Im British and Dont understand tipping

MaxP779 · 27 Jun 2014 at 23:19

Dont see the point in tipping. I never tip.

itchy · 27 Jun 2014 at 23:19

I always tip 10% in a restaurant and 20p-50p a round at the bar providing they not charging the earth for the ale or douchebag workers.

Amp34 · 27 Jun 2014 at 23:19

In the UK you tip in a restaurant, usually because it's included in your bill and it's simple... If the service was bad I'll tip less, although I did get a situate where the Maitre d came back to me to tell me I hadn't paid all the bill as I'd only given 8% of the "service charge". She got short shrift!

Otherwise no tips... The problem with tipping in the US is it makes everything very expensive. With adding tax on top of the cost it means a cheap breakfast/meal in a restaurant/diner suddenly ends up more expensive than the UK, after adding the 30-40% on top of the advertised rate!

Edrof · 27 Jun 2014 at 23:20

Judgeneo said:
I don't like tipping at all, and I was a waiter for a couple of years.

Same. I do tip in restaurants, but I'd do away with it all in a heartbeat.

Mynight · 27 Jun 2014 at 23:21

Scozzer said:
Food for thought: My other half is a paramedic and she never gets a tip. Should she only provide an exemplary service if she is expecting a tip?

I tried to give a paramedic a bit of money for fixing my nose when some pleb broke it.

Apparently they're not allowed to accept money or gifts? Or maybe I offended him somehow.

Terminal_Boy · 27 Jun 2014 at 23:21

I usually leave waiting staff at restaurants a 10% cash tip if I've had good service.

Unfortunately, a growing number of London restaurants think it's reasonable to charge 10% - 12.5% service change for just 4 people which seems to result in waiting staff not trying too hard as they know they're not getting a tip.

Amp34 · 27 Jun 2014 at 23:21

Scozzer said:
Tipping is generally provided in the service industry. The service industry should provide a good level of service if they are doing there job correctly hence I will tip if they go above and beyond.

Food for thought: My other half is a paramedic and she never gets a tip. Should she only provide an exemplary service if she is expecting a tip?

How about engineers? Should they get a tip for a building staying up? Why the service industry think they should be rewarded for providing the service they should be providing is beyond me...

Craig321 · 27 Jun 2014 at 23:23

Mr Jones said:
Unless someone goes beyond their responsibility/role in service or product, I never tip.

This exactly. They're already being paid for their job, if they go beyond that then I'll tip (maybe).

The Americans are big into it. I had a burger and chips in a NY restaurant, nothing particularly special. On my way out the guy has a right go whining about how this is American and 'we tip in America'. :rolleyes:

. He literally cooked it and served it up, as I paid him to do, nothing more nothing less and he still expected a tip.

Amp34 · 27 Jun 2014 at 23:25

Terminal_Boy said:
I usually leave waiting staff at restaurants a 10% cash tip if I've had good service.

Unfortunately, a growing number of London restaurants think it's reasonable to charge 10% - 12.5% service change for just 4 people which seems to result in waiting staff not trying too hard as they know they're not getting a tip.

All London restaurants charge a 12.5% service charge, except a few of the big chains (Pizza Express and Wagamama come to mind). Remember service charges are voluntary, whether they say "discretionary/voluntary" or not. Cover charges are mandatory however. I've only ever been to one place that had that and just took it off the 12.5% tip... I hope the waiters get paid more there as I assume most people do that.

EDIT: An added "service charge" on the bill is actually useful in some situations, it means if you expense the meal it's easy to get the tip back. In business oriented areas it's probably very common. For the times we go out and pay ourselves we can just pay it or not.

Scozzer · 27 Jun 2014 at 23:26

Amp34 said:
How about engineers? Should they get a tip for a building staying up? Why the service industry think they should be rewarded for providing the service they should be providing is beyond me...

This is my point. I can understand a tip for going above and beyond but why is this not universally accepted? Engineers, techs, md's, builders etc..

With the on mind, why is the service industry almost demanding of a tip?

Amp34 · 27 Jun 2014 at 23:27

Scozzer said:
This is my point. I can understand a tip for going above and beyond but why is this not universally accepted? Engineers, techs, md's, builders etc..

With the on mind, why is the service industry almost demanding of a tip?

I was agreeing with you.

novaenough · 27 Jun 2014 at 23:28

[TW]Sponge;26525535 said:
If somebody goes the extra mile in terms of service then they get a tip from me. Otherwise no. They get paid a wage.

This is the way I do it too.
It annoys me when a tip is expected for nothing out of the ordinary.

