Thai diners emerge as Asia's top tippers

[webfact]

Thai Diners Emerge as Asia's Top Tippers
By NOPPARAT CHAICHALEARMMONGKOL

BANGKOK: -- Here’s a tip for visitors to Thailand, don’t short change your server.

Thai diners are the most generous tippers in Asia, according to a recent survey that puts them well above most countries in the region, including China, Japan and New Zealand.

Based on a survey by MasterCard of nearly 8,000 respondents in the Asia-Pacific region between October and November, 84% of Thai diners said they left a tip after a good meal.

Bangladesh (80%) and India (78%) ranked second and third, followed by the Philippines (73%). Japan (4%) was reported as the least generous, with Indonesia (33%), Malaysia (31%) and Singapore (20%) falling somewhere in the middle.

Thailand grabbed the top spot the first year the survey launched in 2012, but was overtaken by Bangladesh last year. [read more...]

Full story: http://blogs.wsj.com/searealtime/2014/04/16/thai-diners-emerge-as-asias-top-tippers/

-- THE WALL STREET JOURNAL 2014-04-16

[ToddWeston]

Lies, damned lies, and statistics.

[transam]

Does anyone hand over a credit card for grub in LOS...........

[axact]

Lies, damned lies, and statistics.

Too right, I work in a large hotel, Thai's almost never tip, they just lie on questionares ! They even bring food and alcohol from outside & sit in the restaurant consuming it.....

[thesetat2013]

Get real! Where do they come up with this cr__?

If anything real in this could be true it would be that most foreigners visiting thailand that use credit cards to pay for meals would add a tip on their bill. Any other statistic would be due to the business miscoding something in their transaction purchase requests

Sent from my GT-S5310 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[JoeThePoster]

Maybe they just counted all those plastic boxes with the huge "tip box" signs.

[tingtong]

During my work I got to meet lots of Asian, ( as well as many other) customers. Met/served lot more than the 8000 sample...

Thai are on the bottom of tipping. Beating Singapore on this stat? Kidding?

This news piece is 15 days late; would make a great 1st April joke.

[baxida]

Obviously this is based on the tourists visiting Thailand, and not the locals themselves..??

[daoyai]

Most likely the results are from data (as stated) on credit card payments made in Thailand... including resort and high end foreign guests, as there is so much of that here, the numbers are believable in context.

[chainarong]

This is a most news worthy article , just about as interesting as the price of Ice in Iceland.

[steelepulse]

Another point is that in most countries a service charge is added, thus eliminating/minimizing the need to tip.

[Basil B]

Does anyone hand over a credit card for grub in LOS...........

With the Card Surcharges very few do, only those with more money than sense.

Same as those who tip even if they did not get good food or service, just watching those "Richard Heads" tipping the cashier at a help yourself buffet really cracks me up

[transam]

Does anyone hand over a credit card for grub in LOS...........

With the Card Surcharges very few do, only those with more money than sense.

Same as those who tip even if they did not get good food or service, just watching those "Richard Heads" tipping the cashier at a help yourself buffet really cracks me up

I never use a CC in LOS as you don't know what happens to the details......... Except Tesco's, where I can see it at all times. Few years back someone in LOS tried to use my details. Card was canceled by the card company, Pain in the ass.........

[fatdrunkandstupid]

Whenever I go to a restaurant with my Thai girl I give her my wallet. When the bill comes she pays. Guess what...no tipping...ever...

Edited April 16, 2014 by fatdrunkandstupid

[rametindallas]

I think this says more about the other Asian countries that it does about Thailand. My poorer Thai friends do not tip at all and my wealthy Thai friends tip an embarrassingly small amount. In the US, we tip 15% for 'adequate' service and more if the service is good with 20% being typical. If you can afford to eat at a restaurant, you can afford to tip. I tip double for Thai priced massages and haircuts and they are still a bargain by US standards. I tip 10 - 15% at sit down restaurants only because they can't seem to bring the food out in proper order, i.e. main dishes getting cold waiting for rice. Anybody who serves me a beer gets a tip. I tip the taxi the change from a C-note but not more than Bt. 20. My motorcycle repair shop, and some other places, won't accept tips.

[Rooo]

Does anyone hand over a credit card for grub in LOS...........

Not everyone eats in the 99Baht BBQ.

[grin]

This is just about leaving a tip, nothing about how much tip was left, so label of most generous tippers should really be most frequent tippers. The amount could have been just 20 baht.

Grin

[DrTuner]

My wife pays and the usual tip is 20baht. I do think it's a bit generous, yes. Stupid American import fad ..

[tomyummer]

That's because the Thais didn't know a 'service charge' was automatically included. Whenever at a roadside restaurant, the most they'll leave is 100 baht. Even if the meal is 2,000 baht. You can compare to the Japanese and some European countries because it's part if their cultures to not tip.

