Do you tip?

[Gandalf]

Reading this article got me thinking about tipping....

Job fears over new tipping laws - Yahoo! News UK

I live in a culture where tipping is not the norm. You don't leave a tip for taxi drivers or in restaurants here. It's just not the done thing. In fact, I'm a little bit worried about my vacation home next year because I plan on doing a fair bit of travelling and I'm really not up on what is normal tipping behaviour anymore. In fact part of me resents the idea of tipping. That waiter should be paid by the boss, and me paying for my food should be more than enough all things considered. But I'm sure everybody is expecting a tip. And taxis in the UK are so expensive. Why on earth are people expected to tip on top of the already ludicrous fare prices? I think I prefer the way things are here in this respect.

What are your views on tipping?

[sonny78]

Yep but only for good service

I fucking hate when service charge in automatically on the bill at a restaurant

I tip at the pub on every round but only expect 20-50p

at least 10% in a restaurant if the service is good

Never in a cab, Never in a hairdressers

[BIG H]

I tip about 10% in a restaurant or Hairdressers (if I am happy with the service) usually give about an extra £1.00 in a taxi

[HattonTheHammer]

only if she swallows

[VictorCharlie]

I've never lived anywhere where I would use a taxi regularly so I can't speak on that and I cut my own hair. I do tip very well for good service at bars and restaurants though. Good service for a waiter will earn a minimum of 15% from me and I usually tip at least a 50 cents to a dollar every time I order a drink maybe more if I am ordering multiple drinks. I know the concept is a bit odd for people in countries that don't do it but it is a very important part of the food and beverage industry here in the U.S. The market is very saturated and a owner/manager has to put a premium on good service. By having servers make more than 90% of their wages from tips it lets the business keep its overhead lower and offer a much more competitive price for their goods. It also rewards hard work and motivates the server to give the best they can. As a former bartender and bar manager I really can't imagine what I would have had to pay to keep my best people not to mention what I would have to charge the customer to offset the increase in overhead. Not sure what its like in other countries but typically bartenders and waitstaff are college and highschool students who can only work a few hours a day and need the compensation to pay bills while they attend school. I look at it as paying the owner for the product and the server for the convenience which in turn provides me with a cheaper product and better service.

[killersheep]

I tip pretty generously as long as common courtesy is shown usually about 30%. It may seem like a high amount but I don't go out into situations where a tip is necessary often.

[OumaFan]

Of course at places to eat. If you get just normal service or better and don't tip at a restaurant here than that's pretty shitty. Waiters don't get paid anything substantial at all hourly really, its just tips. The rare few times I'll take a cab I'll tip, and haircuts. But restaurants are the main thing. In fact I'll call serious bullshit on somebody if they don't tip at a restaurant where the service has been ok, that's crap IMO. Now in other cultures where the waiters are paid regular wages, fine.

[Spicoli]

Try to base on service and personality.Sort of like when you look for a check out line in the store.I dont look at how many are ahead of me or their items...try to size up the cashier.Are they looking at their nails and trying to text with the left hand...having attitude.Or are they fluid,checking the rear of line and you know....actually keeping pace,working.

Cabbies with shite taxis,broken window latches and that "who really gives two shits" conversation I just round up/down to the dollar.....all Waiters and table jockys are tipped.....Pizza delivery is different.The very young people get the least....some 40ish plugger just hanging on and probally going home to entrenched grief I tip pretty well.

"others"...cough.No comment.Had a crazy clash driving home from Katrina evacuation.Hey,just realized I made it so went sort of crazy at the Holiday Inn on the city outskirts prior to driving in.