Do You Tip In Bangkok?

[britmaveric]

20-30bht per occassion.

[simcity]

Which car park attendants are these?

the one who work for restaurants, help you to park your car on the side or restaurant land !

Edited March 1, 2008 by simcity

[blizzard]

tipping screws up the local economy..........................lol.

not govt policies, graft, corruption, etc.............okie dokie!

[onnut]

There are a few more of these tipping subjects on this forum. why do people get wound up about leaving a tip? its up to each person to leave what they want if they want.

I dont moan if someone does not leave a tip and if someone gives a very big tip I dont moan.

My haircut cost 200 and I give her 200 tip. she is a sweet girl and does a good job, I have used her for 4 years and never had a problem. back home a haircut would cost 20 pounds so I think I get off easy.

Money talks in Thailand, if you dont mind paying you can get and do what you want. if you leave a good tip to places you will go back to you will be taken well care off.

but I have to be honest, this does not work in Beer Bars because they just try to take you for a ride and get what they can. they dont care if you come back or not.

[blizzard]

there a never ending supply of custommaa at beer bars................lol

[siam2007]

I earn a good salary so can afford to tip well. if service is good I will give at least 10%, thats good money if the bill is 7k. I tip the girl who cuts my hair 200 baht each time, that garantees me I am next on the seat, no matter if there was a que before me, hehe.

yeah no wonder so many Thais become greedy..... 200 Baht tip for a haircut ? you must be completely crazy..... thats how some FARANG mess-up the Thai culture....

I really hate those ignorant indifferent people with no sense for local customs..... oh and you are even proud to "not have to queue" then. your fellow Thai or Farang customers at that hairdressers-shop will certainly LOVE you.

wow, what a nice lad u must be.....

my TIPs, as a Bangkok-citizen for many years (and I did ask plenty of Locals about my tipping-attitude and they said its operfectly fine):

Taxi - short route: round up to the next 10 Baht, or if its late night and 87 baht, I might give 100 (but NO THAI would ever do that!)

going to the Swampy-airport: Just 20 km from where I live, but as they probably dont get a fare back to town, I usually give around 25-30 Baht (no Thai would ever do that)

Restaurant: regulare restaurants I will leave the coins or give 10 Baht (if I am alone).

unlike most, I ALWAYS give a tip at chain-restaurants such as SWENSEN's, SIZZLER's, BLACK CANYON (10-20 Baht), as those staff work very hard 6 days a week for very little money.

If I am with others (2-4 people), we will give between 20-50 baht.

Porter at Hotels: 20 baht usually (I even give that in Budget places, and the porters are happy with that, as I know most Thais dont give anything in budget to 3-star-places.

if residing in a 4-to-5 star place (last week Royal Princess Khonkaen, for example) I might give more. Gave the porter 30 Baht at Royal Princess and he was very happy with it.

Oh I wanted to add: when it comes to tipping, it doesnt matter how much you earn. what matters is the LOCAL CUSTOM. some SENSE OF RESPONSIBILITY is needed.

if you think you earn a lot and can afford to spend more than others , there are plenty ways to do good things with your money (why not donate money to an orphanage for AIDS-orphans, or support SOI DOG RESCUE, or sponsor a young Thai child so he/she can go to school and get a good education?).

[blizzard]

re previous posters comments. i sure hope thais tip when visiting usa. IT IS LOCAL CUSTOM AND RESPOMSIBLE TO TIP IN AMEERIKA!

[onnut]

I earn a good salary so can afford to tip well. if service is good I will give at least 10%, thats good money if the bill is 7k. I tip the girl who cuts my hair 200 baht each time, that garantees me I am next on the seat, no matter if there was a que before me, hehe.

yeah no wonder so many Thais become greedy..... 200 Baht tip for a haircut ? you must be completely crazy..... thats how some FARANG mess-up the Thai culture....

I really hate those ignorant indifferent people with no sense for local customs..... oh and you are even proud to "not have to queue" then. your fellow Thai or Farang customers at that hairdressers-shop will certainly LOVE you.

wow, what a nice lad u must be.....

my TIPs, as a Bangkok-citizen for many years (and I did ask plenty of Locals about my tipping-attitude and they said its operfectly fine):

Taxi - short route: round up to the next 10 Baht, or if its late night and 87 baht, I might give 100 (but NO THAI would ever do that!)

going to the Swampy-airport: Just 20 km from where I live, but as they probably dont get a fare back to town, I usually give around 25-30 Baht (no Thai would ever do that)

Restaurant: regulare restaurants I will leave the coins or give 10 Baht (if I am alone).

unlike most, I ALWAYS give a tip at chain-restaurants such as SWENSEN's, SIZZLER's, BLACK CANYON (10-20 Baht), as those staff work very hard 6 days a week for very little money.

