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Australians in general are very clear about ‘equality’ and don’t ‘demand’ or ‘expect’ tips. However, if one has been served nicely with a smile in a restaurant or a pub then if one does tip a dollar or two either in the tip box if there is one or directly, the act is greeted with a smile.

With the heavily changing ethnic mix in Australia and most of the direct consumer service related jobs being taken over by persons of Asian origin (many first gen immigrants), I am finding of late that I want to tip, just to help them a long a little.

Especially when the bell desk people bring my suitcases up to the room or bring them down again and similar circumstances. It is also true of service in a good sit-down restaurant where Ive been adding a tip to the card OR by leaving a cash tip when I pay.

On a recent week long work visit there, there was a soft spoken, slightly built, very young Nepali Housekeeping attendant called Lakshmi, whom one day, I asked, for an extra laundry bag and when I received it, I merely spoke a few small words of thanks, with a smile in a kind tone.

Imagine my surprise when I came back to my room later after the day’s work, when I saw a small note of thanks and a little chocolate on the work table, saying thank you and that it was a pleasure to be of service to ‘well-mannered’ guests!

I honestly never felt so good before!

Like they say. Just a drop of kindness goes a very long way in this generally crass, frenetic, wicked world. Especially to those less fortunate than we.

Well I live in India:p. Jokes aside I buy food from in front of them or pay for their food. I never give them loose food or one I am carrying packed. There was an incident in my family, My uncle was traveling and gave food just like that. The very next moment the guy acted like he was poisoned. Fellow passengers saw the guy trying this trick or whatever it was and saved my uncle. Otherwise he would have been in jail.
Since that day we are careful to give anything to anybody. Better beware than sorry. These kind of scams are very prevalent in India. Here we can't trust whether the guy we are providing help is actually needy or not. Just like some shameless guy who store excessive ration meant for covid relief for himself.

India has too many people fighting over limited resources. Hoarding is the order of the day, whether it is a poor person hogging Covid relief rations or upper middle class people filling up all their water buckets as soon as they hear of water shortages.

For the above point, could not agree more. Safest to buy food or give packaged rations.

The non-monetary aspect of service staff interactions is under-appreciated.:thumbs up

Pre-COVID, I used to regularly stay at a hotel nearby my workplace HQ on the US East Coast.

Housekeeping staff there left a card in the room with a 'your room was cleaned with pride by <person xyz>' note everyday. Just for fun, I'd write a '<xyz>, thank you for taking care of me away from home' note and leave a chocolate bar with it, the person invariably added a smiley to it in response.

This would go on all week, and for my last note before check-out, I'd leave a small cash tip for the housekeeper.

Word got around the staff apparently, and I was always well taken care of promptly with a smile, whatever the time of day. Once, I arrived late the night before I left for India, and was in no mood to go out to a diner. I asked the front desk lady if I could get a bite to eat, turns out the lady manning the cafe had left a slice of veggie pizza (they knew from my breakfast orders I didn't eat meat) and lemon cheesecake for me before closing up:).

Nearer home, I get on great with the staff at Kamat Lokaruchi at Ramanagara, for example. The old gentleman at the front desk smiles at me broadly from behind the till everytime I'm there, stops by for a chat when he isn't busy, and some of their familiar housekeeping & wait-staff too stop by for a quick chat whenever I'm there.

The cleaning lady in the buffet breakfast area, a sweet older woman from a village an hour's bus ride away, told me her life story one fine early morning when I was still the only customer at a table, and feeling chatty.

The $$$ tips barely amount to anything significant, and I thoroughly enjoy the interactions.

I just go by a single rule,
Tip those who actually need it and are honest, even if, say, the restaurant is charging a service charge.

Tipping is a voluntary appreciation of service. So even if you don't tip, it's perfectly fine.

But then, sometimes a tip is all you need to bring a smile on someone's face.

I'm a sometimes-decent-sometimes-lousy tipper.

Restaurants
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• 10% or Rs.1000 ( whichever the lesser ) depending on the service in the cities.
• Is 10% still the norm in India?
• Upto 20% in tier 3 cities/towns as the food bills tend to be low despite us eating like wolves.
• Always ask to remove the service charge and tip the amount to the waiter directly.
• I don't tip at a buffet meal, no matter which part of the world.
• I don't tip at airport restaurants and eateries.

