[dailydriver]

Such varied thoughts and perceptions!

Bhpians following this thread from the beginning will notice how the title has got amended, thereby tipping the balance towards the act of tipping! Rightly so, because although a lot of places and services do expect the beneficiary to tip them generously, the practice hasn't yet deteriorated to the level of solicitation or menace.

YET!

* * *

Let me recall an incident that happened two decades ago.

As a cash strapped graduate student, I was designated as the international guest liaison for a conference hosted by my University. Of the twenty odd foreign delegates, two Professors from South Korea became quite close to me (or so I thought). I took them around town and helped them absorb the nuances of local culture.

On the day of their departure they handed me an envelope containing a thank you card and three thousand bucks. I felt so insulted that I returned the currency notes on the spot, spoke some harsh and immature words and took off from the spot in a huff. Friends later told me that the Professors were shocked by my response and couldn't for a while understand the reason for my refusal to be rewarded for investing my time for them. (Clearly, diplomacy isn't my forte )

My logic, as I recall today, was that I had done my duty and by assigning a monetary value to that, I was being belittled. Those were days when my monthly food bill used to be under ₹750, with idlis costing ₹2 and a kg of Sona Masuri rice available for ₹12-14. So, ₹3,000 was not a small amount by any means. Yet, I felt bad being measured in terms of money.

* * *

Down the years I have understood the money value of time. But I have also realized that the expected monetary return should factor in everything involved in the rendering of a service or the provision of a product. Everything should be built in in the price. Else, there is always scope for confusion, obfuscation and dissatisfaction.

However, this only works when the ownership of delivery lies with a single person or entity. When multiple, often unrelated people are involved, the need for each of them to look for their own cut emerges as an unavoidable inconvenience to the end user. To tip or not to tip a LPG delivery guy is one such example.

* * *

When we speak of rewarding a person for the hardships he goes through in the course of delivering a service, should we restrict it to the unorganized and/or the private sector alone?

Should a government clerk who completes your work within the timeframe or a government bus conductor who hands your ticket with a smile and the driver who takes you to your destination in comfort too be entitled for a friendly tip?

Isn't the root of corruption hidden somewhere in such practices?

[msdivy]

On the topic, a perspective:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M4sTSIYzDIk

[m8002?]

I do tip the parking attendants, waiters at restaurants that dont have service charge, the air pump guy at fuels station and also the Swiggy/Zomato guys through the app ( hope they are getting that amount !! )

Also, since Covid, I have increased the tipping amount. But my tips is more on the Indian standards ( around 5-7% ).

Looking to the forum members for suggestions for a problem I am facing these days : Lack of lower denomination currency. I just cannot find 10/20/50/100 notes these days. Almost everyone uses UPI for small amounts and CC for large amounts. So how do you manage to keep the small change for people like air pump/parking attendants?

On my last solo highway trip, my food bill came to 190 and I had to make a choice between the waiter and the parking attendant since I had only 500 notes with me.

[Neversaygbye]

If I don't like the service or if there is a service charge, I usually don't tip. I also don't tip if I feel that I have been ripped off (for example if I'm paying 600 bucks for a 6 km Uber ride thanks to surge).

Otherwise I am happy to tip and especially while travelling, I usually tip the bellhop and the room service folks of the hotel right at the beginning, as this ensures a higher level of service later on.

Tipping is sometimes tricky - I remember that with our drivers Yuri in Kazan and Gani in Srinagar who were also the owners of their respective vehicles, we were confused on what to do (they had become more like friends) and all of us debated on whether we should tip and then finally decided to. Both of them were taken aback and didn't like it at all. Yuri in particular was extremely offended. So we now know better and especially if the service provider is the proprietor and not an employee, we will buy them something nice or treat them to a meal, rather than give them a tip.

[dicor]

TL;DR
To tip or not, it's an individual choice, if you do not feel to tip, just walk away, and do not overthink.

WARNING!!!

I am going to swim against the tide here.

My main dilemma is how much tip?

Restaurant

• If a restaurant is adding a service charge (18% GST) to the bill, then I do not tip and I prefer this setup because the money is distributed across all the staff. Most fine-dining restaurants do add this. Even if you feel, you do not wish to give service charge, you can simply deny it.
  
• If no service charge and the service was good, then I tip a waiter between 30 to 50. If I am high, I may give 100 as well. Mind you, this money goes directly into his pocket.
  
