Well, my son works in a restaurant in Toronto and is grateful for any tip left! He wouldn't be able to survive without it which is unfortunate but true and a sad reflection on the wages paid to people in a sector where they work very long hours in work which believe it or not is extremely hard...not to mention the numerous pairs of shoes he has to buy from all the walking about. He also has to purchase his uniform which is changed every 3 months or so....He also has to tip out other people he works with on a percentage basis and this comes out of his own money if the tip left is lower than the percentage he has to pay others (if that makes sense!!).....so please carry on tipping, you really are making a difference!

Sounds like your son needs a new career path.

No one forces your son to work there. If he barely makes a living out of tips then it's time for him to change job.

I confess -- last year, year, my husband and I were in Germany. One morning, after breakfast, he went to a business meeting, and took me back to our hotel room. The room had still not been made up, and I sat up on the bed, flipping channels on the TV. Eventually, the housekeepers showed up. In my broken German, I asked them to come in and make up the room. They answered in broken German themselves, being, as it turned out, from Hungary. We ended up chatting, to the best of all our linguistically challenged abilities, during the time they were cleaning and straightening up. When it came time for them to make up the bed, they helped me out and onto my wheelchair (which for some inexplicable reason, my husband had left on the other side of the room, and would have taken me a good five minutes to get to), which I greatly appreciated.

You bet your life I gave them each a few Euro for the kindness, patience, and generosity they showed me that day.

Yes in that situation I'll probably tip too because the housekeeping staff is not expecting a tip (you do know that people earn enough in Germany).

However if you really want to show your kindness to them, you might consider telling the GM of the hotel about it. This way the hotel management knows that they have so lovely staffs, and this attitude should be promoted. I think this will mean even more than the tip you gave them.

Oh, I agree, and made sure to do that both verbally and in writing. This was one of those hotels that, while not the nicest or fanciest we've ever stayed in (and far from our first choice when we made our reservation), far exceeded our expectations in terms of the service we received. Great, great staff.

I often carry a few small gifts (usually stuffed animals- kangaroos, etc) in my bag for those situations where someone has gone out of their way for me (where a cash tip is inappropriate) and I'll leave one, along with a personal note, and ask the manager to pass them on to the person for me.

The biggest thing I try to avoid is room service. Because there is already a gratuity included in the bill, along with a delivery charge, a service fee, etc. And yet, there almost always the expectation of a tip from the person who delivers the food. It drives me a little nuts.

I also avoid bellhops.

Given that waitstaff in California make significantly more minimum wage than in other parts of the US, why do we tip the same 15-20%?

I'd like to see restaurants pay their workers a fair wage, adjust their menu prices or impose a mandatory service charge accordingly, and ask their patrons not to tip unless it's to recognize exceptional service.

Interesting commentary on this place, that has a mandatory service charge:

http://www.yelp.com/biz/iberia-restaurant-menlo-park

This is true at some hotels. However, I can think of a few around the Bay Area where they'll tell you the delivery charge and gratuity has already been included. There's still a line for 'tip' but no expectation that you do so. I think this is how it should be done.

If delivery charge and gratuity are included, why on earth should anyone tip?

I once stayed in a hotel in Pleasanton and there is a tip envelop for housekeeping , and a tip plate for the omlette cook during breakfast.

Perhaps the following comment should be in the LAS or "gambling forum":
If one wins a jackpot (anything over $1200) playing slot machines, a slot attendant and a security person (eventually) come to give you your cash; many gamblers will tip each of them, I personally do not. I would not hesitate tipping the slot attendant if he/she steered me to the machine I won on.
[Once I won an even $2000, I was given 19 $100, 4 $20's and 2 $10 not just 20 $100...]

I prefer the tipping system in restaurants due to the simple fact of incentivizing better service. Many countries add a mandatory service charge (i.e. tip), however the service is inferior. Why? The server has no incentive to serve you better; whether he/she does a good job or not you're still paying the "service charge.". Extremely annoying!!

With the US tipping system in restaurants, if the servers do ok, you tip them 15%, you tip them more if they take the extra mile. In some countries, a lot of people tip even though service is included, provided that they got good service.

It's cultural difference - so if the other system bothers you so much, don't use it.

Mandatory service charges were tried in a couple of restaurants I patronized frequently in the 90s. Everyone hated it except the mediocre servers. The service degraded, the good servers took a huge hit in tips, and the owners saw a steady decline in revenues.

Great servers in great restaurants make very good money. Many are well into six figures.

i think the U.S "system" is ideal.