Hotels & Resorts
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• I don't tip the bellhops. How much would you tip a bellhop/luggage carrier at a 5 star? Would you tip them during both checkin and checkout ? To avoid the dilemma, I just usually carry my own luggage despite their offers to help
• I don't tip at the complimentary buffet/meal. Do you?
• I don't tip for room service. Do you?
• I would tip according to the 10% policy for any other meal I have at their restaurant
• I do tip 10% of the charges to people that take us on activities - treks etc.
• I don't tip in-house drivers, for planned activities ( e.g., safari etc ). Would you tip a jeep driver for a safari at JLR ? And how much typically?
• I do tip on safaris and 4x4 rides when the driver is not in-house and I hire him directly. 10% above agreed charges, almost always.
• I don't tip the frontdesk staff at any Hotel. I don't know if there is a tipping culture there and I don't want to embarrass myself by offering. Do you tip the front desk staff?

Transport
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• I don't tip cabbies or autos or buses ever in the cities. Unless they they do something special, which is never. Like most of us, I was shellshocked when I hired a yellow-taxi driver in NYC the first time - he added $5 tip himself and billed me $50.
• I tip cabbies about Rs. 500 a day when I hire them for multi-day trips. It is about 15% of the cab charges per day. This is not because they do something special, but I have a soft corner for people in the hills, villages and remote areas. So for a 10 day trip, I would have tipped them about Rs.5000.
• Airlines - just curious if is there a tipping culture ( cash, kind or otherwise ) with airline/airport staff? Pardon me if I sounded ridiculous.
• Do you tip attendants at the airport lounge ? If so how much?

Parking areas
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• I never tip Valets. Do you? How much? And when ? When you leave the car or take back or both?
• I tip 20-50 rupees for the parking assistant/security usually at restaurants and hotels.

Vehicle Service Centers & carwash places
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• Never at the carwash generally, but if they go the extra distance to address a scratch or some other problems with the car, then yes , again 10%
• Never at the service center for scheduled services to anyone.
• I don't avail pickup/drop facilities for the car during services. How much do you tip these folks?
• I do tip 200-300 to the attending person when I take the car for checking on minor niggles and they refuse to charge me for it.
• I tip towing services and on-road assistance folks typically. 25% of what they charge.
• I don't tip petrol pump attendants. Do you?
• Rs. 20 for folks that fill air at the fueling stations

Others
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• I grudgingly tip at local salon chains. 10%. Grudgingly because they charge Rs.300 for a Rs.100 haircut.
• Haven't been to a regular barber's in a while; so can't comment.
• Home visits: Cleaning Services, Salon home visits : 10% tip depending on the quality of the job and their attitude.
• Car cleaners at the apartment : Usually no, because they don't do a good job. But I do spare extra money when they are in need ( which is 2-3 times a year )
• Domestic Help : Extra money when they need /ask for genuine reasons. Take care of their kid's education etc like many of us. So doesn't count as a tip technically, but certainly as goodwill.
• I don't tip delivery boys - food, ecommerce etc. Do you tip ? If so, how much? This is one area that I'm thinking of becoming a better tipper.
• I don't tip shopkeepers ( brick and mortar stores or pushcart or roadside shops ), but I ensure I don't bargain with them and ensure they keep their margins. Sometimes, people take advantage of this. Example: a roadside vendor near CR Patna asked Rs.650 for an average-sized jackfruit. I wouldn't bargain, I just walked away.
• I don't tip anyone at a mall - restaurants, kids activities, parking assistants, lift assistants. Do you?

Finally, I would like to hear about tipping culture differences. What would you do differently when in other countries ? What are some of the interesting tipping experiences you have had outside of India?

I generally tip mostly in restaurants I guess because of an ingrained habit. The amount is flexible depending on the service.
As such at other times i only tip if the service is exceptional or if they are facing and overcoming some inconvenience due to me - for example our lift is being replaced and they have to climb up to the 5th floor to deliver stuff. Those that do get a tip and those that leave it with the security guard get nothing.
I firmly believe that people who are just doing their job i.e. what they are paid to do unless they are going above and beyond to whatever extent don't automatically qualify for a tip.