If I am with others (2-4 people), we will give between 20-50 baht.

Porter at Hotels: 20 baht usually (I even give that in Budget places, and the porters are happy with that, as I know most Thais dont give anything in budget to 3-star-places.

if residing in a 4-to-5 star place (last week Royal Princess Khonkaen, for example) I might give more. Gave the porter 30 Baht at Royal Princess and he was very happy with it.

Oh I wanted to add: when it comes to tipping, it doesnt matter how much you earn. what matters is the LOCAL CUSTOM. some SENSE OF RESPONSIBILITY is needed.

if you think you earn a lot and can afford to spend more than others , there are plenty ways to do good things with your money (why not donate money to an orphanage for AIDS-orphans, or support SOI DOG RESCUE, or sponsor a young Thai child so he/she can go to school and get a good education?).

I donate to Father Joe every so often if you must know. time and money. I earn it and will do what I please. ifyou want to leave 10 baht, thas up to you. if thats all you can afford.

Edited March 1, 2008 by onnut

[Naam]

yeah no wonder so many Thais become greedy..... 200 Baht tip for a haircut ? you must be completely crazy..... thats how some FARANG mess-up the Thai culture....

a good joke! i tip when i receive a good service. even workmen who come to repair or rectify something in my house when they do a neat and thorough job. and i don't mind tipping a chap who earns 300 baht a day with a multiple of that amount. nobody has ever refused a tip or drawn my attention to the fact that i am messing up thai culture but then i don't speak thai. perhaps each and everybody is cursing me for tipping and i am only imagining that they thank me?

[gunnyd]

yeah no wonder so many Thais become greedy..... 200 Baht tip for a haircut ? you must be completely crazy..... thats how some FARANG mess-up the Thai culture....

a good joke! i tip when i receive a good service. even workmen who come to repair or rectify something in my house when they do a neat and thorough job. and i don't mind tipping a chap who earns 300 baht a day with a multiple of that amount. nobody has ever refused a tip or drawn my attention to the fact that i am messing up thai culture but then i don't speak thai. perhaps each and everybody is cursing me for tipping and i am only imagining that they thank me?

They take the tip and yell "tlhap vam DoH SoH mIghtaHghach tlhIngan"

Klingon translation - take this back you evil Klingon!

[gavin hawaii]

I think you tip if the service is good and especially if they are good hard workers. Remember living in Thailand it is hard to make a living for many of the people. Give with what you feel comfortable with. If it makes you feel good to give a good tip then imagine how it feels to the person receiving the tip. Giving a tip in Thailand is up to you. What comes around goes around. I am sure most would feel good about receiving a tip for a job well done. As for thais visiting the US it doesnt matter if they want to tip or not. Not everyone tips. In other words it is totally up to you.

[lazeeboy]

only tip lf surcharge is'nt included

[zorro1]

I think the average wage for a waitress, maid etc is around 200 bht per day. Tip in relation to that. You wouldnt tip some one half or a full days wages back home

[Jingthing]

As for thais visiting the US it doesnt matter if they want to tip or not. Not everyone tips. In other words it is totally up to you.

Yes, it does matter. The culture is totally different.

[siam2007]

I earn a good salary so can afford to tip well. if service is good I will give at least 10%, thats good money if the bill is 7k. I tip the girl who cuts my hair 200 baht each time, that garantees me I am next on the seat, no matter if there was a que before me, hehe.

yeah no wonder so many Thais become greedy..... 200 Baht tip for a haircut ? you must be completely crazy..... thats how some FARANG mess-up the Thai culture....

I really hate those ignorant indifferent people with no sense for local customs..... oh and you are even proud to "not have to queue" then. your fellow Thai or Farang customers at that hairdressers-shop will certainly LOVE you.

wow, what a nice lad u must be.....

my TIPs, as a Bangkok-citizen for many years (and I did ask plenty of Locals about my tipping-attitude and they said its operfectly fine):

Taxi - short route: round up to the next 10 Baht, or if its late night and 87 baht, I might give 100 (but NO THAI would ever do that!)

going to the Swampy-airport: Just 20 km from where I live, but as they probably dont get a fare back to town, I usually give around 25-30 Baht (no Thai would ever do that)

Restaurant: regulare restaurants I will leave the coins or give 10 Baht (if I am alone).

unlike most, I ALWAYS give a tip at chain-restaurants such as SWENSEN's, SIZZLER's, BLACK CANYON (10-20 Baht), as those staff work very hard 6 days a week for very little money.

If I am with others (2-4 people), we will give between 20-50 baht.

Porter at Hotels: 20 baht usually (I even give that in Budget places, and the porters are happy with that, as I know most Thais dont give anything in budget to 3-star-places.

if residing in a 4-to-5 star place (last week Royal Princess Khonkaen, for example) I might give more. Gave the porter 30 Baht at Royal Princess and he was very happy with it.

