theRascalKing Posted July 11, 2007 Report Share Posted July 11, 2007 Personal opinions on tipping aside ... What is the custom in Thailand regarding tipping of waiters/waitresses, taxi drivers, etc? Here in Canada it's pretty much expected. However, in Japan tipping is almost unheard of. When I was there we even had a waitress chase us out of the restaurant to give us our change that we had left as a tip. I am thinking the high tourist areas have come to expect tipping. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kennyke Posted July 11, 2007 Report Share Posted July 11, 2007 to me it depends on every single person by himself , was it good , were they nice etc it all depends from person to person :wink: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
afook06 Posted July 11, 2007 Report Share Posted July 11, 2007 The locals hardly tip at all or very little.........I go with a minimum of 10%-20, everyone works hard for their living! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theRascalKing Posted July 11, 2007 Author Report Share Posted July 11, 2007 If you know how much thai ppl earn, you wouldnt question this, even just 10 or 20 baht tip would be so much for them.You earn better than us so just tip! I have no problem with tipping. I worked my way through college as a waiter in a restaurant so I know the pains of the service industry. I just know from my experience in Japan that tipping is VERY uncommon and you sometimes get strange looks from the employees. I seem to recall something about a tip is dishonorable to the owner as it says he doesn't pay his employees enough. (But don't quote me on that ). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kfg_johnny Posted July 12, 2007 Report Share Posted July 12, 2007 Hello fellow Canuck... depends on where you are what you are doing and what level of service you want. in a night club, tip the captain 100 bht when he meets you at the door, and you are guaranteed a great seat in the house... 50-100 (at the end of the nite) for each of the service staff that pours your drinks all night long. Their salary is only 3500 a month, plus tips. You do the math, and see how long you will live off of that. the guy in the bathroom... usually 20-50 depends how good he is to you. My guys always remember I hate hot towels, so they always have a few towels in a bucket of ice just for me. at a quiet restraunt or a local one... 20 bht per service staff is a nice gesture. at a upscale hotel, tips are already added to the bill, so dont bother too much here. always tip the maid service if you are staying for a while. 50-100 on the pillow when you are leaving or if you really made a mess of the suite by morning. don't be a "key nok" --- lose translation.. bird ****, or cheap charlie. share your wealth a little bit, and your visit will be 1000 times more enjoyable if you can make those that service you as well as they made you feel. have fun... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
babyoiy Posted July 12, 2007 Report Share Posted July 12, 2007 Start at 20 baht /each guest or if I go alone then 10-20% of the bill.... But depends on where too... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
koolbreez Posted July 12, 2007 Report Share Posted July 12, 2007 Something you want to remember about tipping. In restaurants, and bars, you want to hand the tip directly to the person you want to tip. Most places, if you leave the amount you want to tip on the tray, it ends up going to management, and very seldom is given to the workers. This is getting to be a very common practice now. Also ask the waiter/waitress if the tips are shared between the workers, or kept by the management. If kept by the management, then don't tip. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JBJE Posted July 12, 2007 Report Share Posted July 12, 2007 Generally I agree with Afook. Two caveats: First, if the service charge has been added, I tip around 15% less the percentage service charge. Second, if I am returning to a place I tend to tip much more than a customary 15-20%. My GF freaks out. She thinks it's OK to leave just the coins only. LOL. Well, I worked as a waiter at a Chinese restaurant in New Haven, Connecticut, in one of my college jobs, and if I only got the coins I would have starved to death back then! When I walk into my favorite Vietnamese restuarant in Bangkok, they come running, and I always get my table. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
biachung Posted July 12, 2007 Report Share Posted July 12, 2007 I usually tip directly to the employee, after all they're the one giving the service and the one that deserves it more, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Princess Posted July 12, 2007 Report Share Posted July 12, 2007 I used to tip taxi drivers if they shut up and drove without trying to make conversation - I absolutely hate to make small talk with taxi drivers. The more questions he asked, the more likely it was that I would wait around for every last satang of change. If he shut up, I'd leave a nice tip...especially if it was very late at night or early in the morning. At least the taxi drivers here don't talk too much - good thing since almost all of them speak English. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CiaranM Posted July 12, 2007 Report Share Posted July 12, 2007 Giving 10% tips in Thailand is equally dumb as giving no tip in America. It's not gratitude you see, it's amazement you can be so ignorant. funny i get the impression that most staff in thailand are genuinely grateful for any tip they are given !!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lizardo Posted July 12, 2007 Report Share Posted July 12, 2007 if ya wanna tip...then tip if u don't wanna tip...don't tip Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dumper Posted July 12, 2007 Report Share Posted July 12, 2007 Cleaners probably get the most tips from me. Not a lot but on a regular basis. 