Page 4 | Who and how much to tip (USA)

SleepDreamThinkHuge · 2023-03-28T10:52:00+00:00

Hi, I am thinking of going to USA maybe this summer or early next year. Thinking of New York or California. Of course the USA has a different tipping culture to UK. In the USA, when you go how much do you generally tip, who do you tip?

mathanxiety · 31/03/2023 06:00

WeBuiltThisBuffetOnSausageRoll · 30/03/2023 21:53

I find it deeply uncomfortable when I go there for work, and it does put me off ever taking the family there on holiday. I find myself questioning every interaction and second guessing if someone is just doing the job they are paid for or just being pleasant/helpful, or if it is being done in the expectation that I’m going to hand them some cash. It feels so mercenary. I’d far rather people were paid well by their employers, I don’t want to be responsible for doling out their payroll.

I've not been to the US, but this would be my thoughts exactly, and would hugely put me off. I'm not tight: I'm happy to pay the price they're expecting, but I'd just like to be paid the basic respect of being told what that total price is - rather than being left to guess and then cursed if I get it wrong, or taken advantage of if I unwittingly overtip.

What I would like to know is whether there are a whole load of unnecessary services foisted on you, or if they leave it up to you to ask? I'd be very happy to take my own luggage up to the room, but if somebody said "Here, let me get that" and opened a door for me, would I still need to stop and put my bags down anyway, to get a tip out to give them? If so, how have I benefited at all?

I must admit, one of my thoughts in the recent thread about the man who mowed the neighbour's lawn by mistake and then expected payment for his work was wondering if this is what it's like in the US? Somebody insisting on giving you a service that you don't want/need and which you could easily/would prefer to do yourself, just to pressure you into giving them money? Do people graciously accept if you say no thanks to their service or do they stare daggers at you, because they believe you've deprived them of earnings and you want them to starve?

I know it's the culture in the US, and it's none of my business how they choose to run their country; but it sounds very demeaning for everybody involved. Imagine having to ask for a tip every time you do a basic part of your job - seems quite degrading to me. Surely it turns so many human interactions into pure transactions? Every time somebody does you a kindness, you have no idea if they're just a kind person who takes pride in their job or if they're trying to force you to buy a smile.

It's not demeaning.

Working hard is valued in the US. Working in hospitality in a public facing role is considered an opportunity to make money through hard work; it's not considered a servile occupation.

And no, nobody pressures you into doing a service for you just to squeeze money out of you. What a strange thought.

You know how to calculate 10% of a given number and then double that. That's your tip. You can add about 10% to posted prices everywhere, and that's sales tax.

Rainbowsandbutterflies1990 · 31/03/2023 06:38

mathanxiety · 31/03/2023 05:35

Whereas in the UK wages are low across the board and taxpayers provide a welfare state that effectively keeps the employers profitable.

In the US, wait staff can make an excellent living from tips. I'm talking people making $50k. Kids put themselves through university working as bartenders. Barnard College in NYC offers its students a bartending course.

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So ur saying that hospitality staff are paid way over living wage because of tipping, , then why again do people need to tip so high? 🤔
U haven't convinced me it's not a messed up system. When I was in America anyone who came in to contact with us for a service like waitress would be over friendly to point of awkwardness and it felt uncomfortable as we both knew why.
I never said the UK was high paying with everyone and surely their are some issues but at least the responsibility is on the employers and not who works for them to provide adequate wages. And also the UK and rest of world pay their staff Guaranteed hoildau pay, Guaranteed

Rainbowsandbutterflies1990 · 31/03/2023 06:39

Maternity pay and paid sick pay. Which I think America is also lacking.

Stravawindow · 31/03/2023 06:47

I went to a bakery in New York last month and got a piece of cake, went to pay by card and I was asked for a tip. I was also asked for a tip when I paid for some pandora jewellery.

lljkk · 31/03/2023 06:55

I'm American & I can't understand it. Not even after reading this thread.

I understand tipping wait staff, sit down meals. My brother worked as wait staff for years, it was 15% then, though, not 20%. The tips get shared with other wait staff, btw, not just the waitress but the cleaners and kitchen staff even.

Tips to all these people who move your bags (I didn't ask them to) or ferry you across an airport (when boyfriend had a broken leg), drive the taxi ($5 on a $35 fare?), or open a door (I can open my own doors), clean the hotel room (think this might be 10%?), or pour a drink.. for which they get like $1-$2... is that right? So a variety of confusing piddly amounts. Honestly, given me Motel 6 & my own long walk to the car rental place.

