Do You Tip In Bangkok?

[madjbs]

^ Maybe 10 baht, one from chefsxp asked for more the other day, apparently his bike had run out of fuel. Strange how I saw him from the balcony jump on his bike and roar off down the road.

[john b good]

I think I tip too much. My taxi home the other night came to 105 baht. It was pretty late and he was a genuinely nice guy. I gave him 140 baht and he wouldn't take it and insisted I take the 35 baht change.

That guy is about one in ten thousand. The past few times that I have been in the big mango, most of the taxi drivers try to get away with out turning the meter on and then when you get to your destination they claim not to have any change.

If the guy demonstrates that he is honest (turns the meter on) and then goes to give you change I would give him 30, 40 or 50 Baht.

If he tries to screw me he will get SFA

[Bosseee]

I have been tipping in last 2 weeks like 10k bht (have been drinking 2weeks now coz broke up w gf)

[breezein]

Tip by all means, business owners love it as they dont have to feel so bad for paying crap wages for 12 hour shifts

[aries27]

The PhP 700 tip would probably be equal to 1/7 of their monthly salary so it is generous but seeing how big the group is, a 200 peso tip would have been suitable. My US-based brother however sticks to the 10% rule when he is on holiday in the Philippines. He figures if he tips the more well-off Americans this way, why not his less fortunate countrymen? Tips like that are jackpots and rarely happen.

[aries27]

oops, that was a reply to post #25...

[buddhafly]

almost always.

good waitstaff for sure. put the tip in thier hand instead of the billfold if you want them to keep it for themselves.

the maintenance men in my condo when they do a good job.

and the security guards that unload my groceries and help haul stuff.

taxi drivers with a half decent attitude- always, they are grossly underpaid.

however if its a grumpy taxi driver that complains about the traffic and complains and fusses (how can they be surprised there is traffic?), or drives like a yabba junkie... nothing.

[Canadianvisitor]

Thais do not tip in restaurants based on percentage. Why should we?

Because.

[jdinasia]

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?

You tip far too little in the US ..... 10%? CHEAP! (15% used to be the starting point in the US a few years ago .. now it is 20%)

Jingthing ---- sorry but Thais DO tip. It depends on the Thai's position/class/income not to mention where they happen to be at the time.

I tip 10% unless it is added to the bill (if it is then just loose coinage), or if it is a noodle stall etc then just the loose coinage or 1-5 baht. In cases where I have gotten exceptional service I try and give a little additional directly to the person that gave the service.

In all situations I try and watch what is happening around me and tip similarly to the other locals, I have no need to try and tip like an American on holiday

I round up for taxis and tip 40-50% for a decent massage in a local establishment. (Thais around Onnut tip about 40% for the 100 baht/hr foot/Thai massage ...)