20 and 40 bahts most days. Nightclubs I have a couple of regular places I like to go. Buy the same waiter a drink most nights. If tipping then the tip goes in his shirt pocket. I am well looked after. the guy in the bathroom... usually 20-50 depends how good he is to you. My guys always remember I hate hot towels, so they always have a few towels in a bucket of ice just for me. Bathroom attendants... well I really hate these guys. As they pounce on you when you approach the handbasins. A firm - no thanks gets rid of these parasites. I'm quite capable of turning on a tap and drying my hands thank you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dannyboy Posted July 12, 2007 Report Share Posted July 12, 2007 I leave a tip when i think the service has been good, but people here have started to get in the habit of asking for a tip or even worse not bringing the change back at all. Call me cheap , i don't give a **** , that makes me f?cking angry....... :evil: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robbie36 Posted July 12, 2007 Report Share Posted July 12, 2007 Bathroom attendants... well I really hate these guys. As they pounce on you when you approach the handbasins. A firm - no thanks gets rid of these parasites. I'm quite capable of turning on a tap and drying my hands thank you. Generally I am a huge fan of service. I mean you go somewhere like England and you have to fill up your own car with petrol - that's crap... But bathroom attendants is taking things too far. How are you supposed to piss when you have some guy trying to give you a massage? All you want to do is take a quick piss... The last thing you want is a bunch of guys hovering over you. How come you dont usually get bathroom attendants in the ladies loo? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CiaranM Posted July 12, 2007 Report Share Posted July 12, 2007 Giving 10% tips in Thailand is equally dumb as giving no tip in America. It's not gratitude you see, it's amazement you can be so ignorant. funny i get the impression that most staff in thailand are genuinely grateful for any tip they are given !!! i had the same thing with my first bargirl too, something that looked like genuine, but i'm too old for that kind of crap now i guess :wink: well i guess that explains why u think it's ignorant to tip in thailand !!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sawadee2k Posted July 19, 2007 Report Share Posted July 19, 2007 what about them 3-11 year old who sell flowers etc or play games to win money!! i just give them 20 baht amyway without the flowers,some of them can be cheeky but and i refuse!! i came out of the solo bar in samui and one was still hoovering about,do these kids not go to school? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CuTieGirL Posted July 19, 2007 Report Share Posted July 19, 2007 I know someone who likes to tip no matter what. Everything seems fine with her when she tips drivers, waiters, therapists or hair dressers. Then she had an accident and was admitted to hospital. She started tipping all the nurses who took care of her. But the nurse won't accepted it. She got upset. LOL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoldMember Posted July 19, 2007 Report Share Posted July 19, 2007 Service industry people have tough jobs, and if your salary relied on you being nice to random demanding annoying strangers, would you make that much money? Tip your waitstaff. The Service industry is all about providing service...and good,professional service at that , irrespective of the client/customer/guest's attitude.Tip only if genuinely warranted(in Thailand it often is)- and if service charge is included in the bill and you've had a crap experience,deduct it.Simple Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dumper Posted July 19, 2007 Report Share Posted July 19, 2007 what about them 3-11 year old who sell flowers etc or play games to win money!!i just give them 20 baht amyway without the flowers,some of them can be cheeky but and i refuse!! i came out of the solo bar in samui and one was still hoovering about,do these kids not go to school? If you give money to these kids you are really giving money to the gangsters that send them out to work every night. Sad as it might seem I never give them anything. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
afook06 Posted July 19, 2007 Report Share Posted July 19, 2007 No wonder your name is dumper............ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dumper Posted July 19, 2007 Report Share Posted July 19, 2007 What do you mean ? I'm not giving money to gangsters that force children to wander round bars all night. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
weldonsd Posted July 20, 2007 Report Share Posted July 20, 2007 I totally agree with the dishonor upon the employer, maybe I've been in Japan too long. If the owner needs to starve his employees for his own fat ass, then he's the problem not the tipping. Giving 10% tips in Thailand is equally dumb as giving no tip in America. It's not gratitude you see, it's amazement you can be so ignorant. What a joke!! Stop trying to make excuses to not tip, stop being ?Key Nok? and just tip. The wait staff have no control of what their employer pays them. 10%-20% is nothing, serious. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hbkbkk Posted July 20, 2007 Report Share Posted July 20, 2007 it all come down to pride or generous. pride is taking less than you need and generous is giving more than you have to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slurms Posted August 28, 2007 Report Share Posted August 28, 2007 it all come down to pride or generous. pride is taking less than you need and generous is giving more than you have to. You say those almost as if they are bad things and not virtues . It's simply really ...the world has certain types of people who hold certain types of views . Some , regardless of economic standing suffer from serious entitlement issues . Often grew up "only children" , or spoilt brats ,and who think the world owes them everything , and suffer the delusions that they actually deserve to be any better off than anyone , if not everyone else . Then you get other people who have a sense of perspective , and see tipping for what it is . A nice gesture towards someone who's had to play slave boy (cause really , people in the food service industry are stupidly paid , especially in places like Thailand) and run around kissing your ass . The very least you can do is slide them 10% no matter how shitty the service . I don't know about you , but one of the greatest things about the west is this underlying philisophy that everyone has the right to equality and dignity . Then you get people who are just mean spirited and bitter , but chose to take it out on anyone and everyone they can get away with it . Whatever your reasons for tipping or not tipping , for **** sakes , it's just some change ...why not just play nice and make someone life just a little damn easier ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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