Tipping in Thailand

Old Feb 20th, 2007, 09:39 PM
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If a Japanese guy from Tokyo went to a restaurant in Boston would it be ok if he didn't leave a tip?
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Old Feb 21st, 2007, 05:53 AM
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"ROS is largely patronized by westerners and especially americans so the staff has become accustomed to tips for everything..." - precisely my point. You're changing the culture.

"if a maid or roomman in a hotel in DC delivered something to your room wouldn't you tip him something?? so why would it be any different in bkk," Bangkok is in Thailand. Why should the culture and customs be the same as they are in the US? Don't you go there partly because it IS different?

From a Budget Travel Online piece on how not to be an Ugly American, on over tipping:

"Monica Francois Marcel, of consulting firm Language & Culture Worldwide, says nobody tips as much as Americans (and that isn't always commendable). "It gets at the economics of a country," she says. "A taxi driver could easily interpret your tip as flaunting your wealth." Marcel recommends asking a concierge to explain local expectations, and then tipping the concierge the proper amount. Of course, undertipping is never a great idea, either. "

If I sound a little shrill on this subject it's partly that I believe strongly in "when in Rome" - I appreciate the diversity! And partly that I was recently in a car accident (NOT my fault) and the painkillers are giving me indigestion.

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Old Feb 21st, 2007, 07:24 AM
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cilla, the chinese invented tipping?? wow! which part, the tipper or tippee? lol.

talk about culture, i have dined in many chinese restaurants in alhambra ca., and tipping by the local chinese is almost non-existant, or they tip nominally(very nominally).

so, it seems to me that they bring their no tipping culture here to our tip happy country. so this when in rome theory apparently doesn't apply, at least in the chinese section of alhambra(very large chinese population in alhambra). .

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Old Feb 21st, 2007, 11:29 AM
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thursdaysd, I think you are on target.

You can tip too much. There is a point where you become a rich foreigner throwing his money around. I think it is a bit condescending, too. These are not people living off of our charity. They have jobs.
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Old Feb 21st, 2007, 12:38 PM
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Count me in with the "when in Rome" crowd.

It seems to me that tipping in the US has very little to do wth rewardng people for great service and a great deal to do with the fact that the tippee receives at best only a pathetic, derisory wage. No tips, no eat. This is evident insofar as waiters are routinely tipped for providing good, not great, service - and tell me why you'd employ someone who provided less than good service?

How many time sdoes it have to be pointed out that North American employment customs are NOT followed in most of the rest of the world?

Surely, to take this habit with you in defiance of local conditions and customs is plain arrogance and a species of cultural imperialism.
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Old Feb 21st, 2007, 01:48 PM
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I also try to adhere to the "when in Rome..." but I have to confess, coming from America, it really goes against my conditioning to not leave a tip and I find it very difficult to do, so I usually leave a nominal tip where one is not expected. The only places I haven't left any tip and didn't feel too bad about it is at bars in the UK and Australia. I once read that you NEVER leave tips there and got the feeling it would be insulting to do so. If that's changed please tell me as I plan on spending a month in OZ in November!

I also have no problem leaving a crappy tip, or none at all, when service stinks, especially in the U.S. While I normally leave 18-20% at restaurants, more if service is really good, I have no trouble leaving 10% for bad service or less if the service is truly awful. I almost never leave no tip because then the waiter/waitress may think I just forgot. I'd rather leave a quarter or 30 cents, then they're sure to get it.
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Old Feb 21st, 2007, 11:04 PM
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laurieco, you definitely don't have to tip bar staff in Australia, although if there's a tip jar you can throw some loose change in it. That's more common in coffee shops though. In restaurants I've been known to tip a few dollars, depending how full of the milk of human kindness I am after the first bottle of red. If you don't, you can take comfort in the fact that you won't be Robinson Crusoe.

