To tip or not to tip?

tuisginideach

murpho999 wrote: »

This seems to be the norm for many people and I don't get it.
Why tip a hairdresser but beautician only at Christmas? What's the difference?

Why tip a hairdresser and not a supermarket till operator or any retail shop assistant?
Why tip a taxi driver but not a bus or train driver?
Why tip food delivery people for food you have paid for and paid extra for delivery?
Why not tip plumbers, postmen, electricians, mechanics etc who all provide you with a service?

It's ridiculous and people need to realise that uniike the US that people earn good money here and do not depend on tips.

My Christmas tip to the beautician covers all the times I have been there in the year - no point in looking for coins/fiver with newly painted nails etc!

Presumably a public bus or train driver isn't allowed take tips? When organising minibuses /coaches for group lifts, I would always build in a tip for the drivers.

I very very rarely get food delivered to the door but if I did I would definitely tip the delivery person.

I do tip the postman - at Christmas. I am not going to run out to catch him every morning/2nd morning to tip him for delivering 1 piece of junk mail, but at Christmas I tip him to show my appreciation of the work he does in miserable conditions and of the cop-on he shows regarding whther to deliver my post/drop to neighbour/leave at house/hold til next day etc.

When the bin-collections were done by the council, my parents always tipped the binmen - it would be the same men week after week and they'd knock on the door to remind you re the bin if it wasn't out, or take extra bags that wouldn't fit in the bin. I don't get that personal service these days. I did offer the current collectors a 6-pack of beer one Christmas time but they declined so I have never offered again.

Tell the wife to catch herself on, this isn’t America and people do get wages here.

Bob24

Atlantic Dawn wrote: »

The US situation is like employers taking on slaves and asking the public to pay their salary, it's a complete joke of a system.

Plus in a properly developed country, paying people directly in cash with no invoice for that payment is considered tax evasion.

I was always of the opinion that the “showing appreciation” sugarcoating to justify the US tipping “culture” was just a way for some employers to both avoid the responsibly to provide decent employment conditions as you said and also to evade the taxman.

It it was genuinely about showing appreciation it wouldn’t be considered mandatory to give 10% to a waiter even when the service is bad - it would be 0 for bad to Ok service, and a range of a few dollars to show recognition for good to outstanding service.

Having said that, as another poster said, when in Rome do as the Romans do. But even then it is hard to tell and in some situations even the locals aren’t sure when and how much to give ...

I once boarded a cruise ship in the US and the usual process is that you leave suitcases somewhere before boarding the ship and they load all suitcases into large containers to bring them on board. As I’ve done in any other country before I left my suitcase there for a guy to grab it and place it into the container literally 2 meters away before proceeding further. And yes, he started to show his hand mumblIng “tip, tip, tip” and sounding very annoyed. It hadn’t even came across to me that you would tip for this and frankly I had no idea how much to give (I could honestly have put the suitcase in the container myself without any additional effort had he not been standing in the middle). Now, I was then told by an American passenger that those guys are on special contracts for 2 dollars an hour which don’t have to meet minimal wage, and that it is understood they are relying on tips. Of course I don’t want to be rude or to get service from slave workers which can’t put food on the table so knowing this I am tipping; but quite frankly what I find rude and inhuman in this situation is for American society and the port authority to put me and the guy in that awkward situation rather than just paying him an actual wage (and of course including the cost of his wage in what the port authority is charging the cruise line which would be reflected in passenger fares).

So as others said ... please don’t start tipping for everything and to turn ireland into the US (unless you find it OK for service workers to be paid less than peanuts by their employers, which is what excess tipping eventually leads to).

Oranage2

Bob24 wrote: »

Plus in a properly developed country, paying people directly in cash with no invoice for that payment is considered tax evasion.

I was always of the opinion that the “showing appreciation” sugarcoating to justify the US tipping “culture” was just a way for some employers to both avoid the responsibly to provide decent employment conditions as you said and also dodge the taxman.

