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10 tips on tipping
by James Wysong

I find it interesting that airline passengers are starting to tip their flight attendants. While we are not supposed to take gratuities, many flight attendants do. Is it just an airborne extension of the service economy, or are passengers feeling sorry for our recent wage cuts? As a flight attendant, I find it puzzling. If you’re a passenger and I am charging you $5 for a Bud Light or $10 for a measly sandwich, I certainly don’t expect a tip.

Now, I travel every week, and if I tipped every time I was supposed to, I would be in the poorhouse. Consider the rundown:

> I start the day and the airport shuttle driver gets a tip.

> I get a coffee and there is a tips jar out for the “barista.” (I thought it was a spare-change jar for needed pennies until someone yelled at me for pilfering from it.)

> A tip for the bus ride to the hotel.

> One to the concierge when I ask for directions, another to the porter as he gets me a cab and another to the cab driver.

> I have a drink and the bartender gets his; at the restaurant both the host and waiter get theirs.

> If I am at a fancy restaurant, a tip is extended to the attendant in the restroom (who always makes me feel uneasy).

> Another tip to a cab driver on the way back to the hotel, and can someone tell me when I was supposed to start tipping the hotel maids?

Don’t get me wrong. I believe in gratuities, but keep in mind the original intent, which was to reward good service. Have you ever been treated shabbily and tipped 15 percent anyway? I’ll bet you have. Maybe I am from the old school, but I tip according to the quality of service and have no problem leaving nothing when it is horrible. I have been bluntly asked about a small tip by a waiter, and I had no hesitation explaining myself in detail. It kind of takes the joy out of the evening, but I feel strongly about it.

Tipping overseas is a different matter. In some places it is customary, in others it isn’t, while in a few places, the tip is automatically added to your bill. (Correct me if I am wrong, but doesn’t that totally defeat the purpose of the tip? If it is added to the bill no matter what, what’s the incentive for good service?)

I remember going on a 14-day cruise and having a blast. When it was over, the “Suggested Tips” sheet was passed around and, wow, I was quickly educated on the big world of cruise tipping.

Here are a few guidelines on tipping when traveling abroad.

1. Don’t go overboard. What seems like a little to you might be a fortune to others. If you are in a poorer country, be sure you know the customary amounts. The locals actually get angry with big tippers for disrupting the economy and their own expectations.

2. Break it up. Keep small bills handy and don’t use the lame but popular pilot excuse, “I only have big bills.”

3. Hand deliver. Give the tip directly to the person who gave you the outstanding service. Do this even though tips are often pooled and redistributed to employees at the end of the day. That way you know the server has understood your appreciation of the service.

4. Speak through your tip. If you get good service, tip well, if you don’t then don’t, but be prepared to explain if a server approaches you to ask why.

5. Check the fine print. A favorite waiter trick is to fail to inform a group that a 15 percent gratuity will be added to the bill automatically (this is often the case for groups of five or more). The result, of course, is a big, fat, double tip.

6. Run a tab. If you keep a tab going with the bartender and tip only at the end, you will usually save a bundle.

7. Don’t flash the cash. When you are abroad, don’t try to impress the locals with overgenerous tips and big bills. These will only make you a candidate for criminal attention.

8. Take no for an answer. If someone refuses your gratuity, don’t press it. Understand that not everyone is kind just for the money. A big smile could be just the tip they need.

9. Go with your gut. Deep inside, you know when it feels right to give a tip. Remember that some workers depend on tips. Don’t stiff them.

10. My personal tipping quirk. I always tip street musicians as I believe the world needs more music.

The following are countries where it is not customary to tip: Australia, China, Japan and New Zealand.

The following are places where a smaller tip is expected: South America, Italy (usually assessed as a cover charge), Germany (round up when you get change) and England (10 percent at restaurants, and buy the bartender a beer at the pub).

The following countries expect a good tip: Canada, Egypt, Mexico, and the United States. France, by law, automatically adds the gratuity to your bill, which is probably why the waiters in Paris are the rudest servers I have ever experienced.