Don't even get me started on Diwali time tips where every damn Charlie that exists comes out of the woodwork expecting and occasionally demanding "Diwali baksheesh". While it does annoy me a lot I just calmly tell them that they don't work for me and their boss or whoever pays their salary is the one who they should expect Diwali bonuses from or I say that if they want a gift from me then they also have to give me one as well because it's Diwali for me too.

Source:
https://twitter.com/stats_feed/statu...58372541247488

I don't like tipping culture. If someone is doing a job and providing any service then his salary should come from his boss directly, not indirectly from customers. Still, if someone is happy with their service and want to provide an incentive in a form of tip he is most welcomed to do so. However, it's absolutely stupid to make it mandatory thing like it is in USA.

Here in Trivandrum, which is a Tier 2 city, I normally tip anywhere between Rs.30 to Rs.50 depending on the hotel, bill amount and that attitude of the server.

I don't tip if the waiter/server has a lousy attitude.

I go to star hotels very rarely. I think the last time I went for a star hotel, I had tipped Rs.100/-.

I don't tip the security staff or the watchman at the car parking.

To be honest, i have never been someone who has left a generous tip! Unless, the service rendered was a bit above the “standard”. I mean, if a guy just puts food on the table, how does that merit a tip? I dont mind tipping a security guard who goes out of his way to direct me out of a parking lot, but I have never been a fan of tipping just for the sake if it. Let the attendant at least put in some effort on food recommendations or even on the quantity you are about to order.

In some cases, i just tip folks who clean the table rather than the attendants. Nothing against anyone, but i have rarely come across restaurant waiters or attendants who seem to go out of the way, and this is especially true in Bangalore, where in most restaurants they think its a privilege even for you to get a table!

On the contrary, when i go to smaller hotels down south, say Salem or Coimbatore, I ensure i tip at least Rs.50 -70 (for a bill value of say Rs.300 to Rs.500 ) in normal south indian restaurants where i find the attendants to be genuinely courteous ( not being racist or anything, but just my experience ).

In the restaurants, do they share the tip or the waiter keeps it?. Its unfair, since the cleaners, the person who takes orders, the kitchen staff put in a lot of efforts.

I believe tips are shared by all staff. Tips go into a kitty of sorts and are distributed evenly at the end of the month.

Cheers

I have actually gone through extremities in life around tipping. From being a no tipper, to someone who tries to be a generous tipper now. Have seen both sides.

There was a time in my life when I knew the exact amount of money in my wallet to the last decimal. I could spit out the number without thinking even if you woke me up from sleep half way through the night. Needless to say that during those days, I was minding every rupee spent and saw tip as an extra expense and was a lousy tipper.

As times changed, the mindset changed as well and I started seeing tip as a way to show appreciation for anyone doing a good job. The rule that I follow generally is 10% tip or Rs 500 whichever is lower whenever I receive satisfactory service.

Few folks I always tip is the air guy at the petrol pump, waiters at eateries, cab drivers, my car and bike cleaning guy, staff at my FNG, anyone who works in unorganised sector and has provided some service. The amount I tip practically makes no difference to me but hopefully help the hard working souls who strive for good customer service.

On the other hand, there are situations where monetary tipping becomes a very ambiguous thing. Example - managers at luxury hotels, airline crew members.
In such scenarios, I almost always ask for their names and inquire on what is the best way to pass on my appreciation to their management quoting their names. I am usually given an email-id or asked to Tweet to the management. This is accompanied by better service for the rest of my stay/flight as the case be. It shows that in the organised sector, good feedback is taken in the same vein as a good tip.

I alway tips the waiters if they have provided good service. Even if it is a large group and the service charge covers a lot, I leave something to the attending Waiter to show my gratitude. May not be the case in hotels where I am resident though I will try and tip on last day

Hotel bell boys - I try and carry my luggage if it is not too much else will tip them. Tour guides - I give them something especially when I have ducked the tourist trap shops. One guide in Turkey, I did not tip as he was grumpy and decided to go home. We tipped the bus driver well to stay on, let us have dinner and then drop us at the airport.

I normally tip valet parking attendants. I tip taxi drivers since they get a raw deal. I tip auto drivers if they never asked for extra.