It it was genuinely about showing appreciation it wouldn’t be considered mandatory to give 10% to a waiter even when the service is bad - it would be 0 for bad to Ok service, and a range of a few dollars to show recognition for good to outstanding service.

Having said that, as another poster said, when in Rome do as the Romans do. But even then it is hard to tell and in some situations even the locals aren’t sure when and how much to give ...

I once boarded a cruise ship in the US and the usual process is that you leave suitcases somewhere before boarding the ship and they load all suitcases into large containers to bring them on board. As I’ve done in any other country before I left my suitcase there for a guy to grab it and place it into the container literally 2 meters away before proceeding further. And yes, he started to show his hand mumblIng “tip, tip, tip” and sounding very annoyed. It hadn’t even came across to me that you would tip for this and frankly I had no idea how much to give (I could honestly have put the suitcase in the container myself without any additional effort had he not been standing in the middle). Now, I was then told by an American passenger that those guys are on special contracts for 2 dollars an hour which don’t have to meet minimal wage, and that it is understood they are relying on tips. Of course I don’t want to be rude or to get service from slave workers which can’t put food on the table so knowing this I am tipping; but quite frankly what I find rude and inhuman in this situation is for American society and the port authority to put me and the guy in that awkward situation rather than just paying him an actual wage (and of course including the cost of his wage in what the port authority is charging the cruise line which would be reflected in passenger fares).

So as others said ... please don’t start tipping for everything and to turn ireland into the US (unless you find it OK for service workers to be paid less than peanuts by their employers, which is what excess tipping eventually leads to).

Similar happened to me in the states, went to the bar and ordered two bottles of beers, the barman opened the fridge beside him, no need to even take a step, opened the beers, handed them to me and said 10 dollars, I paid and as I was walking away he say 'really appreciate that', I was gobsmacked that he actually wanted a tip for that.

I tip no one for anything, saves any confusion. Tipping people who are paid to do a job, an idiotic concept.

ForestFire

Tip the oil man... No

Tip for Food delivery.... Maybe, but never use this service as I would normally collect.

Taxi... No

Tip for cafes, most resterauts at daytime... No

Tips for an evening sit down 3 course meal... Yes

Only other tip I can think of is the postman at christmas, but that's because we get a lot of deliveries, amazon, pet food, throughout the year and it is well looked after.

If a waitress came after me to complain about a tip, I would say service has suddenly taken a downturn and request my original tip back....

o1s1n

Oranage2 wrote: »

Similar happened to me in the states, went to the bar and ordered two bottles of beers, the barman opened the fridge beside him, no need to even take a step, opened the beers, handed them to me and said 10 dollars, I paid and as I was walking away he say 'really appreciate that', I was gobsmacked that he actually wanted a tip for that.

Meant to tip a dollar per drink, it's absolutely ridiculous.

Seamai

No, I wouldn't tip an oil delivery man, I think people need to be careful throwing their money around, it creates expectations down the road.
The first time I was in New York I ordered two bottles of beer in a bar, handed the barman a $20 bill and was handed back 10 singles and some small change and told "you'll be needing those for tips" I was shocked at his brass neck and drank by beer and left without leaving a tip.

Away With The Fairies

I don't tip, we're not like America, people get paid here. I do get my hair cut in a hairdressing college and I save so much by having a student cut my hair, I will tip the student for cutting my hair though because with the haircut and tip, it's still cheaper than going to a regular hairdresser.

suicide_circus

sometimes the tip is all it takes

o1s1n

o1s1n wrote: »

Meant to tip a dollar per drink, it's absolutely ridiculous.

The expectation is now 15/20% for drinks now too rather than the dollar a drink thing from what I’ve seen over there.

Be doing well to get a beer for less than 8 dollars now so the tip amount has gone up.

The US is my favorite place to travel to on holidays (or for business) but I just can’t stand the tipping culture.

Neames

The expectation for tips in Ireland has gone through the roof these days.

Are we all rich now?

Cypher_sounds

Tip someone for doing their job? In Ireland? Not usually and very rarely.