Oh I wanted to add: when it comes to tipping, it doesnt matter how much you earn. what matters is the LOCAL CUSTOM. some SENSE OF RESPONSIBILITY is needed.

if you think you earn a lot and can afford to spend more than others , there are plenty ways to do good things with your money (why not donate money to an orphanage for AIDS-orphans, or support SOI DOG RESCUE, or sponsor a young Thai child so he/she can go to school and get a good education?).

I donate to Father Joe every so often if you must know. time and money. I earn it and will do what I please. ifyou want to leave 10 baht, thas up to you. if thats all you can afford.

I can afford much more...... but I have a feeling of responsibility for local customs, and dont wanna spoil their culture. (oh, and I donate to Charity as well).

but what you say "if thats all you can afford" shows that u r actually just wanna play the BIG MAX and do not care even a little about the place where you actually live....

"I do what I want" --->>> in fact means "I dont care about the local situation and customs". no wonder so many Thais despise or laugh at Farang.....

I am sure you are actually a good person, but on the other hand, you give a bad example....

[siam2007]

As for thais visiting the US it doesnt matter if they want to tip or not. Not everyone tips. In other words it is totally up to you.

Yes, it does matter. The culture is totally different.

couldnt agree more......

and those who think it DOESNT MATTER are just completely ignorant and show no responsibility and respect.

I never would tip 10-15% anywhere, but in USA, OF COURSE I would, cause it is expected there and custom. THAT is what counts, not the situation in my home country.

those people who always act like they are in their home-country, saying "I do what I want, I don't care about the situation here" are actually 100% narrowminded

[pampal]

10-20 baht at restaurants

[gavin hawaii]

As for thais visiting the US it doesnt matter if they want to tip or not. Not everyone tips. In other words it is totally up to you.

Yes, it does matter. The culture is totally different.

couldnt agree more......

and those who think it DOESNT MATTER are just completely ignorant and show no responsibility and respect.

I never would tip 10-15% anywhere, but in USA, OF COURSE I would, cause it is expected there and custom. THAT is what counts, not the situation in my home country.

those people who always act like they are in their home-country, saying "I do what I want, I don't care about the situation here" are actually 100% narrowminded

The point I was trying to make is that it is up to you if you tip or not. My mother was a waitress and depended on tips for a good portion of her income. So I know what its like to depend on tips. I used to get upset when people did not leave tips at restaurants but my mother told me "do not get upset because you do your best because of pride. You do not know why that person did not leave a tip unless you are in their shoes. Just do your best and do not expect tips. When you expect tips and do not get them it may affect the way you work and treat others." In hindsight it does matter to me but on my outlook on others It doesnt matter to me if you tip or not. I will not judge you based on that unless I was in your shoes. I hope that makes sense.

[DP25]

In general, no. I round up to the nearest 10-20 baht with taxis, but this is mainly to save time so the driver doesn't have to deal with the hassle of digging out correct change. In clubs I'll generally give a 20 baht tip to the waiter who brings the whiskey, but its mainly so they'll leave me alone and not hover over me. Other than that I don't really use any services that would require tipping. I dislike eating in restaurants and order takeout 90% of the time so there is no reason to tip. The hotels I stay in are in the 400-800 baht range and there normally are no people to carry my bags, and I would not allow them to touch my things anyway. My barber shop costs 60 baht for a cut and have never seen people tip. Also I have never had a massage, so no reason to tip there either. Can't think of anything else that would require a tip.

[gunnyd]

As for thais visiting the US it doesnt matter if they want to tip or not. Not everyone tips. In other words it is totally up to you.

Yes, it does matter. The culture is totally different.

couldnt agree more......

and those who think it DOESNT MATTER are just completely ignorant and show no responsibility and respect.

I never would tip 10-15% anywhere, but in USA, OF COURSE I would, cause it is expected there and custom. THAT is what counts, not the situation in my home country.

those people who always act like they are in their home-country, saying "I do what I want, I don't care about the situation here" are actually 100% narrowminded

The point I was trying to make is that it is up to you if you tip or not. My mother was a waitress and depended on tips for a good portion of her income. So I know what its like to depend on tips. I used to get upset when people did not leave tips at restaurants but my mother told me "do not get upset because you do your best because of pride. You do not know why that person did not leave a tip unless you are in their shoes. Just do your best and do not expect tips. When you expect tips and do not get them it may affect the way you work and treat others." In hindsight it does matter to me but on my outlook on others It doesn't matter to me if you tip or not. I will not judge you based on that unless I was in your shoes. I hope that makes sense.

Now when it comes to tipping in the US it is a different story. If you eat out you will notice either the name of your waiter/waitress on your check. The reason is since tips were being so under reported by waiters/waitresses that the IRS taxes them at a rate of 15% of their customers checks, whether you tip them or not they get taxed as if you did.

