Just a quick (and probably silly) question on tipping in Paris:<BR><BR>When giving a tip, do you do it in the German manner: saying the next round number above the price quoted, or using whatever the Franch equivalent of the phrase &quot;stimmt so&quot; (equivalent to &quot;keep the change&quot.<BR><BR>OR do you do it in the British/Irish way: hand over the money, take your change, and then hand over some coins afterwards.<BR><BR>OR does it even matter?<BR><BR>Just wondering so I don't make a COMPLETE idiot of myself when trying to tip.<BR><BR>Thanks.

Hi,<BR><BR> It doesn't matter. <BR><BR>

Thanks ira! I was pretty sure it wouldn't matter, but I still have memories of being glared at in Germany for handing over coins instead of rounding up!!<BR><BR>

It's not really necessary to tip, as 15% of your bill is for service anyway, but many people do round up the amount and leave a few coins on the table after paying. If you feel you've gotten extra special service, it's fine to leave more than just the rounded-up amount, but it's not expected.<BR>I always tip the taxi drivers in Paris, though, because they seem to do such a good job of finding creative ways to get me where I'm going as fast as possible, even if there are horrible traffic conditions, or strikes, or whatever.

Hi Viola,<BR><BR> How much extra did you leave? A very small extra is worse than nothing.<BR><BR> At a place in Cologne, we had a very poor waiter. I paid the bill and handed him one pfennig extra.<BR><BR> He glared at me and said, &quot;Dank. F�r nichts&quot;. I replied, &quot;Ja. Es ist f�r nicht&quot;.

If you plan to tip in a restaurant, wouldn't you just leave it on the table anyway? I don't usually tip in France, but if I do, I leave it on the table when I leave just as I do everywhere else in the world. I don't hand people tips directly in restaurants.<BR><BR>I do tip cabdrivers a bit if they are good, and I do whatever is most convenient, just as I would at home -- if I have the amount with tip included without getting change, I hand it to him and say &quot;that's for you&quot; (in French) or something similar. If I need change in order to give what I want as a tip, I get the change first and then give him or her the tip.<BR><BR>I didn't know there were tipping rules but Germans can be grumpy about anything

If we are taking your comments literally, it is my understanding that French folks do not like handling money. They prefer you to leave it in a tray or on the table. This includes making purchases, at least at small grocers, deli, boulangerie, etc - there is always a small tray by the cash register.

Has anyone here ever WAITED tables (and willing to admit it?)??? Believe me, wait persons KNOW the kind of service they are delivering and anyone who &quot;glares&quot; at you because of the tip is probably doing the &quot;intimidation number.&quot; Now, we are assuming here that you DO tip as warranted by the amount of service rendered..and I won't even start in on the how much do you tip in addition to the one already added to the bill issue. <BR>Bottom line: tip as you feel the service was rendered and don't be a cheapskate...it'll take you a while to spend the same amount in tips aas you spent on that CD you just bought.

In the story I told about Germany, I certainly tipped an appropriate amount (I was a waitress in Germany, and was well aware of the right amount to tip). It was actually the manner of tipping that seemed to offend the waiter - giving him change instead of rounding up. I'm not entirely sure why it would have bothered him (it certainly never bothered me when I was waitressing).

I was just wondering if there was a general practice in France - I'm sure to make some huge language and cultural mistakes, and was hoping to minimise them by at least knowing how to tip.

Two days to go ....

Hi violagirl,

I didn't mean to imply that you were a cheapskate.

How is giving the waiter the change different from rounding up to the next Euro?

Perhaps he thought you should round up to the next 10?

Ira wrote:
[How is giving the waiter the change different from rounding up to the next Euro? ]

I haven't a clue! But it seemed to cause a problem. I suppose its just one of these things that is done in different ways in different places. Having been a waitress (and having had to practically live on my tips!) I'm just very conscious of tipping properly, but subtly. And I really hate just leaving money on the table when I leave - I've seen too many customers move to the table and pick up the change before the waiter gets there!!

I suppose I'll just go with whatever feels right at the time.

[Perhaps he thought you should round up to the next 10?]

Do you know ... maybe he did