However I have previously on the very odd occasion if I feel someone has gone out of their way and provided an incredible service with a smile and if I’m feeling charitable.

Seamai

Neames wrote: »

The expectation for tips in Ireland has gone through the roof these days.

Are we all rich now?

I think Americans throwing their money around hasn't helped, If they see Yanks leaving 15 to 20% they expect it from everyone.

Ot the other end if the scale, I've had tips handed back to me more than once in rural Italy.

lalababa

JustAThought wrote: »

I’m trying to think of the people who come to the door and whether I tip - typically they’re self employed and I have negotiated a price ( gas boiler installation, servicing something, installing electrics, window cleaner) so no - in all these instances I don’t tip. If the price has to be raised because of something unexpected then I’ll typically agree it. Regarding cafes and restaurants I now round up a bit if its a meal but don’t give 10% - if its e22 I’ll give e25 etc - I never tip for coffees - its expensive enough and its not America where they are not paid a wage. In a restaurant or cafe If someone is clearly having a dreadful day or if everything has gone wrong despite their best efforts or if they are overwhelmed and clearly doing their hardest or someone is being cruel or they are overwhelmed and devestatingly overwhelmed then I will tip generously not just a few shillings.

Can I just say: we had reason to have the firebrigade out and I rang to ask what was the norm to drop in to thank them - they said noone ever did. I couldn’t believe that for men who risk their lives and rush into burning buildings and go to nasty car wrecks that noone ever tips them. So I dropped in some boxes of chocolates and a card and you never saw grown man as happy! It’s the little things that make life nice. But this hand out and self entitlement and daximent ‘ not having chagre and sitting there for 10 minutes waiting for you to leave while they scrabble around pretending to look for your fiver change - forget it.

Aahh...I think you'll find 3 euros is more than 10% of 22 euro there bud.
And ya should not be dropping chocolate into already fat fire people.

Bob24

Seamai wrote: »

Ot the other end if the scale, I've had tips handed back to me more than once in rural Italy.

Same in China. Tied to tip once because I was particularly happy with the meal and had a waitress running after me as I was leaving the restaurant as she thought I had forgotten my money on the table. And that was in Beijing.

This was a while back though, I think things might have changed.

I believe in Japan it is seen as very strange and even possibly rude to tip. Good service is considered a given, so expressing with an optional tip that you didn’t 100% expect quality service and feel like you have to reward it could be seen as a bit of an insult. And to be honest it is indeed very good service (without fake smiles and asking you if everything is Ok every 5 minutes to make sure you understand you have to tip :-)).

Sebastian Dangerfield

I probably should clarify, the Mrs doesnt tip all these people because she wants to or thinks they deserve it. Shes equally as unsure as I am as to where its required these days, but she errs on the side of caution to avoid embarrassment.

Re America, I was there in May and I found the cheekiest people looking for tips were Irish people working in bars and restaurants. We had one fella from Cork giving out to us that 20% for opening 6 bottles of beer was stingy.

If anyone dislikes American tip culture, avoid Ellen Stardust Diner by Times Square. We were meeting people there, its a tourist trap cheesy diner with singing and dancing staff (I know...). We were there 40 minutes, and the entire time the head waitress ranted into a microphone about how the tip on your bill was for the food and service, but the waiting staff were also performers and you were expected to tip for the "show" too. Literally non stop, and one of the staff would come around and shake a bucket in our faces every 5 minutes. They also had "Recommended Tip 15-20%" at the bottom of the bill and an a calculation of how much that would be based on your bill, but when I worked it out, the amount was 30% of the bill. I wouldnt eat there again if I was dying of starvation.

Jurgen Klopp

Neames wrote: »

The expectation for tips in Ireland has gone through the roof these days.

Are we all rich now?

You can't blame American tourists who tip here it was always there with a lot of them and was a case of "oh lovely lads the American tourists will be in giving tips now with tourist season"

The problem is born and bred clowns here who for some unknown reason have started to "tip" and some are expecting it, but I don't know I don't see it anywhere like people are describing is it just in Dublin?

