I work in the service industry. The English are so polite, thanking me profusely for the fantastic service. Then they leave me 0.5 % of the bill as a gratuity. I end up paying back more to the restaurant, losing other tips I had already earned.
2007-03-25 20:37:54 · 10 answers · asked by pinot_whino 2 in Society & Culture ➔ Etiquette
In most countries in Europe, tipping isn't expected. Waiters and waitresses are paid a good wage, they don't need the tips, and some even take leaving a tip as an insult, as if you think them in need of charity.
That said, it's always a good idea to read up on local customs when traveling. These British tourists should've taken the time to look at a guide book or ask around, so they'd know in the US tipping is customary and you do rely on a decent tip for your work. Rude is perhaps a bit a strong word, but it is careless of them.
2007-03-26 02:36:03 · answer #1 · answered by Sheriam 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I agree with those who said that tipping is primarily an American custom. I travel quite a bit and in some places it's actually considered disrespectful to tip. It implies that a person looks like they "need" the money. I learned this years ago in the UK. We were visiting friends who live in Hamworthy and we took them to dinner. At the end, we left a tip for our waiter and it wasn't very well received. Our friends filled us in on the view of tipping and suggested we actually not tip in the future. It was extremely odd to us, but we've also encountered this in other countries too.
2007-03-25 22:05:26 · answer #2 · answered by bellashira 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Actually, the reason that Brits, and several others do not tip is because in most of our cultures, a waitress is a full salaried employee, i.e. you do not need a tip to be paid, so it simply is not a part of many cultures. For the person that said you need to tip in third world coulntries, that is actually untrue. You tip in cultures where it is the custom. So in many countries, servers etc do not expect tips. So don't be offended.
2007-03-25 21:24:59 · answer #3 · answered by tropical_babygirl 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Like many Euro cultures, tipping is not a standard part of it.
Although if you look at your bill in some countries (ie. Portugal, Spain), you'll see the gratuity is automatically added in to your tab... Go figure.
2007-03-26 01:56:39 · answer #4 · answered by Tough Love 5 · 3⤊ 0⤋
Well there is no obligation to tip, its not like waitors/ waitresses dont get paied wages, and before u hate me i was a waitress for a good 5 years so i know how annoying this can be, i just saw tips as an added bonus.
I always tip tho as i know both sides of the coin!
2007-03-25 20:43:54 · answer #5 · answered by Southern Belle 3 · 1⤊ 2⤋
People don't imagine that in this day and age in a wealthy country that workers are not paid enough to have a decent wage. It's appalling. Tipping is necessary in 3rd world countries where workers really don't earn enough, but in a WEALTHY country? In England, I never got a tip either and didn't expect it either.
2007-03-25 20:50:30 · answer #6 · answered by Ya-sai 7 · 2⤊ 1⤋
They don't tip in many parts of the world. It is because the staff over there get paid a decent wage.
2007-03-25 21:00:04 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
im from new zealand and we dont tip either we think its funny that other cultures do and we love american tourists the best as they tip the most. we get paid more and its the tips that compensate for you not gettin paid as we do.
2007-03-25 21:08:05 · answer #8 · answered by partigurlpartigurlz 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Tipping is an American custom.
2007-03-25 20:41:13 · answer #9 · answered by Max 6 · 5⤊ 0⤋
Cheap? Well England is SOOO expensive, I guess they just don't want to pay more money if it isn't required
2007-03-25 20:40:59 · answer #10 · answered by footballgrl 3 · 1⤊ 1⤋