee]

1 minute ago, Harrisfan said:

Tip 87c so they get $3

I won’t eat out in America anymore.   Waiters cry if they get less than a 25% tip.

[Harrisfan]

1 minute ago, Airalee said:

I won’t eat out in America anymore.   Waiters cry if they get less than a 25% tip.

I suppose burger joints are popular then

[Airalee]

7 minutes ago, Harrisfan said:

I suppose burger joints are popular then

$30 for a burger, fries and a coke at 5 guys.   Have to stand in line to order and pay at the register and later collect your own food at the counter.    They still expect a tip.

[Harrisfan]

3 minutes ago, Airalee said:

$30 for a burger, fries and a coke at 5 guys.   Have to stand in line to order and pay at the register and later collect your own food at the counter.    They still expect a tip.

Here's a tip

"Be good to your mother"

[rough diamond]

19 minutes ago, Harrisfan said:

Tip 87c so they get $3

That only works if they only ever get just one tipping customer every hour!

[Harrisfan]

3 minutes ago, rough diamond said:

That only works if they only ever get just one tipping customer every hour!

I know, it was a joke. Stupid Americans. Should pay $15

[Ralf001]

13 minutes ago, Airalee said:

$30 for a burger, fries and a coke at 5 guys.   Have to stand in line to order and pay at the register and later collect your own food at the counter.    They still expect a tip.

most expensive burger is $13.00... those fries and coke sure are exxy !!

[ronnie50]

If the service is good and the food is brought hot to the table, and the waiter follows up to see if all ok, then I don't have a problem with 20%, but I'm not going to pay 20-25% tip on a $100 bottle of wine if the waiter just opened it and left it on the table up to us to fill our glasses.

[FruitPudding]

On 4/5/2025 at 2:52 PM, save the frogs said:

whats the official "laws of the land" for tipping?

 

Thais don't tip.

 

On 4/5/2025 at 2:52 PM, save the frogs said:

 

is tipping mandatory/expected?

 

It's expected in tourists areas.

 

On 4/5/2025 at 2:52 PM, save the frogs said:

 

restaurants only? hairdressers? masseuses?

does it differ in tourist spots? 

 

do you tip? usually? sometimes?  

 

 

I tip 10% for food at restaurants/pubs/cafes and haircuts. So, usually 20-40 baht or so.

 

Probably shouldn't even bother leaving a tip for food in tourist areas. They don't appreciate it. I think they only appreciate 100+

 

I give a better tip for a great massage,  usually 100 baht.

 

I never tip anyone else, ever. 

[ronnie50]

1 hour ago, Airalee said:

$2.13 is the federal minimum wage for tipper workers.

 

https://www.paycor.com/resource-center/articles/minimum-wage-tipped-employees-by-state/

Exactly. Tipping is not really the core issue in the US. The real problem is a country whose culture is revolted by any social regulations in the workplace (or anywhere else for that matter). If the waiters were paid $15 an hour - the bare minimum wage in most western countries - and then a discretionary 10% tip was left up to the customer then that would make much more sense. But it won't happen because that would be "socialist".

[Airalee]

1 hour ago, ronnie50 said:

Exactly. Tipping is not really the core issue in the US. The real problem is a country whose culture is revolted by any social regulations in the workplace (or anywhere else for that matter). If the waiters were paid $15 an hour - the bare minimum wage in most western countries - and then a discretionary 10% tip was left up to the customer then that would make much more sense. But it won't happen because that would be "socialist".

it really depends on the location, but most waiters in any major city or college town in the US do quite well  I have had many friends and roommates who were waiters in the 90’s.  They would net $40-$80/hour for a 4 hour shift.

They lived large.

[Lorry]

5 hours ago, Dirk Z said:

Taxi's are absurdly cheap, these guys make little money, work hard and the rates have hardly changed in the past 20 years or so.

Rates have doubled. Flagfall didn't change. 

[Lorry]

On 4/5/2025 at 3:34 PM, FolkGuitar said:

The bottom line is that here in Thailand, a tip is just that: a gratuity.

Good point.

This is something farang don't understand. 

For a Thai, it means: tipping is not routinely expected,  not at all.  And it is not these ridiculous amounts (20 Baht, 40 Baht - for heavens sake) farangs discuss endlessly about. 

Thais tip, if they are really happy, and I mean really happy. And then,  they may tip a lot.

Examples: hairdresser quoted 100B, customer gave 200. 2 nurse helpers who treated a well-off patient over months got 100,000 B each (they saved his leg) (in my home country,  we would give 20$, 50$ would be considered a lot).

Normally, Thais don't tip at all.

[spidermike007]

I always tip the waitress or waiter at a restaurant even if it's 20 or 40 Baht, they certainly appreciate it, and they oftentimes show their appreciation. I tip when I get my haircut, I tip Panda drivers and I tip taxi drivers if they're doing a good job and are polite and personable.

 

A small tip goes a long way here and the local people could sure use the help, so why not? 

[spidermike007]

5 hours ago, Airalee said:

it really depends on the location, but most waiters in any major city or college town in the US do quite well  I have had many friends and roommates who were waiters in the 90’s.  They would net $40-$80/hour for a 4 hour shift.

They lived large.