"I have no trouble leaving 10% for bad service" - that tends to confirm that tipping in North America isn't a reward for exceptional service but an act of charity. No offence, but I thought that went out in Victorian England.
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Old Feb 22nd, 2007, 04:22 AM
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Way off the track of Tipping in Thailand, but I thought I would jump in about the above comment and tipping in the United States. The staff that usually receives tips is almost wholly dependent upon a reliable tip income source. There are many restaurants that pay a very low salary in anticipation of a considerable tip income for its waitstaff. The prices on the menus are set because of the expectation of a stream of tip income. If this income were not constant, the price of a meal would jump considerably to allow for much higher wages for the waitstaff. It is in this context that we are often confused when visiting an economy that operates in a different fashion. Fortunately, the worst that can happen is that we overtip. Perhaps this is not a great tragedy.
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Old Feb 22nd, 2007, 09:08 AM
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Gpanda - I live in the US, so I totally understand the difficulty of temporarily abandoning the habit of US-style tipping (however much I dislike the system) when traveling. I agree that an occasional incident of over-tipping, or tipping at all in non-tipping countries, is an embarrassment rather than a disaster.

But, I read Bob's posts as defending US-style tipping in other countries as a matter of policy - something he would always do, rather than something that might happen by accident. It is that intentional exporting of American customs to other countries to which I'm objecting.

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Old Feb 22nd, 2007, 10:47 AM
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When in Rome, never do as Bob would do. I don't ever try to deduce Bob's motivation. It would just make my head hurt. Having spent eight (endless) days with him in BKK, I can assure you that his cultural imperialism is more literary than factual.
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Old Feb 22nd, 2007, 11:40 AM
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thursdaysd - It was hawaiiantraveler more than bob who quote his ridiculous tipping practices in Thailand "Maids I usually give it to them personally and it's 5 to 10 dollars(5 star hotels) per day"



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Old Feb 22nd, 2007, 11:46 AM
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I have no problem with tipping in the U.S. or elsewhere when it is the custom. It is just part of the cost of the meal and in the U.S. it all goes into the same box on a W-2 statement "Wages, tips, and other compensation". A waiter might get a low hourly rate, but that does not mean that his compensation is "pitiful". I'd wager that a good waiter in a nice restaurant would make a good bit more in Chicago vs a comparable place in Sydney.

Gpanda put it into perspective. It is not a disaster to overtip.

I had considered at one point that it didn't matter what the local tipping custom was, it was my custom and I would practice it.

It can be an embarassment. At the Hilton Otaru in Japan I tried to tip a hotel guy but he was embarassed and tried to refuse, but I more or less forced it on him. That was in Hokkaido, way up north.

At the Nagoya Hilton, which gets many more US tourists than Otaru, the guy showed me to my room, explained a few things, and then stood there. As if I was going to give him a tip. I just opened the door and showed him out. Might have said "this is Japan, no tipping", but I don't remember for sure. That guy was embarassed too, because he knew that I knew he broke the local custom.

I've also considered tipping as a gift, for extra service, but not as a form of charity. The maids at the ROS have it pretty good, relatively speaking, if you think about it compared to what other people in Bangkok do for money.

If I went to China again I would not tip. I understand that it is not the custom. Also, have read that they think that tippers are crazy for handing over extra money after the price was agreed on. Would not want to be considered crazy.

So I just look at tipping as a business transaction (unless someone has really done something special). And except in Vegas where it is pretty much just bribery.
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Old Feb 22nd, 2007, 02:05 PM
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WOW!!!!

Let's see.......according to a very few from one specific culture "over tipping" is defined in this thread as arrogance, condescending,cultural imperialism, an embarrassment,a self-aggrandizing idiot, latter-day King Cophetua,Ugly Americans,charity, etc.

Again as I said I think tipping is very much a cultural thing. Pretty obvious from the different types of answers from the different cultures that have answered.

I think WE ALL take our cultural habits with us and spread them WHEREVER WE ALL travel, it's inevitable. We also take home some cultural gifts from the different countries that we visit.That's one of the treasures I enjoy most.

