I didnt realise this age-old trick still works ......

Kim San is a great guide, we just used his services last month while on a honeymoon in SE Asia.
Interestingly enough, he acted as guide, while his cousin was our driver. Either way, we were really pleased with him, and would definitely recommend him to all travellers to Siem Reap/Angkor Wat.

No, tipping is not "a USA thing", paying a little extra for services rendered well and/or going beyond the call of duty is near universal. (Yes, even in places like Japan, they just set the bar for "call of duty" pretty darn high.) What is American is the idea of an obligatory tip that has to be given, regardless of the quality of service.

Yes I agree, the in your face tip is down right rude but the obsession by Americans to use it especially in Asia to try and get something better is so often done in such a manner that it portrays the " I am richer than you " syndrome which is very offensive to a lot of people

I am richer than you syndrome?

This is a total assumption on your part bizclassboy... are you in their minds to know what Americans are thinking? Maybe they are thinking that they don't want to exploit poor working people?

In the US, the wait staff at most hotels/restaurants earn a minimum wage and, therefore, they depend on the 15-20% tip (depending on the level of service) to raise their families and to basically survive. This is totally voluntary as the tip is not calculated in the final tally but patrons have the attitude and the understanding that the wait staff got to make a living too.

In Italy, the coperta is 10% and automatically added to your bill ... the same goes to most places in Europe, Thailand, etc. Wait staff throughout the world have the same needs: to raise their families and to basically survive. The little that you giving them (for their service and extra effort) will not break you and will surely help them.

And as seanthepilot summed it in an earlier post:

The fact that the tip is expected should have no bearing. In countries that it's not a custom, it's not important to tip everyone. Even in places where it's expected, you, the customer should decide if one is warranted and at what amount.

I consider tipping to be reflective of the tippers situation as much as the service recieved. On good years, I'm likely to spread it around more than on bad years. Catch me in bad times, and them's the breaks.

I suppose it makes for a nice trip knowing that you've helped poor working people in an "etc" country with their basic survival needs.

Yes and its rich coming from a poster who assumes that Italy automatically adds 10% as a tip, he is obviously well adversed in the lonely travellers guides but not in real life. Like I said the attitude of how "we helped those poor people so we gave them a tip" makes you feel good. I think haven spoken to many service staff who tell me they dont earn minimum wage but dont tell the punters makes me laugh when I see postings like this one. Its a myth the way people like this think they are helping people survive and raise their families, I am laughing my socks having read this post

Here you go again scroogeboy making assumptions again ... oops ... I meant to say bizclassboy. FYI, I lived and worked in Italy for 2 years in the late 70's (when you were sucking on your thumb, I presume) and yes my Italian is a bit rusty now but the last time I was there (Valentine's week 2004) the tip was still called coperta (or coperto) and it was listed at the bottom of the menu. Liked the service or not, you paid the service charge pal. The same goes for Europe, often the gratuity (15%) is figured with the total and it will be stated at the bottom of the menu. There are no assumptions on my part and no "lonely travelers guide" information here either but real life experiences.

This is not about "helping those poor people" or "makes you feel good" This is about treating people with dignity and respect and in par with the way you treat their European counterparts. This is called maturity, experience and wisdom. In 30 years of traveling the world, I have learned two things: The first is that when you travel, at some point you will find yourself in a dire predicament. The second is that, equally inevitably, someone will miraculously emerge to take care of you whether the situation is dramatic or mundane, some stranger will appear to save you, spontaneously and with no thought of compensation or reward. I suggest that you read "The Kindness of Strangers" edited by Don George to know what I am talking about.

I am really glad that my post made you laugh. Keep up the good laugh and have a happy new year ... Cheers!

Civility alert!

And Topic Alert! -- "Tipping guidelines in Cambodia?"

On-topic and civil posts are welcome. Others have been and will be dealt with appropriately. Let's keep this interesting and helpful discussion interesting and helpful. Thanks.

cblaisd
Senior Moderator

I only visit Italy between 10 and 15 times a year for the last 10 years and have been visiting there since 1977 for work so hardly a novice I think . How can tipping be treating people with respect and dignity when a simple thank you will suffice ? After 30 years of travel I guess you missed that one. My point is very simple, tipping is more often than not done to in order to buy somehting extra or to get something that is not included.

My questions: Is tipping any harder to explain than why we don't just leave the restaurant without paying? Given that (almost) everybody tips, is the final incidence more or less neutral for the customers? Do we tip, in part, to produce the illusion of control over how we are treated?

What do we know about tipping?
1. Two studies show little relationship between quality of waiter service and size of tip.

2. Hotel bellboys can double the size of their tips, on average, by showing guests how the TV and air conditioning work.

3. Tipping is less prevalent in countries where unease about inequality is especially strong.

4. The more a culture values status and prestige, the more likely that culture will use tipping to reward service.

5. Tips are higher in sunny weather.

6. Servers can increase their tips by giving their names to customers, squatting next to tables, touching their customers, and giving their customers after-dinner mints. (query: how do lap dances fit into this equation?)

7. Drawing a smiley face on the check increases a waitress's tips by 18 percent but decreases a waiter's tips by 9 percent.

8. In one study, waitresses increased their tips by 17 percent by wearing flowers in their hair. In general it pays to look distinctive albeit not freaky.

MODERATOR - feel free to remove this if you think it is going OT

My understanding is that the coperta is not a service charge, but a cover charge (coperta literally translated means blanket or cover). It's essentially a minimum charge which covers the restaurant for things like bread, butter, condiments, olive oil, salad dressing etc. It is often referred to by the French term 'couvert'. It does not go directly to the wait staff as I have learned from my own experience waiting tables :-(

Hey, I knew this all sounded very familiar!

Tipping Is For The Birds

DISCLAIMER: YouTube clip contains rude language and a racial slur, neither of which I personally endorse or condone.

ha ha totally agree what a great movie

In my opinion you "have to realize" this is such a short sighted approach. I don't think its such a "good idea to help people" if it means helping them to expect tips... so it just becomes what it is like in the US. Or perhaps "these folks" should be grateful for the opportunity.

staying in Phnom Penh for a while I can tell you that tipping is not expected. If you pay for a good meal in a restaurant you can tip $1-2 . But if you have paid $20 for a guide or driver they will not expect a tip. I understand that Americans like to tip wherever they go, as a European traveller I try to follow the local customs. And a poster here said that the average salary is $400 . That is just not true. The staff at the restaurants earn about $50 plus tip . Instead of tipping your guides or drivers (they are among the richer cambodians) you should give a few dollars to the streetkids. They really need it, or you can buy them food. $1 will buy a lot of food here.