To think the US tipping culture is completely alien to British people

[Butterflyfluff]

Inspired by a thread about spending money in NYC but it’s what puts me off going to US or Caribbean again.

It seems everything has to be tipped

• All food servers
• Toilet attendants
• Room cleaning each day
• Every drink service, even in an all inclusive hotel
• Meal, even in a buffet where you serve yourself
• Basically anything where someone else is doing something for you

Why is this so ‘expected’?

Why behave like that?

I imagine it works both ways... if an American went to say Japan and tried to leave a tip they wouldn't be able to understand how that act has caused massive offence and has left an employee feeling insulted and embarrassed.

We don't tip in the UK because workers get a minimum wage, in America its essentially slave labour and they don't get the stability of earning a minimum wage in what they deem menial Jobs.

and the tip was genuinely to reward good service

but that’s exactly what is it for.

In the US, the bill is split out. The price of the food and drink is shown on the menu, the sales tax is added to the bill (different rates depending on the state) and the service is an additional charge paid directly to the person that served you.

Likewise in a hotel. You pay the room rate, the tax is on top. You then pay for additional service e.g. help with your bag, the front desk making you a reservation.

By not tipping you are not compensating the person that provided you service. You may not agree with the model, but it’s the model. The price of the food/drink/hotel does not cover service so you need to ensure you can pay 20% to cover service.

I live in the Caribbean and tip 18%-20% minimum when we're in US - especially after Covid where servers are put upon and expected to have a smile on their face for less than minimum wage.

Here in cayman we tip well, again because our minimum wage if $6 per hour and service staff should be able to eat.

UK I always tip but understand it's not customary.

If you're not used to it though, it can take some getting used to.

but that’s exactly what is it for.

Except it’s not if you have to pay regardless of how good or bad the service is

I was a top band five ,where you not paid weekend enhancements?
I always worked in wards so it was shift work.,with extra enhancement, s etc .

It's just a different business model and culture, getting irrationally irritated by it is xenophobic and close minded

Between tipping and prices not including sales taxes, it must be really difficult budgeting for things in the US.

@x2boys 8-8 Mon-Fri, bank rate so lower. No enhancements. They did try and give us bottom of band 5 at first, think it was £12.97 per hour.

It’s really not - if a certain tip is expected, include it in the bill

Anything discretionary should be just that

@YellowTreeHouse

I applaud your principled stand.

It probably hasn't gone unnoticed by the restaurant industry or Congress or the people who run the IRS.

Stiffing the little people is guaranteed to make a huge difference.

Plus colonialist.

I imagine it works both ways... if an American went to say Japan and tried to leave a tip they wouldn't be able to understand how that act has caused massive offence and has left an employee feeling insulted and embarrassed.

We were quite confused on a recent trip to a ski resort in Switzerland. We tried to tip in a restaurant but they refused the tip and said it's only appropriate in 5 star restaurants. Not entirely sure why as we'd wanted to tip for very good food and service but we did as they asked.

I understand that 15-20% is the norm in the US but tipping at an all inclusive for every drink seems a bit much. Quite like the policy on our last cruise (American company) that all tips were explicitly included in your fare and split out by where it went.

I hate it. I got confused too. Am I being stingy or throwing money away. I agree, it,d put you off going to USA again. Just pay staff a normal wage fgs!

Oh OP, I feel your pain. I visited the US in February this year and was fed up by the end of the trip with tipping. I recently visited Qatar and loved the fact I didn't have to tip anywhere.

I don't find dining in the US to be any cheaper than the UK! Why are customers subsidizing workers' wages? I can remember about a year ago, Biden said he will make sure waiters/waitresses get at least minimum wage? What has happened to that?

@YellowTreeHouse , may I ask why you refuse?
Isn't it customary to follow the the ways/customs of the country you're visiting where possible..
It's well known that the US service industry is based on tips. To refuse is an insult to the service they have provided you

But I’m in the US atm and always tip servers 20%. It’s not fair on them if you don’t.
They are short of staff everywhere.
Housekeeping at a Disney hotel - empty trash and fresh towels every two days, no beds made - you can have clean sheets on day 7.

It seems to work in the US. When I went to New York I got speaking to some girls staying in the same hotel, they were from somewhere else in the US but came to NYC in the summer because they could earn $2000 a week in tips working in bars and restaurants.

It wouldn't work here because people are too tight.

We go to the US often on holiday - it was explained to us that they make below min wage, as the expectations are that tips will make it up to at least min wage. They also tip out chefs / bus boys / bar staff, to share it about.

I think whether you agree with it or not, by not tipping you aren't making a difference / taking a stand in a way that anyone will notice that has any sort of decision making power, it'll only impact the server that's spent time looking after you.

I don't personally agree with it, as imo they're doing their jobs and it isn't my problem they have terrible labour rules - however I know that if I stiff them, it only impacts my server who is relying on it to make a decent wage. Same for tipping hotel room cleaners or toilet attendants. I just add it mentally to my order now with tax so I know what to expect! It's the culture over there, so I just expect it when on holiday.

I have experience of this. I asked in a bar to not pay the tip but to leave my own tip, so they were asked to remove the tip from the bill so I could do that but the lady banged on the table and shouted at me and tried to guilt trip me, threatened to call security, and basically mugged me. I paid as I didn't fancy an altercation with security whilst in a foreign country.

Well most cultural norms are a bit alien to those outside that culture.

But it's something you expect to deal with when travelling.

It's expected because pay in those roles is piss poor and they make up their salary in tips.

You forgot housekeeping, that was a new one I learned the other month. I do tip for meals in the US, but we had a very awkward exchange with a bellboy (or whatever the PC term is!) as we didn't have change (we asked to take ourselves up!) I don't do the housekeeping thing though. There was a really bizarre competitive thing on UK Disney groups of people trying to out do each other, it got to the point people were leaving goody bags with British chocolate patronising if you ask me. I read the other day about giving airline crew biscuits?!

@Butterflyfluff

It's a mistake to consider it discretionary.

It's really not.

Restaurants and hotels are little economic systems all unto themselves. The owner pays the chef and food prep people whatever it costs to get decebt, reliable food preppers, pays the servers and bus and wash up staff the going rate in whatever city they're in, and the servers and bus staffs' wages are topped up by the customer, who gets a meal out of the deal.

You factor in the cost of the service on top of the meal price listed on the menu just as you would factor in taxes in the US, or the cost of delivery if you ordered a meal to be delivered to your home, or shipping if you order something from Amazon.

From you that's not surprising.

When you go to a bar or restaurant in the US just mentally add 20% to the price. That's what it costs including the tip. If the service is amazing add another 10%. If the service is diabolical deduct 10% and don't go there again.