Also employers are allowed and do pay waiters and waitresses a rate that is below the Federal minimum wage of $5.85 an hour according to what percentage of their income is from tips.

So if you don't tip in the US you could cost the waiter/waitress money. That is why most restaurants add the tip automatically in parties with 6 or more.

In contrast, in sit down restaurants in Thailand there is a service charge added to your checkbill.

[Polsevogn]

I don't think I tip anywhere, so also not in Bangkok no.

One exception may be the USA, but I try not to spend much time there.

[MSingh]

I don't think I tip anywhere, so also not in Bangkok no.

One exception may be the USA, but I try not to spend much time there.

We really do get some serious weird & wonderful posts on this Forum...

[hp8000]

I usually don't tip much, 3-5 bahts for taxis, ~20 bahts in good restaurants though it's not my favourite places, and just few coins for other services.

Why should I tip more than thais ?

[bendix]

I tip, but not excessively. I'll round up to the nearest 20 baht note in taxis. Sit down meals I'll likely tip 30-50 baht, irrespective of the price. I'll leave coins in a bar because, let's face it, when you get your change they usually give too many coins hoping that that is exactly what you'll do.

I do tip much closer service people well though. Our maid gets an extra month's salary at Christmas, and we usually buy her a small piece of gold for Songkran . . a small bracelet or something. She's a star, and goes well beyond the call of duty. Similarly, all the staff in my building (guards, pool guy, reception girls etc) will get a bottle of Black Label or gift hamper at Christmas.

[tgeezer]

From what I understand, Thais generally do not tip.

So my question is do you tip in Bangkok?

If you do;

When?

and

How much?

In the States I normally tip 10 to 20% based on the service.

Any thoughts?

The object of coexisting with other people in society is to make them happy. I have noticed that certain people are made happy by a tip, I tip whenever I think it will make someone happy. I tip my barber; I use only one shop but have a different barber every time, it don't know if they are any more friendly for it but it has become a habit. I go to the driving range every Sunday morning, it cost me 40 baht extra in 20 baht each to the chap who carries the bag and to the girl who brings the food. When I arive they run to get my bag from the car and whai me, I park the car and it is whais all round as I walk to my preferred stall where my bag has been placed, I get a champagne bucket with ice for my beer bottle and lots of smiles, I like to think that I don't need the practise but I go to the range anyway for the pleasure of it. I get the chance to be nice to them and they are nice to me. When I first came to Thailand I left the tip under the side plate like a good Brit. and when we left noone even opened the door for us! so sure I tip.

[tlpeng]

To tip or not to tip - always a question especially as a foreigner who does not want to "tip the scale". I asked friends and observed others.. my finding - it really depends on you! Thais with deep pockets WILL Tip. Thais with below average or average income would probably not.

I have been using a very nice hairdresser for 2 years now. Never gave her any tips (had no idea they expected.... or not). The unpublished rate has been increasing from $150B - $180B to now $200B. I guess there has been a little adjustments. My whole family use her now. I'm sure she is NOT expecting any tip from us and we have been treated very well.

My Thai friend (above average business owner) told me a few months ago that he gave $50B tip to his hairdresser every time.... had been doing that for years now. His haircut cost $350B.

On the contrary, I almost always give tips to masseur/masseuse. $20B if ok, $50B if good. Most of those are $150/hr or $250/2hr type. There were occassions when I didn't give 'cos they were talking or watching tv and you could feel that they are not concentrating.

Restaurant - also depends. We tip only when we feel he/she has done a good job. Never tip in stalls (don't think they expect that!).

Taxi - round up to closest $10/$20B for general taxi. I think ok not to give too. Always give $20B to AOT's taxi (from/to airport). Cost $850B. They seem happy.

In US -> ALWAYS tip. That's expected so you are short-changing them if you don't tip. It is painful for those who earn thai baht but just have to build that in your budget if you do plan to go US.

Cherios

[burman]

Your post might be a little less confusing if you take out all the dollar signs. I didn't know what kind of massage you was talking about at first.

[t.s]

I earn a good salary so can afford to tip well. if service is good I will give at least 10%, thats good money if the bill is 7k. I tip the girl who cuts my hair 200 baht each time, that garantees me I am next on the seat, no matter if there was a que before me, hehe.

i do the same. the haircut is still way cheaper than the farang guy i used to use in BKK and she does a better job. and i NEVER wait. never.

[Daisy75]

If the service is very good i usually tip 5-10%.

[paal349]

Ordered pizza from The Pizza Company and the bill was 370B. Gave the deliveryboy 400B and told him to keep the change as a tip. He looked at me puzzled for a couple of seconds and then smiled from ear to ear. In Norway the people who deliver pizza are one of the few who expect tips. Do you tip the people who deliver food, and how much?