Feeling TIPsy?

Jun 17, 2008

NEWS YOU CAN USE:

You may accustomed to dropping your extra change in that very obvious tip box at your local coffee shop, but when it comes to tipping service-oriented personnel in foreign countries, the opinions are as varied as the sizes of the coins in England (also known as “pence”, in case you didn’t know).

Americans are tip-happy. There is no question that we tip more than any country in the world. Tip jars in coffee shops, tip the hairdresser, tip the cabbie, tip the porter….and of course, we tip our waitresses sometimes in excess of 20%. While the recipients are welcome takers, we over tip to the tune of hundreds, if not thousands of dollars per person per year.

So be it. Its our culture..its our nature..and if we want good service, we feel the providers are deserving. And so, we tip. But, what about other countries; do service personnel in South America or Japan or Australia have the same expectations? The answer is a resounding “no” they do not. As a matter of fact, in some countries the attempt to present a gratuity can be perceived as a flagrantly rude show of wealth, or worse it can be an insulting gesture to their culture. On the other hand, in some countries, rounding up to the next dollar amount is sufficient…or a simple 10% gratuity is appropriate.

There really are no steadfast rules, but here is a little guideline to help you decipher the ‘what goes around comes around’ phenomenon in the world of tipping:

TAXIS:
South America, Australia, Hong Kong – round up to the next dollar (or peso) amount
India, China – no gratuity expected
Italy, France, South Africa: 10%

RESTAURANTS:
Italy, England, New Zealand, Africa – “service charge” usually included, but adding 5-10% is customary
China – 3% is the norm
Japan – considers it an insult to tip

HOTEL PORTERS:
Latin America: equivalent of $2 total for up a three-star hotel. No more than $5 at a 4-star and up.
Africa: equivalent of $1 per bag
Fiji, Tahiti: Tipping is not customary nor expected.

When in doubt, the best rule of thumb is to simply ask the question. “May I give you a little something?” or “Is this acceptable?” as you hand over a small gratuity. This will elicit a proper response that will allow you depart the situation feeling like you did the right thing.