Efour · 27 Jun 2014 at 23:29

novaenough said:
This is the way I do it too.
It annoys me when a tip is expected for nothing out of the ordinary.

Yeah like the cliche Bellhop scene in movies where they stick their handout waiting for the folded dollar bills....

Arthur Hucksake · 27 Jun 2014 at 23:30

I tip homeless people for being the only true free people in the country.

They are only homeless because they aren't allowed to build a wood hut in a field, hunt wildlife or plant vegetable patches in spaces of baron land. Someone owns it apparently, owns it.

Often it's because they aren't allowed to naturally grow the drugs they are addicted to as well. lol

Scozzer · 27 Jun 2014 at 23:30

Amp34 said:
I was agreeing with you.

Sorry if it came across as otherwise but I know, I was expanding on my original thoughts.

Destination · 27 Jun 2014 at 23:32

Efour said:
Or charge more in the first place?

Indeed, but in the US, the venue CBA to pay their staff, so they expect the customer to pay them directly.
The American IRS is even built around the notion of average tips, and expects a waitress earning x to ear y in tips and taxes her on the y amount.

It is like everything else in the US, on the surface looks rosy, and how wonderful people work for what they get but under the surface its smoke and mirrors, and a putrid mess.

Craig321 · 27 Jun 2014 at 23:37

Arthur Hucksake said:
I tip homeless people for being the only true free people in the country.

They are only homeless because they aren't allowed to build a wood hut in a field, hunt wildlife or plant vegetable patches in spaces of baron land. Someone owns it apparently, owns it.

Often it's because they aren't allowed to naturally grow the drugs they are addicted to as well. lol

I too would like the countryside to be littered with slums and weed fields.

Destination · 27 Jun 2014 at 23:37

Arthur Hucksake said:
I tip homeless people for being the only true free people in the country.

They are only homeless because they aren't allowed to build a wood hut in a field, hunt wildlife or plant vegetable patches in spaces of baron land. Someone owns it apparently, owns it.

Often it's because they aren't allowed to naturally grow the drugs they are addicted to as well. lol

Of course someone owns it.
Ridiculous statement, originally some chap fought for that land, lamped off heads for it, and appointed his lords to lamp of heads in his name.
Eventually through trickle down, us little people got the chance to buy bits and pieces of land form the 'landlord'. The number of such owned the entire country at one stage, administering in the name of the regent. Now some land is still owned by such, whereas most is owned by little people, and I don't want a tramp building a mud hut on the bit I own. That's why we have laws, and purchases, and a land registry. If land isn't claimed, isn't being used, and he lays claim to it for a period, then the wasteland can become his if he fulfils the criteria, but I sure as hell don't want his mud hut on my land, I paid for it, and it is costing me dear.

Arthur Hucksake · 27 Jun 2014 at 23:42

Hikari Kisugi said:
Of course someone owns it.
Ridiculous statement, originally some chap fought for that land, lamped off heads for it, and appointed his lords to lamp of heads in his name.
Eventually through trickle down, us little people got the chance to buy bits and pieces of land form the 'landlord'. The number of such owned the entire country at one stage, administering in the name of the regent. Now some land is still owned by such, whereas most is owned by little people, and I don't want a tramp building a mud hut on the bit I own. That's why we have laws, and purchases, and a land registry. If land isn't claimed, isn't being used, and he lays claim to it for a period, then the wasteland can become his if he fulfils the criteria, but I sure as hell don't want his mud hut on my land, I paid for it, and it is costing me dear.

Who owns a lay-by off the M1? Who owns a stagnant swamp land that isn't suitable for building homes on? Nobody does, that's why it's sat there.

Should be law that if you buy a piece of land, you have to state the purpose and have so many years to act on it, or it goes back nature. The whole planning permission thing seems to have gotten lost somewhere.

There's a house shortage and you've got acres of bust up wasteland just sat there because people are rich and lazy.

Mynight · 27 Jun 2014 at 23:46

Arthur Hucksake said:
Who owns a lay-by off the M1? Who owns a stagnant swamp land that isn't suitable for building homes on? Nobody does, that's why it's sat there.

Should be law that if you buy a piece of land, you have to state the purpose and have so many years to act on it, or it goes back nature. The whole planning permission thing seems to have gotten lost somewhere.

There's a house shortage and you've got acres of bust up wasteland just sat there because people are rich and lazy.

Generally the council would own these wouldn't they?

I don't agree with the rest land is an investment just like a house. If you want to buy it and do nothing with it its up to you.

My parents bought a large area of land to stop developers from buying it and ruining their view. Why should they have worked hard to buy a nice house and view to have it ruined later on.