image via mint.com
Tipping has been imbedded in my system and as much as I like tipping, it sometimes becomes so annoying for me. I find that most service I get is standard. I can rarely count the times that I received exceptional service at restaurants and yet we are all expected to tip every time we dine out. I don't mind doing it for other services like hotels, hair salon, and my massage therapist because I don't do it every week but eating out..well..that's another ballpark.
And I hate the fact that even if you get a bad service, you are still expected to tip or maybe that's just me but I have guilt about it. Tipping has become a burden for me when I eat out. I don't know why restaurants don't follow Europeans and pay a higher wage and give their workers benefits like normal people. Why do they have to pass it on to consumers? I mean, I think I pay enough for my meal.
I like tipping when I know I got a really good service but standard service, c'mon that's just you doing your job like I do mine and I don't get any tips. Plus my earnings are taxable down to the cent but tips are not.
I digress.
I asked my friends from Japan and South Korea about tipping and they told me tipping is not customary in their perspective countries. I had to text twice and email just to make sure I was seeing it right. No tips? Really? Ever?
No tipping in restaurants? Yes!
Wow. Blew my mind.
It was great not having to calculate what to tip each meal. We had our meal and just paid for what we ate. And the service was the same, maybe even better at times.
What's your view in tipping?
I digress.
I asked my friends from Japan and South Korea about tipping and they told me tipping is not customary in their perspective countries. I had to text twice and email just to make sure I was seeing it right. No tips? Really? Ever?
No tipping in restaurants? Yes!
Wow. Blew my mind.
It was great not having to calculate what to tip each meal. We had our meal and just paid for what we ate. And the service was the same, maybe even better at times.
What's your view in tipping?
It is obviously an American who created the image above on tipping. It is misleading especially for European countries. We do not tip 10-15%. Definitely not in Germany and anywhere else. What we do is we round off the bill to give our appreciation to the wait staff. So if the bill is 63 euros, we pay 65, maybe 66. Rounding it to 70 euros would be too much already. At the bars, we do not tip. Service in Europe is horrible for many northern Americans but then again you do not pay for service here in Europe. You pay for the food and ambiance.
ReplyDeleteI love the no tipping thing in Japan. No hassles, and you get good service.
Like you, I get stressed with tipping, not in Europe but in America. We are planning a trip to the US in March and I am already stressing out about tipping just by thinking about it!
I also do not like the American style of service. It annoys me to no end because the wait staff keeps coming back asking and checking if everything is okay. Inside I am screaming--Leave me alone! I will call you if I need you! *rolls eyes* lol and on top of that I have to pay a 15% tip? Maybe even more. *sigh*
I definitely agree. I get very stressed out every time I eat out because of the tip and I am bothered by the staff asking me every five minutes how my meal is.
DeleteThis chart is so helpful! Every time I travel, this is always my biggest question and I regret not finding out the custom ahead of time. Thank you for sharing!
ReplyDelete