I'd say it's a bad thing.

Hi spark
I at least answered your question about being upset if you tip.
In French 'je m'en tape ´ = I don't give a rat.
But yes tipping by U.S. In Paris means French are taking the money and thinking 'another dumb american'. But we prefer that to the one who complains about everything and leaves no tip of course.

Ker, my old cousins did the same in provincial Belgium but they are all dead now. No more tipping in the family.

"Meanwhile, most of my country cousins go to a restaurant on just one day a year -- Mother's Day. This of course does not count many meals eaten at the cafeteria at Cora, Auchan, Hyper U, etc."

And?

I suspect that no one tips in supermarket restaurants.

"And?"

It looks like we have a great candidate for <i>Miss Pisse-Vinaigre"</i> on the France board. ;-)

Kerouac : When one has nothing to say, one often resorts to personal attacks. I would have thought you were above that.

He is above that.

You definitely are a pisse-vinaigre on this thread, P.

And ?

I also agree that the Fodors mantra that you don't tip in Europe is wrong. The difference is it is entirely discretionary, and most people will leave a small amount to show their appreciation if they were happy with he service, but equally won't if they weren't. You don't have to and there is no universally agreed amount or percentage. In restaurants that have a service charge pre-added to the bill, you wouldn't add any tip at all.

I don't think it's a hard concept to get your head round tbh. It's exactly what it says it is - a tip at your own discretion to show appreciation for good service.

And? On t'a sonné, whathello?

Some of these posters take any and every opportunity to post anti American insults--and some of them are expats, which, if you know any expats, should not surprise you.

It's comical as well as predictable. And never helpful to the poor posters seeking actual advice, because these fools have dig themselves into the position that Europeans do not tip, which is simply untrue, as RM says.

Fortunately, perusing the tipping threads of just the last few weeks would yield a good list of whom to ignore, on this subject at least.

Europeans do not tip, which is simply untrue, as RM says>

Well yes they do but don't feel a need to do so- the real meaning of a tip - for good service not a perfunctory handout.

Not sure how RM can say whether the common German or Frenchie or Italino tips much at all - highend restaurants are the vast minority of eateries - I do know that most ordinary French I know - a couple of dozen that no one tips and every time I try to leave loose change many chastise me - 'oh you rich Americans throwing your money around.'

Some French tip most I think do not - ditto for Europeans coming from a Service Added On to the bill country.

Britain seems different and I see folks routinely tipping in pubs, cafes, etc but then service is not always included in their bills either.

Coronation Street, an excellent window into real blue collar English culture, has just about everyone tipping - like keep the change, etc. even in chippies and kabob stands, hair dressers, taxis even the newsstand.

TIPPING GUIDELINES IN EUROPE AS I SEE THEM IN YEARS OF TRAVEL

There is rarely a tip expected from locals (but folks may see 'rich' Americans as a source of a nice gratuity and work for it) - especially in nicer places.

If service is included then no need for a large tip - a few euros or at least round up the bill.

Sometimes wait folks are even insulted by tips - rarely but I've seen this happen.

Tour guides usually IMO often have their hands extended at the end of the tour and Europeans do seem to tip these - maybe because they are volunteers depending on tips.

Group tours may even require tips or highly encourage them in their brochures and not just a euro or two at the end of the trip. Probably because tour guides may depend on them for the wages?

Not long ago there was a rather heated discussion of tipping on Rabies Tours in Scotland with one 'expert' claiming it was not done - yet the tour brochure said about tipping - 'well yes our guides love tips' - kind of encouraging folks to tip - so I think on guided tours tipping is routine. and maybe guides depend on them?

taxis I'm not familiar with rarely having taken one ever in Europe but I think Europeans do tip here more than at restaurants.

I have never tipped in any restaurant with Service Included except a few lose coins left on the bill plate.

Hotels - in the cheap dives I stay in and campsites I have never left a tip but again I do not know what Europeans do there - my French friends do not.

Street buskers - musicians - Europeans love to give them tips - much more than in the States IME even if just walking by - to encourage music in the street my friends say.

So I think it seems tipping various from the venue but there are few things where tipping is expected.

rM says you don't tip on restaurants that have a service charge - which means 100% of the restaurants in france.

Maybe we should ask for credentials here ?
I eat in france 100 times in restaurants and o never tip
Surely some waiters would have told me tips were expected ?
But you are all welcome to ignore me - some people will never accept what others say.

Pvoyageuse
Je vous saurai gré de me vouvoyer.
Nous n'avons pas gardé les cochons ensemble dans une de ces contrées reculées d'où vous semblez venir.

Pal, will you not scold them for sniping, even though they do so in French?

Throwing money around gives Americans and others a bad reputation- the old rich American thing. do as you see Europeans do.

Non voyageuse.
Saurai car vous auriez dû avoir l'intelligence de comprendre que je ne vous demandais pas votre avis.

Et de fait vous continuez à me tutoyer ce qui m'irrite.

RM67,

Your comment is too reasonable for this discussion.

Pal, will you not scold them for sniping, even though they do so in French?>

Well they are French or francophones so why try? But both of them have proven to be really nice posters IME who are probably just jiving each other (though I don't know as my French is not that good - actually it sucks! Chacun a son gout!

Just wondering if the arbitrary rules of engagement are applied arbitrarily.

But sniping in French sharpens my rusty French, so I hope they carry on.

NewBe : snipping at a gadfly? No, just chasing it away ! :-)

The queen of endless correction even when things are not incorrect has spoken.

All that matters is that she gets the last word.

This hurts. I have drawn a couple of black flowers on my new white sneaks.

dsevig,

There are cultural differences from one country to another in Europe. This tip thing might be one.

I allways tip.

Coronation street is certainly not an exemplar for UK spending habits, even P must understand that it is "fiction" ;-)

The habit has been introduced by contaminated by the Amercanisation of London. I think Monty Python had a good sketch on this.

I have only once in my life tipped in a pub (where they sorted out a fight/vomit event).

fight/vomit event - shudder!

whathello, thank you so much for the bottle of DEUS. We have opened it in honor of this thread. It's quite delicious. A bientôt!

What I have learned today on Fodor's:

When you are insulting someone in French, always use the formal "vous".

Unfortunately, my French is probably not good enough to put this into practice. I can do the vous part all right, but I need to learn more about the insults. Of course if this keeps up, I might be able to learn as much as I need right here.

Actually, when you want to be very nasty and scornful of the other person, you use "tu." That would indicate that we have one polite person here and one who is not polite, at least on the subject in question.

Never change, Fodorgarchs.

bil: >>vincenzo ;-)
tell you what, guess!<<

Well, besmirching another's continent with my cargo cult practices is one of the main reasons I travel. I thought it was expected. I think I read that in a Rick Steves book.

(With any luck, that last comment will set someone off about Rick Steves.)

I'm off to have breakfast in a restaurant. I so enjoy having the waitstaff grovel like feudal serfs for the few coins I toss at them.

vinc, vai bene! :-)

Et tu kerouac!

<i>When you are insulting someone in French, always use the formal "vous". </i>

Calling someone <i>Miss Pisse-Vinaigre</i> is not insulting as long as you use the formal "vous".

Another piece for my "funniest-threads-ever"-collection!

Threads about tipping always go like this. And threads about "what-to-wear".

When it comes to tipping, listen to the locals offering advice.

In Switzerland: just round up the bill. If it's 48.50, then round it up to 49 or 50, depending on how satisfied you were with the service.

Service staff are not highly paid and appreciate getting a bit extra. However, tipping is not mandatory so if you don't tip, you may be seen as a cheapskate but just for a one fleeting moment.