[yougivemebaby]

That's because the Thais didn't know a 'service charge' was automatically included. Whenever at a roadside restaurant, the most they'll leave is 100 baht. Even if the meal is 2,000 baht. You can compare to the Japanese and some European countries because it's part if their cultures to not tip.

Do the servers see any of the service charge normally ? It's confusing as a westerner to see service charge. Normally a party of 8 or more would include a mandatory service charge or tip.

[casindonet]

They surveyed the diners not the restaurant owners or servers....so as not to loss face, of course they will say they left tips.....duhhh.

Sent from my GT-I9200 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[WhizBang]

55555555555

Thais tipping? Yeah right.

Oh, they might leave a few loose baht on the table, but that is usually it.

[bigbamboo]

I can believe that Thailand has Asia's best drivers, most honest policeman and most talented actresses.

But the best tippers? Never!

[tomyummer]

That's because the Thais didn't know a 'service charge' was automatically included. Whenever at a roadside restaurant, the most they'll leave is 100 baht. Even if the meal is 2,000 baht. You can't compare to the Japanese and some European countries because it's part if their cultures to not tip.

Do the servers see any of the service charge normally ? It's confusing as a westerner to see service charge. Normally a party of 8 or more would include a mandatory service charge or tip.

Usually a party of 6 or more would have an automatic service charge. But just as with anything in Thailand, the service charge is not regulated or standardized. Whether the servers see the actual tips themselves varies from restaurant to restaurant. Established chain hotel restaurants do share it but stand alone restaurants vary as per owner. Pretty confusing.

I only hope it doesn't steer towards the culture of the US where tips are pretty much mandatory. It has become a self righteous industry where the owners of restaurants and servers work independently. The servers are intentionally underpaid where the tips become part of their pay. 'To Insure Prompt Service' no longer means a darn.

The Japanese got it right by paying their staff enough where service to any customer is an honor and part of the job.

[kurnell]

I've been eating out in this country for 20 years and could probably count on 1 hand the number of times I have seen a Thai top more than 20 baht

Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[tingtong]

Most likely the results are from data (as stated) on credit card payments made in Thailand... including resort and high end foreign guests, as there is so much of that here, the numbers are believable in context.

" nearly 8,000 respondents in the Asia-Pacific region".....

come to think of it, there is only about 3 billion people falling into this region, and there you go, 8000 of them represent what, like 20+ countries?

yay, another comprehensive study.

again, with few exceptions, from the region only HK Chinese and Singaporians are where in general one can hope decent tip, and I am talking about the high-end....lower than that, forget Asia as a whole.

Had the "luck" to serve many high positioned and/or rich Thai, former prime minister, Singha family, SET listed company's director, TV show host, police general...( non within Thailand)

An average joe US blue collar worker can beat any of them, day in day out when comes to tipping.

The difference, that average joe appritiate your service, vs. rich/high-so Thai thinks it is his right, try to handle you as a servant, not a service person.

[Donnie Brasco]

Most likely the results are from data (as stated) on credit card payments made in Thailand... including resort and high end foreign guests, as there is so much of that here, the numbers are believable in context.

" nearly 8,000 respondents in the Asia-Pacific region".....

come to think of it, there is only about 3 billion people falling into this region, and there you go, 8000 of them represent what, like 20+ countries?

yay, another comprehensive study.

again, with few exceptions, from the region only HK Chinese and Singaporians are where in general one can hope decent tip, and I am talking about the high-end....lower than that, forget Asia as a whole.

Had the "luck" to serve many high positioned and/or rich Thai, former prime minister, Singha family, SET listed company's director, TV show host, police general...( non within Thailand)

An average joe US blue collar worker can beat any of them, day in day out when comes to tipping.

The difference, that average joe appritiate your service, vs. rich/high-so Thai thinks it is his right, try to handle you as a servant, not a service person.

In five words : "handle you as a servant" you have encapsulated the root cause of social discord in this country.

This disgusting trait and that of handling you as a mark or handling you as a fool are the three basic elements of Thai rudeness.

May I use "handle you like a servant"'in the political discussions that occasionally rear their ugly heads on these boards ?

Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[toybits]

The only tips I see Thais leave are with bar girls, sometimes placing them where a gentleman would not touch a woman... BS article...

[quagmirefg]

Thai's rarely if ever use a Credit Card to pay for a meal.

So the customers refered to as Tiping via a Credit Card are Tourists

Thai's certainly would not trust that a server would get the "Tip" if they added it to their Credit Card Bill.

So if they did pay for a meal with a Credit Card they would give the Server in cash money a measely typical Thai Style Tip of 20 - 100 baht at the most.

[fatdrunkandstupid]

Does anyone hand over a credit card for grub in LOS...........

Not everyone eats in the 99Baht BBQ.

99THB BBQ are now 249THB in Patong...