Better double-check this tipping advice because, believe it or not, I have been wrong before. And that’s one tip you can keep.

http://www.tripso.com/archives/2006/07/tiptip.html

(Wit note: I usually leave some spare colones (1000-1500) on my pillow each morning for the maid. I've had more than 1 stop me in the hall and thank me for "la propina".

Since we are on the topics of tipping,

what would you tip the bartender at BM?
what would you tip a chica for short term at ZB?
what would you tip an overnighter at BM?
what would you tip at oasis?

At Oasis, I'd still tip based on a percentage of the fee, just as I do at ZB. Even a 2,000 colones note will be appreciated in the lowest or the highest-priced MPs.

You didn't ask, but I'll tell you anyway...

Taxistas don't typically get propinas. I round the amount up to the nearest 100 colones mark, thus a 760 colones fare will net the cabbie a whopping 40 colones tip.
However... if you retain a cabbie as a guide for long trips or use him as a local guide/translator, you should tip more generously. On a trip to the Vulcan Arunel, our driver charged us $200.00 total. It turns out that the hotel where we stayed offered tour guides and chauffeurs and tour guides very low room rates. We picked up the driver's 10,000 colones room charge, much to his surprise and delight. Twenty bucks on top of a $200.00 fare. 10%, and it made the guy's week.

Hotel maids: $2.00 - $3.00 per day, more if you use a lot of towels.

Bellboys/"botones" - $1.00 per bag carried, a buck for a bucket of ice.

Barbers/beauticians - Tipping is not customary for these services, unlike the U.S. I once had a female gringa barber purposely cut my hair wrong. When I asked why, she commented that I had stiffed her on the tip my previous visit. She recut my hair after I threatened everything from notifying the corporate main office to fire bombing her car. BTW, that stunt cost her my business. I haven't had my hair cut in San Jose, but I have tipped "legitimate" massage therapists at around 10% plus cab fare if she came to my hotel. A manicurist at Hotel Don Carlos only charged me $12.00 for a complete manicure and pedicure...she got $3.00 tip/25%. She was very nice and did a great job.

Generally, we gringos are idiots about tipping. We overtip bad servers and stiff excellent servers. In Costa Rica, think small change when considering how much to tip. Remember that bars and restaurants automatically tack 10% of the F&B total to the check.

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Pura Vulva! Wandering through the dark, I am El Ciego.

This is interesting information. I'm always at a loss as to what I should tip and consequently, I think I over do it.

I don't get into too many airports, but I recently was in the Charlotte, N.C. airport and was a little surprised to see an attendant in every restroom. Of course, the attendant expected a tip every time you used it, which for me, is quite often during a several hour layover. Is this a cost saving measure by the airport......farm out the restroom maintenance to an attendant working for tips? Personally, I wasn't too pleased with it .

Another pet peeve of mine is the "tip jars" that seem to have sprung up EVERYWHERE in the past few years. Are we expected to tip EVERYONE we come in contact with ? I thought most people were paid a salary to work at these various places and this is what they get paid for.

Zebra

Yeah this tipping thing is becoming very annoying. A few months ago I felt something brushing over my shoulders while I was taking a piss in a night club. I looked back to see this restroom valet dude with a phuckin miniature broom in his hand! WTF!? He of course expected a tip for this service. Another thing... I've noticed quite a few people have become very bold about it. Actually telling people to tip them . I've heard doormen at clubs tell guys to be sure and tip the lady at the front desk. For what? Writing my name down? Charging me cover? Screw that. Lately I find myself looking at every person with a tip jar like some kind of street urchin. Actually, most street urchins are less annoying and some , like shoeshine boy, deserve more respect. I like it the way it used to be... tips for bartenders, wait-staff, & bell hops. These new free-loaders can kiss my ass....for free!

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"With foxes, we must play the fox." ~ Thomas Fuller

That's how it got started. Seems everybody has thier hand out like a bunch of beggars these days. I do it the old fashioned way and use paychecks to ensure my employees give proper service. Maybe the next time one of them gets a case of the lazy-ass I should give them a tip jar on thier way out. An empty one of course.