Someone will be suggesting tipping the bus driver and gal at the liquor store for selling you booze, next !

Appleshapedmum · 31/03/2023 07:43

Which figure is the percentage worked out on? The amount before sales tax or after sales tax? So confusing.

stringbean · 31/03/2023 08:09

skilikeagirl · 30/03/2023 23:29

I've stopped going to the US and travel a lot more in France where small tips are appreciated and service (and a fair wage) is built into the up front cost. It is much easier to judge whether a restaurant is affordable from a glance at the menu!

Agree with this. Service charge is built into the cost in French restaurants so you're not expected to add a tip, or only something small if so. I've wanted to go to NY for years but the overall cost plus the tipping minefield really puts me off. Spoke to someone who was there recently - 6 of them paid $1250 for a meal in a restaurant, which included a 20% service charge. It was clear that they were expected to tip on top of this but didn't - the waiter refused to acknowledge them when they left the restaurant as a result. Were they really expected to add a further $250 as a tip??

lljkk · 31/03/2023 08:10

(I think)
% of Total restaurant bill with any tax for wait staff tip. % of Total hotel bill with tax for room cleaning staff. Rest are more like $1 or round up to nearest $5. I don't actually like restaurant meals & my folks insist on paying whole bill so I forget to pay attention. You probably don't tip for take-away food that you collect (although a tips jar is there), but you do tip a delivery person (eg Pizza) and that might be $5 for 2-3 pizza boxes sort of rate.

I am sure that many people don't actually tip hotel staff, though, from things my American relatives said. It's really more of a practice in > average price hotels.

Plus random things like $10 or $20 to staff who ferry you for 5 minutes across Houston airport if you can't walk that distance.

Knullrufs · 31/03/2023 08:17

Appleshapedmum · 31/03/2023 07:43

Which figure is the percentage worked out on? The amount before sales tax or after sales tax? So confusing.

In restaurants I’ve always done 20% of the pretax total.

Vermin · 31/03/2023 08:27

Is it the same in Canada?

Theelephantinthecastle · 31/03/2023 08:46

@lljkk I agree that people probably do tip less in practice than in theory

I don't know anyone in the UK who wouldn't say that they tip 10% in restaurants but when I was a waitress, there were loads of people who didn't tip. And it wasn't me being rubbish, all the other waitstaff said the same

RampantIvy · 31/03/2023 08:49

I'm assuming that there will never be a cashless society in the US. I don't suppose that everyone in the service industry always has a card machine on them.

ApplesinmyPocket · 31/03/2023 09:23

comfyshoes2022 · 28/03/2023 12:33

The staff may seem okay with it, but they’re just being polite and not actually okay. I am afraid that is far too little to be tipping at a US restaurant. It should be 20%.

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It's not 'far too little', is it. 20% of $87 = 17.4 . 87+ 17.4 = 104.40

I don't think undertipping by just over $4 merits her such snotty replies. I think people didn't do the maths and just wanted to leap in and put her down.

Because that's what you do on MN these days.

TizerorFizz · 31/03/2023 11:57

@ApplesinmyPocket
Our USA friends say tip “double the tax”, 20% if exceptional. So you are getting on for 30.% over an advertised price.

By the way, I think expensive restaurants do charge enough to pay their staff. All their staff! No one should rely on tips! I expect good service too.

woodhill · 31/03/2023 12:00

So is state tax now 10%?

Funny how the visitors from the USA to the UK could claim back VAT on things, not sure if they can now

FlounderingFruitcake · 31/03/2023 12:12

woodhill · 31/03/2023 12:00

So is state tax now 10%?

Funny how the visitors from the USA to the UK could claim back VAT on things, not sure if they can now

No state tax isn’t universally 10%. It depends entirely on where you are and it’s not just state tax, there’s also county and city sales taxes. If you’re in New Hampshire it’s 0. Manhattan is just under 9% but only half of that is the NY state tax. Chicago sales tax is 10.25%. Often you get extra taxes on alcohol or things like bottled water that can make it more. But then food in the grocery store can be less e.g. it’s 1% in Chicago. But assuming you’re on holiday in NYC and buying some new clothes, use 10% as a rough guide for the tax because it’s easy to calculate that in your head, and you won’t get a shock at the register.