And often even if you leave them a good tip they don't show much in the way of appreciation. I often get more appreciation for a 20 baht tip in Thailand that I do for $20 tip in the US. 

[spidermike007]

Believe it or not this sign is real, and was posted on the front door of a restaurant in California. I don't mind tipping but when somebody demands a 25% tip I literally run for the hills. 

 

Recently we got together with some friends for dinner and my friend suggested that we bring food rather than having them cook as usual, so he picked up some paella at a fancy Spanish restaurant in Los Angeles for $110 for two dishes. He then proceeded to tip them 20% because it was on the iPad, we had a bit of a tiff over that as I never have and never will tip for takeout. It's just a ridiculously woke concept and homie don't play that game. I gave him my share of the food and told him the tips on you, that was your mistake. 

 

 

[save the frogs]

14 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

Believe it or not this sign is real, and was posted on the front door of a restaurant in California. I don't mind tipping but when somebody demands a 25% tip I literally run for the hills. 

 

Yeah, it's out of control.

But the same thing is likely to happen in Thailand if people keep supporting this system.

Already the lines are getting blurred at some places between mandatory and voluntary, with a 10% service charge added. 

It might get out of control in Thailand too.

And I don't think I need to act like "The Labor Minister" to decide who needs a little extra money. 

Restaurants need to pay fair wages. We don't need tips. 

Nobody tips the cashiers at Big C, do they? 

They probably don't make much.

It's all brainwashing. We're told to tip at restaurants and all fall in line with the herd. 

 

[FolkGuitar]

3 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

Believe it or not this sign is real, and was posted on the front door of a restaurant in California. I don't mind tipping but when somebody demands a 25% tip I literally run for the hills. 

 

Recently we got together with some friends for dinner and my friend suggested that we bring food rather than having them cook as usual, so he picked up some paella at a fancy Spanish restaurant in Los Angeles for $110 for two dishes. He then proceeded to tip them 20% because it was on the iPad, we had a bit of a tiff over that as I never have and never will tip for takeout. It's just a ridiculously woke concept and homie don't play that game. I gave him my share of the food and told him the tips on you, that was your mistake. 

 

 

 

Some years ago, on a trip to the U.S.,  I stopped by a New York City sandwich lunch counter in mid-Manhattan. I sat at the busy counter for several minutes, with 5-6 servers behind the counter completely ignoring me, while taking orders from people who had arrived after me!  I tried politely to catch their attention, but to no avail. 

Finally, a customer sitting next to me said; 

'You have to put your tip on the counter first before they will wait on you.' 

At that point, I noticed that everyone who sat down put a few dollars on the counter in front of them before even looking at the menu.
I left.
I have no problem leaving a gratuity for good service. Happy to do so!
I will NOT cover a worker's salary because the employer is too cheap to pay a living wage.

I've lived and worked in too many countries around the world to know that there is no necessity for patrons to be forced to do that.

[Harrisfan]

3 minutes ago, save the frogs said:

 

Yeah, it's out of control.

But the same thing is likely to happen in Thailand if people keep supporting this system.

Already the lines are getting blurred at some places between mandatory and voluntary, with a 10% service charge added. 

It might get out of control in Thailand too.

And I don't think I need to act like "The Labor Minister" to decide who needs a little extra money. 

Restaurants need to pay fair wages. We don't need tips. 

Nobody tips the cashiers at Big C, do they? 

They probably don't make much.

It's all brainwashing. We're told to tip at restaurants and all fall in line with the herd. 

 

Grab food is big now. I think many tip drivers.

[save the frogs]

11 hours ago, Harrisfan said:

Grab food is big now. I think many tip drivers.

Yeah, keep tipping.

And they will start demanding more and more. 

 

[hotsun]

4 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

Believe it or not this sign is real, and was posted on the front door of a restaurant in California. I don't mind tipping but when somebody demands a 25% tip I literally run for the hills. 

 

Recently we got together with some friends for dinner and my friend suggested that we bring food rather than having them cook as usual, so he picked up some paella at a fancy Spanish restaurant in Los Angeles for $110 for two dishes. He then proceeded to tip them 20% because it was on the iPad, we had a bit of a tiff over that as I never have and never will tip for takeout. It's just a ridiculously woke concept and homie don't play that game. I gave him my share of the food and told him the tips on you, that was your mistake. 

 

 

Homie dont play that game? Some friend you are

[spidermike007]

1 minute ago, hotsun said:

Homie dont play that game? Some friend you are

I am the kind of friend that is easily able to say no to pure ridiculousness, and overly woke actions. 

[hotsun]

7 minutes ago, save the frogs said:

Yeah, keep tipping.

And they will start demanding more and more. 

 

I tip in thailand because it means something to them. In the US it means nothing, so i never eat out. Even ordering a coffee everything asks for tips now. 

[FruitPudding]

4 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

I always tip the waitress or waiter at a restaurant even if it's 20 or 40 Baht, they certainly appreciate it, and they oftentimes show their appreciation. I tip when I get my haircut, I tip Panda drivers and I tip taxi drivers if they're doing a good job and are polite and personable.

 

A small tip goes a long way here and the local people could sure use the help, so why not? 

 

Because they don't tip others below them; it's all take and no give here.