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"With foxes, we must play the fox." ~ Thomas Fuller

Shawn4DelRey writes:



Good for you Shawn. It's time these so-called "restaurant owners" started to pay their employees a living wage and not have them depend on the customers to support them.

To all those guys saying, "I can't afford to pay my employees a minimum wage" I say, "find another business to run." I'm tired of putting extra money in the pockets of the owners while employees struggle to meet their rent. And the lowest of the low life are those owners who split the tips among all the employees after dragging off a percentage for themselves (see Hooters, TGIF, and Appleby's to name just a few)

El Lamero

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69 isn't just a number, it's a way of life

Okay, okay... Are we done bitching about tips yet?

Whether you agree or disagree with tipping, the fact is that in Costa Rica many people depend on tips. Also, I would suggest that anyone who complains about tipping has never worked in the service industry.

We're not talking about the U.S.A. here. Let's get back to tipping customs in C.R., may we?

For whatever reason, I cannot set up a poll here, but I'd be curious to know what other guys tip at various locations and in various situations.

I've listed my habits re tipping above. What are yours?

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Pura Vulva! Wandering through the dark, I am El Ciego.

El Ciego,

My tipping pattern mirrors yours very closely.

I round up on taxis unless a tour or translation services were included.
Since 10% is added at the bars I usually add something small 5 to 8%. The exception is the sportsman which I treat as my neighborhood bar. There I usually add 10% more for the great service I get. I tip poker dealers 50 cents for a small win and a dollar for a larger one. I usually tip casino waitresses a buck for every two drinks. I do not tip doormen in CR unless I specifically ask them for help, such as calling a taxi latenight.

BKTUNA
25 days in the land of milk and honeys

At ZB I usuall tip from 5 to 10 dollars depending on service level received.
I think this is the most bang for your tipping buck. (pun intended)

I was a bartender for 3 years while in tech.school. As a guy you have a strike against you already. I would start at 5 pm, the crowd was golfers. I gave great prompt service, never an empty glass or dirty ashtray, no clutter on the table, free poured all mixed drinks with a heavy hand.Took bets, called the booky etc..Rarely got a tip at first. After all the guys got to know me and that I had tuition, rent, car payments, etc... ,they lightened up and became more generous. At the end of the month I would drop humerous hints about the rent, bills etc..Every now and then someone would just hand me a c-note and say stay in school bro. I dont make it a point to critique the service, but I know first hand what good service is. Some of the girls at the DR talk on their cell while Im sitting there with an empty glass. I have accepted the fact that things in CR are slower paced and thats fine. I tip the baggage guys at the airport, servers, cabbies and a chica if the service is good, thats about it for me. All others ,I tell them to plant their corn early.

A two dollar tip to the maid in CR goes a long way. I find that when I sleep in, I still can get the room clean even in the afternnon...

I have to disagree, I always put something in the tip jar @ the Prez in the morning. I feel that they put out a nice spread, and thus I tip.

As far as the F*cking Shoeshine boy goes that stands outside the Prez in the morning, someone needs to tell him to use some polish. It just shines the shoes better.


Whether you agree or disagree with tipping, the fact is that in Costa Rica many people depend on tips. We're not talking about the U.S.A. here.

AGREED...
Ig...

I give the maids in CR at least 10 bucks for 3 or 4 night stay. I dont tip maids while traveling in the states.

Atleast shoeshine is willing to do something besides stand there with his hand out like so many others. About the only thing lazier than standing there with your hand out is to put a tip jar on the counter. Bartenders actually work, but most people I see with a tip jar these days do not provide me with any kind of service that I should be tipping them for. It's gotten out of hand where I'm from. I'm not cheap by any means. It's just that I don't think people should get any of my money without doing something to earn it.

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"With foxes, we must play the fox." ~ Thomas Fuller

i think that most people cr expect a tip but many of them dont appreciate it.i had a conversition with a bartender once about saying thank you.she was one of the few that acutally said .that means a lot to me .i worked bars for awhile and made it a point to say thank you to every one if they tipped or not.