Anything to gain by tipping?

[ENT]

Tipping just identifies you as a red neck newbie farang. Simon

A little harsh there buddy...but I guess you are right.

I'm more than happy for you cheapskates to think that way, makes me look better when I do tip. Everytime.

And funnily enough, I do get good service. Nearly every time.

Except when you're trying to show off to get respect and the girls see right through ya.

[Covertjay]

tipping just increases the greed, laziness and the sense of entitlement inherent in those members of the thai lower class who work with foreigners.

ultimately it will, if it hasnt already, lead to resentment, derision and lower standards of service as they come to see those who tip as borderline insane, for who in their right minds would give money away, what sane person would pay more for something when not asked to. as the thai sees it, only the deranged would behave like that.

a mere thank you and a smile should be sufficient.

Nah, my Thai mates tip IF it's very good service. They say 10%. A few unhinged stereotypes here.

[VocalNeal]

That is just because no one likes you!

^ That was my first thought. I've always found repeat girls very friendly. Extra service? Well I couldn't say. I was happy enough the first time that is why I tipped.

[Loy Toy]

Like with most service industries a little bit of a sweetener gets you more value for money at the end of the shift.

And as most bars do not charge a service fee, and particularly if the service was good and the drinks are priced fairly who wouldn't offer a token tip.

Shame on those that don't tip and then sprout on about the fact in public.

[Mid]

Shame on those that don't tip and then sprout on about the fact in public.

crap , shame on employers who do not pay a decent wage and force staff to rely on tips .

[Chang yai]

Some good points here, for sure. Yes the TGF likes to pay the cleaning lady 100 baht a day when staying at a hotel for a few days. I think this gives her face. Also she has a laugh and tells me my faring friend TGF only tip 50 baht. When at a restaurant, if I feel like leaving a tip for the service of the actual hostess, I will hand her the tip not put in in the check bin. This means it's hers and not to go in the common jar to split up at nights end, though they often put it in the jar anyway.

I think if you want to tip, tip, but not to much, causes problems and they think you are just being big buffalo.

[kingwilly]

Except when you're trying to show off to get respect and the girls see right through ya.

I missed that comment the first time..... and it still doesnt deserve a reply.

[DJ Pat]

It's an age old dilemma between the big spending farang tourists (big tippers) and expats who have gone native (small tippers)

Most Thais can't comprehend any difference between the two.

It confuses their small minds.

[Chang yai]

^yep, simple as that.

[The Fresh Prince]

When I have tipped a decent amount,

You mean you actually stuck around long enough to see the bill?

[DJ Pat]

^I am a decent tipper when things are satisfactory

At a Greek place last night in Camden I left £6 on a £21 bill because the food was particularly decent and service was as it should be. This morning at a cafe on Parkway I left £3.50 on a £12 bill for breakfast. Again, it was exactly as it should be, enter establishment, get greeted, seated and handed menus with a smile, wait 4 mins, order coffee, wait 4 mins coffee arrives, order food as she serves coffee etc etc

Like I say, service was exactly what service should be. I don't go to places and watch every move of the service staff like many people in this world and then complain at the slightest thing. Agreed, in Thailand, service is generally shit.

Too many service nazis around.

[Bexar County Stud]

When I'm in a foreign country, why should I stop behaving like an American? That some crybabies are jealous and butt-hurt over American generosity and good manners ain't my concern.

[tukmike]

If I get good service I give 2 tips, one in the hands of the waiter/waitress, smaller one on the plate. If in hand the server can keep, on the plate, it goes into the pool to be shared, the reason for the small tip is so the server is not accused of stealing. If the service is bad, my tip is usually, "get better"

[astasinim]

When I'm in a foreign country, why should I stop behaving like an American? That some crybabies are jealous and butt-hurt over American generosity and good manners ain't my concern.

Bit of an old cliché that. The vast majority of people these days tip at restaurants.

[RickThai]

Like BobR stated in his post, the purpose of a tip is not to "buy" future service, but rather an opportunity to be generous to strangers who have served you in some way.

To carry that even further, I saw a story of a man who goes around laying money down in the street for someone to find. The object is to bring a little joy or "luck" to some stranger. Maybe brighten their day.

To me, that is a worthy thing to strive for in today's "me, me" world.

RickThai

[cheekyman]

In a restaurant it is better to tip at the start - give the waiter the tip up front tell him you want good seats and great service - works every time - no point tipping after the event! Remember TIPS stands for To Insure Prompt Service.

[Happy As Larry]

To carry that even further, I saw a story of a man who goes around laying money down in the street for someone to find. The object is to bring a little joy or "luck" to some stranger. Maybe brighten their day.

Back in my youth some wannabe celeb decided to come to the town and hand out money. It started OK until the crowde that developed realised he was handing out real money.
The poor guy had to run for his life in and out of shops as the crowd chased him for quite sometime. The police eventually calmed things down and the idiot left town sharpish.

[Happy As Larry]

they are serving me for christs sake, im not interested in their name, ambitions in life or anything else about them, just bring me what i ask for and go away until next summoned to bring me something else.
thats proper service and worthy of a tip. in the background, non intrusive and discreet. jeevesian in fact.

I read in another post you quoted research from Cornell University. The university also carried out another study which looked at the ways waiting staff interacted with customers and how that might impact tips.
The control group was simply a waiter handing a menu to the customer and then returning to take the order.
A variety of other interactions were then compared such as male and female waiters, smiling, touching, explanation of the menu, socialising etc right through to the "my name is Scott and I'll be your server tonight. Let me tell you the specials blah blah...

The study found that all interactions increased the tip given over the control group and by significant amounts in the main if I recall correctly.
the interaction that fared the worst but still improved upon the control group tip was something like a male waiter crouching down to the customer, placing their hand upon them and then discussing the menu/order.

The study of course was carried out in the US

[Cujo]

Don't some western restaurants (in the West) demand a tip these days?

[Nokturnal]

If you have seen Reservoir Dogs, You should know my stance on tips

Running restaurants is what I do. In the states tips are not mandatory but they are expected if the place does a good job all around. There are some people who won't tip no matter what and for the most part servers in the states don't get worked up about someone leaving little or no tip.

And the service charge at any place I have run is only applied to groups of 12 or more, Groups that tend to spend a good deal more time in the restaurant than your average diner.. With a large number of seats not being flipped over and over the place loses potential revenue. The service charge in Thailand is something I think that is abused simply because it can be.

Now in Thailand I tip the same as I would anywhere else, If the service provided was excellent and the staff did their very best I will tip.The majority of places I frequent here do provide a great service, The ones that do not never see me again.

Same goes for taxis, If the driver isn't pretending he's and F1 driver and is polite ill give him 10-20 depending on what the fair was. I cants stand the taxis who drive like a bat out if hell, Especially when they're are kids in a car.. In fact ill get out and find another one.

[Nokturnal]

Don't some western restaurants (in the West) demand a tip these days?

No place I've been to from New York to New Orleans and Seattle demand a tip be left. Servers make minimum wage and tips are an added bonus from satisfied customers.

[Nokturnal]

Here it is.. Great movie.

http://http://youtu.be/enJwYaeolXc

[Nokturnal]

Not sure how to embed that.