• Next, I pay the car parking guy (who is generally an old man)
  
• I do not give my vehicle to the valet.

Hotels

• In 4 or 5-star hotels, I do not generally give tips to bell boys as they are habitual of dollars, and even if I give 100 to them, 5 minutes later another bell boy will be at your service.
  
• At the time of check-out, I carry my own luggage.

Airport Pick & Drop Cabs

• If I have booked a cab on my own, then I do not tip, if the cab is arranged by the office, and the driver helped me with my luggage, then I tip the driver.

Delivery Boys

• Swiggy / Zomato gives the option to add a tip to your order itself. If my order value is high, I tip directly, especially if he is delivering in odd weather or time. I also do ask them for water and sharbat.
  
• The other delivery guys like sofa delivery guys, refrigerator delivery guys, etc, I generally tip them (if they ask).

Household helps
This is forceful demand and the unspoken law of the unorganized sector. Every Diwali, they get a certain percentage of their salary. When I was in Nagpur, I was asked for 100% of their salary as a bonus. In Pune, I give 50% of their salary. In Bhopal, there was no such demands came from them, but we gave sweet boxes and crackers to their kids.


I am against tipping culture and I do not align with the views that they are a weaker section of society. Any money that goes to them is not taxed and if they want that money, they need to earn it. No free lunch exists.

[dileepcm]

Originally Posted by digitalnirvana

I'm interested to know your tipping experiences in Europe, and how they went.

I'm interested to know your tipping experiences in Europe, and how they went.

I will let TurboOnTarmac come back on the experience. However, after having lived in EU for ~12 years, I can easily say that tipping is not a thing in most of at least Western Europe. Most famous tourist spots are likely to be having some exceptions where majority of transactions are coming from foreigners. But If you just walk into a regular restaurant in Amsterdam which I have done enough times to confidently write this note, there is no expectations to be met or managed on tips. Its even common that people walk up to the counter/ reception and makes their payments at the end of their dinner and then walks off. Tips will not be rejected, but as I said, its perfectly fine to not to tip. Same applies to most, if not all the services areas like shops, taxis, valet parking etc.

[sanjayrozario]

I've faced #1 & #2

Personally, I tip them because their earnings are meagre for the hard, laborious, menial jobs they do. However, there's no right or wrong on tipping as it's one's choice (to each his own). I do not like being asked for a tip (compulsory service charge).

#3 is a scam.

[MT_Hyderabad]

I am just any other commoner in restaurants and other places and tip a normal amount. However, I am a rich guy at the FNG. Not because I am rich, but because I stand by my car most of the time and cannot resist myself from giving them something I can.

Few months back, I went to get my wiper assembly checked. The guy cut a hose pipe and did whatever he can to make it up and running, there were other sundry things like a bulb replacement etc. The bill was 500. I gave this guy a small amount of 200 as cash, which is somewhat less than what I do usually. The job was minor and I had just 200 as loose cash on me.

This Sunday I went to this FNG for oil change and the manager told me that I will have to come back at 2 pm as the boys will go for lunch. It was 1.15 pm on the clock.

I was driving out and out of nowhere a technician came and asked me what happened? I told him that the manager has asked me to come again at 2 pm.

He went to the manager and discussed something and asked me to take the car inside and he will do the job.

It was at this moment, when he was changing the oil, I realised that he is the same guy who did the washer hose pipe fitting few months back.

While giving 200, I thought that I am giving less, but see what it meant for this guy. He postponed his lunch for me.

This time around, the bill was 1000, I gave him 500. He didn't even had a gpay/paytm account and asked me to transfer it to his friend's mobile.

My request to anyone who love their car, please tip these guys, for you it would be nothing, but for them, it will mean a lot.

Removed some details from the image. The name of the technician is hidden. Ke liye in english means For him.

Originally Posted by TurboOnTarmac

The staff don’t expect you to tip. They don’t discriminate the service or show any emotions based on expectations around tips as it is NOT there. Everyone get the same quality of the service and same quality of the goods for the price paid. Here, in general, the attitude of the service providers is tuned towards consistently meeting the expected end quality of the service. There is a pride associated with delivering the quality service per the price, nothing more and nothing less.

Do what is the norm in that society. It is simple.

At some places, you will be killed if you try to tip someone (just because you are from a South Asian country) Do not try to tip there.