Seriously now I don't understand, as I said I can understand someone who lived in US for a long time doing it out of habit

But then I see younger ones who've never been out of Ireland at it, I mean the only thing I can think is it's from consuming too much American TV and film?

I honest to Jesus was visiting a friend in Dublin once and his mid 20s neighbor greeted me and I asked oh what part of the US are you from he had such a strong accent. He responds "oh I'm Dublin born and bred I just watch a lot of American TV" I looked at my friend after I was sure your man was just taking the piss but no it was true.

It was a hard accent too not a D4 wannabe accent

I accepted it as him being a clown tho, I mean surely we've all known at least one lad who's come back to rural Ireland after a couple months in college with a surfer dude accent or a girl thinking she's suddenly from California?

Rezident

Sebastian Dangerfield wrote: »

We had an oil delivery today, the driver mentioned he's delivered to our house a few times before.

He filled the oil tank, gave me the receipt, then it got a bit awkward before I said goodbye and went inside. I found out after that the wife usually tips a fiver or tenner, so he was probably expecting the same from me -hence the awkwardness. Do people on here tip delivery drivers outside of food - e.g. Harvey Norman, Currys?

Personally I tip restaurant staff, food deliveries, taxi drivers and at the barbers. Found out today the wife tips just about every service provider who calls to the door. Whats the accepted etiquette for say a furniture delivery, or someone servicing the boiler?

I had no idea we had so much disposable income to be giving away!

Never heard of tipping the oil man. I would tip those others except for the taxi drivers, taxis are already too expensive in Ireland.

Strumms

Rezident wrote: »

Never heard of tipping the oil man. I would tip those others except for the taxi drivers, taxis are already too expensive in Ireland.

An oil delivery guy is or should be earning quite decent money. Job requires a lot of training, responsibility and indeed expertise... I have no idea why anyone would be feeling ‘obliged’ to be tipping him.

It seems there is a growing swell of belief now that we should be paying on the double for every and any service we receive from another human being.

I’m flying Ryanair next weekend do I need to hand an envelope to the checkin guy/girl for the service they provide, gate staff, cabin crew, knock on the cockpit door with a score for each pilot ? Nonsense, a fool and their money are easily parted.

It just encourages lower wages to be paid.

kickfacer

Atlantic Dawn wrote: »

Perhaps a tip/price of a pint if it was pissing down heavy rain at the time

This is the tip I'd give them if it was raining: "Get an umbrella!"

Seamai

kickfacer wrote: »

This is the tip I'd give them if it was raining: "Get an umbrella!"

The one that I'd like to use is. "You want a tip? I'll give you a good tip, part your hair in the centre, it'll make your eyes look bigger"

smurfjed

knock on the cockpit door with a score for each pilot ?

only a score? Our standard tip is about €350, but if you are really feeling generous you match the highest that I have received, €10,000

You might have guessed that I don’t work in ireland

greencap

I'm not columbo or some kind of aristocrat who knows which kind of spoon to use.

I see a price tag. I pay that number. Then I close the door.

partyguinness

Fcuk this tipping crap.

I work damn hard and get hammered with tax- I pay nearly £15k a year in income and national insurance and approx £17k per quarter to the VAT man. Like fcuk I am going handing out wads of cash to workers who don't pay tax on it.

I simple do not do it and before anyone starts I don't a give a monkeys what anyone calls me.

Tipping is a mugs game.

Home Alone

I usually round up the price to the nearest note and tell 'em to "keep the change, you filthy animal!".

Nevin Parsnipp

Home Alone wrote: »

I usually round up the price to the nearest note and tell 'em to "keep the change, you filthy animal!".

Crakkin post my friend...how did you keep a lid on the bile and anger until your third posting effort ?

Admirable restraint ...I say ...admirable ...

Fanny Wank

Repeat after me:

Not tipping does not make one scabby

smurfjed

smurfjed wrote: »

only a score? Our standard tip is about €350, but if you are really feeling generous you match the highest that I have received, €10,000

You might have guessed that I don’t work in ireland

Nice humble brag