Aloha!
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Old Feb 22nd, 2007, 02:30 PM
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yeah, so, is the Krakow Sheraton a good place to stay?
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Old Feb 22nd, 2007, 03:19 PM
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mrw,

Nice hotel right in the heart of the town and shopping area. There is a bell tower(forgot name),the cathedral and Wavel(sp) square in the immediate vicinity. Deluxe rooms are smallish but adequate for the price we paid, included breakfast.

Might still be a little cool in April as the hotel is right along a river(which is very scenic)so pack your jacket. We would definitely stay there again and stay longer than the 2 days and 1 night that we were there.

Didn't tip the maid there though as we checked out too soon.

Beautiful city, you'll love it!

Aloha!
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Old Feb 22nd, 2007, 03:43 PM
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Great, thanks, I am looking forward to it. My nephew visited Krakow back in his college days. He (Mike) and his buddy went different directions one day. Mike saw an ad at a store for tour guide and when he asked about it was told that they don't have the tour unless they have three people. So he bought thre tickets. His tour guide was Gosia. They cancelled their church wedding in Krakow several years ago and got legally married in Pittsburgh when they found out he had to go and get ready to go to Kuwait and then invade Iraq. After Iraq he went to Korea. Now they have both been at their jobs for long enough to take some time to go to Poland and have a proper wedding. I will be best man. Will be there for a week. Maybe overnight to Zakopane.

Talk about getting OT.
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Old Feb 22nd, 2007, 09:41 PM
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Gpanda, I'm sure you're right about waiters' incomes in Chicago vs. Sydney.

I never objected to tipping in the US, because Americans obviously are entitled to their own remuneration practices. But so are the rest of us, amd I'd prefer that the custom not to be exported to Australia. That's part of a bigger argument involving the current assault by many employers (backed by our Federal Government) on Australia's long-established and I think fair system of minimum wages. I just wouldn't like to give them any more ammunition. I guess this detail illustrates the difficulty for all of us in understanding the background to local customs.

We have sometimes found it difficult to "read" local custom once you get away from restaurants, especially as we've had conflicting advice from Americans themselves. Example: in Oregon you can't pump your own gas. The second time I bought gas I got a dirty look from the attendant as I drove off and thought "Oh, jeez, I forgot to tip!" Then an Oregonian told me she never tipped at gas stations. I remain confused.

My major regret though is that we actually did once tip 15%, out of habit, for very poor service. That was in Canada. I ended up wondering how common it is that people feel intimidated into tipping bad waiters?

On the other hand - if the tips are shared with the kitchen staff, and the food is good, why penalise them for the waiter's sins? It's a bloody minefield!

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Old Feb 23rd, 2007, 02:01 AM
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A minefield indeed!
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Old Feb 23rd, 2007, 03:47 AM
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The question started as tipping in Thailand.
I certainly don't like tipping where I am really expected to whether good service or not, I think it is down to the individual, qwhen I have service from people who I know are not paid well then I am happy to spread some tips around.
My Thai family relations 'do' tip in certain places and often when we go out together for big family meals I often see brother-in-law, Uncles etc tipping waiting staff quite well. But it is I suppose more in the way of a 'gift' than a tip ( if that makes 'any sense at all' ! )
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Old Feb 23rd, 2007, 06:10 AM
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Neil,

Thanks for explaining, I now understand your point clearly.

In Oregon I may be wrong but the attendant might have been trying to give you service rather than expecting anything from you.

In the states some gas stations still have full service lanes along with the self service lanes

. It is usually the lane next to the storefront. The gas at the pumps in full service lanes are more expensive than the self service lanes to offset the service that the person performs while pumping the gas for you, filling and checking all fluids, air, etc. in your car.

In the good old days they used to do all that for free.

You are right it is a minefield out there, tread lightly.

Aloha!
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