[OffRoadFun]

I try to be generous with categories #1 and #2 in general and tip them.

I believe some part of the income should be donated, I am lazy at that and such instances provide opportunity to donate. I almost never donate to beggars though. I believe that in general people working hard in restaurants, gas stations, AS parking attendants, Dunzo, Swiggy guy etc. should be tipped as they are poorly paid in general and owners don't share tips with them.

Unless the service is horrible of course.

Kind of extremely cheap labor we get in India coupled with having the fortune to earn well (on this forum mostly) entails generosity.

My advisor once gave me a tip: You try to donate/tip in good spirit, if the person is a crook/tired to cheat you, it's his bad Karma.

[aravind.anand]

Recently, while shifting my house, I got chai for the packers and movers guys twice - morning and evening from Chai Kings. During un-packing, one guy asked if he could take a 5.1 channel music system that I had. Since that was not used any more, I felt generous enough to let him have it. While bidding adieu, I again gave the team INR 1000, which was 200 each.

And then the guy kept asking for more.. I was like - Asking for more seemed like extortion to me, honestly.

I always make it a point to thank everyone, from the waiter to the auto driver to the food delivery partner to the watchmen who help me park. But unfortunately, in this materialistic world, "thank you" seems to be less valued than a humble 5 rupee coin!

[PrasannaDhana]

I tip big.

It's 50 rupees if the bill is <500 and 100 rupees if the bill is more. In almost all restaurants I visit, i receive excellent service. In star hotels it's usually 10-15% depending on the bill amount. I also make sure to be as pleasant as I can, even if the service is mediocre.

If the service is bad, I still tip but make them know that they sucked and they need to do better.

Every tyre air check, minimum tip is 20 rupees (5 rupees per tyre), same for those highway restaurant security who stand in the hot sun and help us navigate. I visit a few places regularly, and I have a rapport with the people working there. They get paid very less, less than the cost of a normal decent pair of shoes every month.

During one off cases like moving houses, tipping shouldn't even be an issue at all.

Come on, we spend 300 rupees for a damn cup of mediocre coffee most of the times. Spending a few thousands a year on poor people should not be seen as an expense at all.

Tip big, and you will see automatically that the service you receive gets way better. it's a win win situation.

[binand]

Originally Posted by PrasannaDhana

Come on, we spend 300 rupees for a damn cup of mediocre coffee most of the times. Spending a few thousands a year on poor people should not be seen as an expense at all.

This.

I follow the same principles as you (even the amounts seem to match). 10% of restaurant bills (incl. Swiggy), Rs. 20 for air filling, valet parking etc.

In case of bad service just let them know. Politely, without making a spectacle.

[TurboOnTarmac]

Originally Posted by digitalnirvana

I'm interested to know your tipping experiences in Europe, and how they went.

Thanks. UK and Finland constitute majority of my ~2.5 years European living (long-stay/business/tourist) and rest of the western Europe (Paris, Milan, Rome, Barcelona, Prague...to name a few) fills the remaining gap. As other members shared in this thread, Europe is more leaned towards voluntary tipping and depends on the restaurant/service provider. Most of the neighborhood restaurants (breakfast or quick lunch/dinner), Coffee/sandwich places, do not expect tipping. However, most of my formal dinners, where restaurant geared up for more relaxed & seated dining, involved tipping. This tipping expectation/culture increases the more touristy the place is. At occasions, depending on the drivers cues, I had tipped the taxi drivers (mostly airport transfers). Maybe one can call it as my timing/company of individuals/fellow diners, I had mostly faced the peer pressure to tip (either by others tipping before me or by the cues from the service provider) and in each time, I just obliged by meeting that tipping expectation.

[Mustang Sammy]

I try to tip as generously as possible. A small way of paying it forward, making that persons day and recognizing them for a job well done.
Folks on my tipping list include food and grocery delivery guys, security guards, waiters, valets, Auto and taxi drivers. This is of course only if the service meets at least a certain minimum threshold of quality.
We here on this group are fortunate to be where we are in our lives, and it is barely noticeable to our wallets when we pay a little extra.

[gupta_v_kr]

Its really re-assuring to see such like minded views on tipping from the community. I am a firm believer in tipping honest and hardworking people but the same practice is usually frowned within my social circle as being reckless with money. Unfortunately, a big section of affluent people known to me still feel tipping in general to be an unnecessary practice.