Tipping

cosmicrichie · Tipping

We seem to be heading into a "tipping" culture, of course following the Americans

I just wondered, who do you tip, and what do you tip (as a percentage). I don't really like the idea of feeling I have to tip, which is why I hate the way we're going, expected to tip here, there and everywhere. The only people I tip are hairdressers and waiters/waitresses, but even then I won't tip waiters if they're late with food or not pleasant etc. My hairdresser is amazing though, so she definitely deserves a tip. It usually costs around £45-55 (depending on what I have done), so I usually up it by £5 and leave it there

About 9% doesn't seem too bad, I'm not sure what the "expected tip" percentage is, I think it's about 12.5% not sure. confused

I don't tip taxi drivers, unless I can just round it up and tell them to keep the change. Saves hassle. I know some are on low wages, like waiters/waitresses/hairdressers, and rely mainly on tips so that's why I tip them, I wouldn't tip anyone if they all got a decent wage.

Diane

^ I tip my hairdresser and I always tip when I have dined out if the service is good, some waitresses/waiters work their socks off for minimal pay so I think they deserve tipping if they have made us feel good!

I hate tipping taxis if they don't have a metre and just make a price up, to be honest its been a long time since I used a taxi!

I know Mav sometimes buys the barperson a drink if we go out, which is rare theses days!

Penny

^ Yeah, we generally don't tip in bars here either, and that's a big no no in America - its something that just doesn't happen here. My dad often does it in his local, but when you live in a city its just not done.

I tip 10% in restaurants, or 15% if the service is very good. I'll usually give a tip in restaurants even if things aren't brilliant, but if they're service or food is really bad, I don't bother. I tip hairdressers too, but I don't usually bother with taxi drivers anymore, unless I'm just rounding up. Taxis charge way too much here anyway. I always give the Pizza delivery guys a tip cos I know they don't get paid much for that job.

Mala

It's very rare that I tip anyone. Usually at Christmas time I'll leave a little something for my hairdresser but that's about it

Diane

^I always give the Postlady a tip at Christmas, she is marvelous, we can always tell when she is on holiday as the relief postie just bends Birthday cards, rips magazines and is generally useless!

We also tipped a gas fitter who came to service our boiler and connect a new radiator for us, honestly it is so difficult to get a decent plumber to do work for you these days!

Flakey Sugar Butt

If I've eaten out at a nice restaurant or somewhere and the food had been tasty and the service has been good then I'll tip every time. I tip my hairdresser at Christmas, and I tip the bin-men at Christmas too.

jimmyq

Having worked me bollox off as a barman/waiter for a number of years I always welcomed tips glady. Good service not only means the possibility of a tip but also of repeat business. I always therefore tip when I eat out. If the service is poor I will still tip but will tell the person who looked after me that they were pants.

I also tip the hairdresser mainly because it costs me £8.00 and it's so easy to say keep the change.

DayDreamer

i tip my hairdresser because shes reallt good i even got frantic to go to the same place i do if im having a clour she always offers me a drink which is always nice and is why i like to tip her

jimmyq

^ reminds me of the time I spent working at The Lanesborough Hotel where the nearest hairdresser offered us staff rates because we sent all our guests to here (or she came to their rooms and cut them) and she would always give us a drink when we went to her salon. I made sure I went on a Friday afternoon because she always had cans of stella in her fridge which set me up nicely for a Friday night in the West End!

clevelandspur

As some have mentioned we are expected to tip on almost everything here. It is a real pain and kills me. Most everywhere I go to drink I like to start a tab. This way I get better service and the person serving then has to be good to me all night to expect a decent tip. Also if you get a beer and don't tip if the place is crowded or sometimes even if it is not the barmaid will ignore you. You are expected to tip 20% on food and 15% on alcohol tabs here.
I always tip well when concerning food service because I was a serve briefly and I know a) most of your wages are made on tips b) sometimes the food and time you get your food to the customer is out of your hands

As for bartends I think it sucks we are expected to tip them. how hard is it to pull a beer from the fridge?! another disturbing trend which is picking up is when you order a round of shots barmaids expect to get one for themselves or ask if they can make one for themselves which they do and of course gets more money in there pocket eventually

bunnyboo

I tip after a meal and the hairdresser.
Also i put money in when there are school/guide/sports groups in the supermarket doing bag packing

jonnysmig

I don't really tip in this country (or try to avoid it)

I've never received a tip in my life (other than the yellow snow joke!) so just assume that the cost of service is included in the price and therefore a persons wage. It sounds like sour grapes and I'm not that type of person, but if the price says £20 for something, that's how much it costs, not £22 includign a 10% tip.

I do usually provide a tip in a restaurant though (unless it is bad service), about 10%, but can give more or less depending on what it is to round it up to the nearest fiver. If a barperson does seem to work hard and gives me good service throughout a night I usually offer to buy them a drink.

I don't tip my hairdresser as he's self employed and gets £16.95 for 1/2 hours work (although he does have to pay chair rent for the day) which equates to more than I earn. I do usually tip him at Christmas though.

Taxi Drivers usually get their fare rouinded up, but it depends on how polite they were, how punctual they were and whether or not they took the most efficient route (which surprisingly is often not the case)

The thing that I hate about the tipping culture is that people are expecting it and they often give you good service if you tip well, not give you good service in order to get a good tip which is the way that it should be

clevelandspur

Lou Cipher

If the service is good I don't mind tipping but there are more and more places including a service charge in the bill and that really gets on my tits. You could have the waiter/waitress from hell and yet you are automatically tipping when you pay the bill.

funkymonkey

^I effing hate that! Service Charge Incuded! How dare they presume that their service demands a tip without my discretion! I think I will decide thank you!

I am a decent tipper however and normally am around the 15 to 20% area for restaurants.
The only other people I tip are taxis on condition that they talk to me like I'm sober when I am ranting to them after 13 pints of snakebite about how shit NUFC are (bare in mind I currently live in a 80-20% split in favour of Newcastle supporters). Other people who get a tip are my window cleaner at Christmas.

I really agree about bar tipping in the US, I mean why? As Bry says how hard it is to pull a pint??? It bugs me every time I have been there but as a visitor I go with the flow.