VictorianBathroomTiles · 31/03/2023 12:19

Wavinggoodbyetoo · 28/03/2023 14:41

Throwing dollars around like confetti, that’s the only way.

I ALWAYS take $1 & $5 5 notes and lots of them otherwise you overtip.

10% in a restaurant?! I’m surprised you’ve not been called out on that. My SIL was a 25% + tipper every time!

Who's tipped 10%? The example given was 15%.

Dindundundundeeer · 31/03/2023 12:21

VictorianBathroomTiles · 31/03/2023 12:19

Who's tipped 10%? The example given was 15%.

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Whammyyammy · 28/03/2023 12:11 said 10%

shelbaba · 31/03/2023 12:31

I haven't been to America for a gd few years now. Think last time was about 10yr are ago. I went a lot back then, New York, Orlando and vegas. I think it sounds even worse now. Like literally everyone wants a tip just for doing their job! U do get used to it very quickly though.

The waiting staff are the ones who really need it as the Min wage they get paid is so much less because they will get tips to bring them up to the minimum, which is so bad! 15-20% was the norm back then I think it's more 20% now.

In some restaurants if they heard ur accent they wld give u a little card with the bill explaining what it expecting in regards of a tip. Or they just added a tip to the bill!

I'm sure for buffet we left about 10% and just left it ok the table when leaving.

I didn't tip for housekeeping though. Is that really bad of me and expected? We never had any issues with room being cleaned etc.

VictorianBathroomTiles · 31/03/2023 13:09

Dindundundundeeer · 31/03/2023 12:21

Whammyyammy · 28/03/2023 12:11 said 10%

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No she didn't :

I usually leave just above 10% and round up. For example if my bill is $87, 10% would be £8/9, buy ill put $13 to round to an even 100. Staff seem OK with it.

So in her example, that's a 15% tip.

WeBuiltThisBuffetOnSausageRoll · 31/03/2023 14:19

It's not demeaning.

Working hard is valued in the US. Working in hospitality in a public facing role is considered an opportunity to make money through hard work; it's not considered a servile occupation.

And no, nobody pressures you into doing a service for you just to squeeze money out of you. What a strange thought.

I'm sure they don't consider it demeaning, but that's exactly how it comes across to me. A lot of it doesn't really sound like hard work, though - how is opening a door or pressing a button in a lift/elevator hard work? Some of these things sound like the kind of 'jobs' you might humour a small child with, as a way to 'earn' their pocket money.

Are you really saying that nobody, whose job is to open doors or carry bags up to rooms, ever runs in front of people to take said job and thus earn themselves a tip. If they don't, do people genuinely head towards a door and then stop to ask somebody nearby to open it for them, knowing that it will cost them a dollar or two, rather than just taking a second to do it themselves?

GulfCoastBeachGirl · 31/03/2023 14:37

Stravawindow · 31/03/2023 06:47

I went to a bakery in New York last month and got a piece of cake, went to pay by card and I was asked for a tip. I was also asked for a tip when I paid for some pandora jewellery.

I think what you are referring to is an iPad system of payment where they flip the iPad around and let you complete your credit card transaction yourself. You just click on the "skip" button when the tipping section displays.

These have replaced cash registers in most small businesses and the tipping feature is just part of the software. Nobody is expecting a tip for a non service related purchase. Just "Skip" that portion.

WeBuiltThisBuffetOnSausageRoll · 31/03/2023 14:46

These have replaced cash registers in most small businesses and the tipping feature is just part of the software. Nobody is expecting a tip for a non service related purchase. Just "Skip" that portion.

I bet they don't say anything when foreign tourists add a tip, though, assuming that it's expected.

GulfCoastBeachGirl · 31/03/2023 15:02

@shelbaba Housekeeping is tricky these days. I'm American and travel quite a bit and, prior to the pandemic, would say that you always leave a tip for housekeeping, generally at the end of your stay.

However, during covid housekeeping services were often suspended and since then (in my experience) can vary greatly. If they come in every day, room straightened, fresh towels, beds made etc. then I would recommend tipping in the $5 to $10 per night range. But if you are not getting that level of service then I personally wouldn't tip. If housekeeping is the bare minimum then a small tip at the end of your stay will suffice

CarolinaInTheMorning · 31/03/2023 15:03

I bet they don't say anything when foreign tourists add a tip, though, assuming that it's expected.

Possibly. Just as waitstaff in the UK likely don't say anything when Americans overtip.