Club lounge bill and gratuity
Oct 23, 2018, 12:43 pm
#121
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Oct 23, 2018, 1:04 pm
#122
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If you have a regular bill from a restaurant for $20, do you think you can just write "$4 of that is the tip" at the bottom and you've somehow "done your part"?
Oct 23, 2018, 1:28 pm
#123
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if a bill is itemized and includes a "service charge", it seems reasonable to assume it goes to the person serving you.
Oct 23, 2018, 2:37 pm
#124
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I mean, they'll happily give you a 30% clip on the exchange rate by taking dollars, but will they accept $1 bills for things? If the only place you use US currency is the hotel or airport, then you might get by. Tip a $1 elsewhere and they will have to go out of their way to turn it into pesos.
Oct 23, 2018, 2:40 pm
#125
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Don't forget the USD they're gonna get during the course of a day (or week) won't just be mine, and that's going to be a decent sum ... when I first started going to MX decades ago I was told there was no problem with USD and was in fact preferred.
Oct 23, 2018, 5:07 pm
#126
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The situation has changed since you "started going to MX decades ago". There is a limit on the amount of USD a Mexican National can exchange into Mexican pesos so that they can be used for commercial purposes plus then they are responsible for the exchange commission. Why don't you just exchange your USD for pesos so that you aren't short-changing the deserving under-paid person you are tipping?
Oct 23, 2018, 8:08 pm
#127
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Kenny, the main point is that most cambios will not take small bills. $1.00 bills are the issue.
Oct 23, 2018, 8:13 pm
#128
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Eh? They come out far ahead- a few random singles is nothing to me but based on the reaction I've gotten (and recently at that), they don't seem to act "shortchanged".
Oct 23, 2018, 8:13 pm
#129
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Oct 23, 2018, 10:13 pm
#130
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Are you under the impression that Mexicans use a lot of dollars in local shops? That is not the case, anymore so than someone in San Diego would use pesos at a store.
Oct 24, 2018, 3:09 am
#131
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In a vacuum I can see why people might make that assumption. But now that you've read this post you have been made aware that these service charges are not in fact tips and do not necessarily go to the service staff, so you no longer have that excuse.
Oct 24, 2018, 3:24 am
#132
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At one restaurant recently I asked the waiter if the service charge goes to him and he said yes. So clearly it's inconsistent. Tipping in addition to paying a service charge is just facilitating the bad practices of the employer.
Oct 24, 2018, 4:03 am
#133
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yes, it's inconsistent.
you asked, you got an answer, it doesn't seem that hard.
just saying "well it's someone else's problem" is absolutely a terrible approach. stiffing waiters isn't going to fix the problem, it doesn't punish the employer for their dumb practices. Seeing as you know that it's possible to actually talk to the human beings who are providing the service, I'm not sure why you'd choose to make some sort of bizarre stand here. Just ask.
you asked, you got an answer, it doesn't seem that hard.
just saying "well it's someone else's problem" is absolutely a terrible approach. stiffing waiters isn't going to fix the problem, it doesn't punish the employer for their dumb practices. Seeing as you know that it's possible to actually talk to the human beings who are providing the service, I'm not sure why you'd choose to make some sort of bizarre stand here. Just ask.
Oct 24, 2018, 4:30 am
#134
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What is a Mexican going to do with a $1 or $2 bill? Cambios don't take them. I've seen guys give out $1 tips all over Latin America, and it's kind of a cruel joke. Brasileras frequently tell me that they save them to exchange with someone they know going to the US, i.e. they have to barter with someone else to get some local money.
If you're going to give small tips in foreign countries, at least tip in their own currency.
If you're going to give small tips in foreign countries, at least tip in their own currency.
It does seem a little ignorant to assume someone abroad would want small amounts of change in your home currency, rather than their currency. I am sure they can still probably figure out some way to use $1 and $2 US bills, but if you are going to the effort of getting change for tips, why not get it in the currency of the country you are going to?
Oct 24, 2018, 5:12 am
#135
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In most countries a mandatory “service charge” added to the final bill is not a gratuity for the staff, just another revenue stream going towards the businessowner.