Tipping advice
 

Hi,

We will be travelling to the States from Australia next week. I would like to ask some advice re tipping. As you probably know, we don't tip in Australia because law legislates how much the minimum wage is, so there is not the need, though some do still tip.
So, I am not wanting to get into a discussion about why there is tipping in the US, I understand why and we merely want to follow the etiquette and tip appropriately.

I have no idea HOW MUCH to tip. This is where I seek direction. I figure the main times we need to know about are: taxis, hotel/motel staff like the room cleaners, door people, porters; waiters in both restaurants and motels (is there a different expectation?); guides on tours.
If you can come up with others that we may encounter in the 5 weeks we are there, I would appreciate it.

Thank you
Kym

From your own neck of the woods, it's preety spot on

http://www.traveller.com.au/a-guide-...how-much-39x1t

Don't overly research, there will be lots of posts here, I'm sure.

http://money.usnews.com/money/person...-tipping-guide

Thank you DebitNM, both the articles you referred me to were exactly what I was after. Much appreciated/

Here tipping of taxi drivers and wait staff is 20% of the fare or bill (but you don;t tip on tax - only food and beverage). Hotel bellman get a couple of $ an dup - depending on how much luggage they deal with.

We leave the maid $3/$4 per night in the room - with a separate tip for spcial requests (want no feather pillow, etc).

If there is valet parking tip a couple of $.

Tips for tours depends on the length and type of tour (you don't tip docents who work IN a venue) but do tip guides that you hire separately - or if you join a multi-venue guided tour. You tip per person and may be a couple of $ up to $20 or more if it's a lengthy private tour just for your family.

Note that 20% is the norm in New York, not everywhere in the country. Not everyone tips maids, either, and not at nyt's rate if they do. I tip on top of tax, but that is yet another discussion....

If you found what you needed from the above, my tip is to stop reading, or you'll only get inundated by advice and confused!

Oregon is the only place you tip to fill you car up with gas. This is an entire other subject

<i>Oregon is the only place you tip to fill you car up with gas.</i>

I only tip those guys when I get special service--such as a window washing.

<i>,,,my tip is to stop reading, or you'll only get inundated by advice and confused!</i>

Indeed. I would claim being an uninformed tourist from Australia. Americans love a foreign accent.

HTtY

The US News article is pretty exhaustive and should give you everything you need.

<i>Americans love a foreign accent.</i>

Except waiters. They hear a foreign accent and start worrying that they are going to get stiffed on the tip. As one of the articles noted, Miami restaurants add a tip on the bill precisely because the staff were getting stiffed by foreigners.

<i>Note that 20% is the norm in New York, not everywhere in the country.</i>

I think 20% is pretty common in most major cities. I think 15% is a bit low.

<i>I tip on top of tax, but that is yet another discussion....</i>

It doesn't amount to much money anyway, so I can't be bothered to strip out the tax.

Oregon AND New Jersey require an attendant to fill your car with gas. I've never heard of people in New Jersey tipping for that. Are you suggesting most people in Oregon do?

<i>Americans love a foreign accent. Except waiters. They hear a foreign accent and start worrying that they are going to get stiffed on the tip.</i>

"Give and you will receive." -- Luke 6:38

Somebody ought to study if higher-earning waiters are the ones who are concerned about giving good service or the ones who worry about who is and who is not going to leave a good tip. I wonder if anybody ever got a bigger tip by worrying about the tip.

I wonder why anyone wonders that.

<i>I wonder why anyone wonders that.</i>

Thanks for your interest. I gave that sentence quite a bit of thought, discarding:

*Nobody ever got a bigger tip by worrying about the tip.
*I doubt that anybody ever got a bigger tip by worrying about the tip.

I worded the sentence as I did in hopes that those who worry about tips will join me in pondering if the worry achieves the desired goal. I was hoping to free some of the burden of worry, which is an unpleasant state of being.

Merry Christmas, HTtY

See if you can download a tipping app to your phone. Just enter the amount of the bill (less sales tax), determine the per cent you want to pay (I usually go 18% and 20% for special service) and it will calculate your total for you. Alternatively, a small pocket calculator will be handy as it's often hard to figure the amounts in your head.

http://www.androidheadlines.com/2013...ping-apps.html

<I>Somebody ought to study if higher-earning waiters are the ones who are concerned about giving good service or the ones who worry about who is and who is not going to leave a good tip. I wonder if anybody ever got a bigger tip by worrying about the tip.</I>

I would think that those seeking to maximize their tips will work every angle. When I waited tables, you'd make nice to managers and the hosts/hostesses to make sure you got the highest potential customers steered to your tables. People with accents got sent to the low man/woman on the totem poll.

Yes, this is why many cab drivers in NYC are hesitant to pick up obviously foreign tourists - they are afraid they won't be tipped. And since they now have to take CCs (and pay the percentage for it) the tips are extra important.

<i>When I waited tables, you'd make nice to managers and the hosts/hostesses to make sure you got the highest potential customers steered to your tables. People with accents got sent to the low man/woman on the totem poll.</i>

It distresses me to suppose that when I go out for lunch today I may be in the company of people who behave in this way.

HTtY

HTTY, if that thought distresses you, try not to think about it. But I can assure you every time you go out to eat, you are being "judged" or "sized up". It's one of those "not usually talked about" things in the restaurant business, but it happens all the time.

We are from New Zealand and faced the same problem when we first went to the US. Just remember to check your bill to make sure the tip hasn't been added already. As someone mentioned above some places do that if they think you are from another country!!!. Happen to us once. I only tipped 15% in most restaurants. Left $ 2 on the pillow for the maid each night.

What confused us was waiting at the table to pay the bill. The waiter drops the bill off in a billfold, you put your credit card in that, he comes to collect it and then brings it back. That's when we add the tip which seems strange as you would think you would add the tip before they took the card away initially. They then take it away again and add the tip, but don't take your credit card again. Very confusing.

Here in NZ we normally go to the bar, or desk by the door to pay the bill, we don't just wait for it at the table.

Born and raised here in OR, and I have never tipped for gas and do not know anyone from here that does that.