Which may perpetuate the situation? Sort of pre-empting the anticipated lack of tip on behalf of the service staff, and maybe guaranteeing no tip from the non-American customer due to the lesser and later service provided.

It's really a 'when-in-Rome' thing. Tip according to local custom where it is expected, and most certainly do NOT tip in a place where it is not the custom and is not expected. With minor variations in each case.

Quite. There are times when I'm in the US that I feel like getting a t-shirt with "I know how much to tip, OK?" written on it. Some places handle it better than others.

Indeed it goes toward perpetuating the situation of the negative expectations being self-fulfilling. Expectations built upon prejudice against XYZ have a way of becoming self-fulfilling. Decisions built upon prejudice against XYZ result in the prejudiced engaging in behavior that furthers the materialization of the negative expectations already held.

We in the US have a habit of forgetting that a "Tip" is actually "gratuity"..that means it is OPTIONAL and based on the quality of service the customer has received. It is not required, especially in cases of horrible service.

Now, I almost always tip, even for mediocre service. For good service I tip better. But for bad service, a really rare thing, I don't tip at all and try to add insult to injury. A few stories:

Wife and I went to the old Brewhouse in Pasadena, CA. When we got to the hostess was on the phone, obviously with a girlfriend from what we could gather from her conversation, and she gave us the "hold on a sec, finger" for 2 minutes. Got to our table, ordered drinks..20 minutes for them to arrive. And then we waited to have our dinner orders taken....for 2 hours. YES, 2 hours. I let it go so long just to see how long it would take. Out of curiosity.

Finally someone asked us if we had been served and took our orders, telling us that because of our trouble, they would comp one dinner and the drinks. It was another hour before the food came..and 25 minutes from asking for the bill to actually getting it. Now we are here for almost 4 hours. And when the bill came, they DID NOT COMP ONE DINNER AND THE DRINKS..so we had to get that sorted too.

In the end, I threw to pennies into my dirty pint glass as a tip.

On business once in Colorado springs a colleague and I went into Blondies and sat at the bar, ready to order dinner. The place was empty except for us. The two girls behind the bar were too busy taking shots of their own. Finnally they take our orders. 45 minutes go by, I get mine. My partner is still waiting for his. He asks...they claim sorry, it's sooo busy. But nobody was there! Finally they bring it, and it had obviously been sitting out ready for pick up for awhile. Stone cold. Dry. He complained and they did nothing about it.

So when the bill came, I paid with my card and in the tip section put $0.00 with happy faces in the zeros.

You were too kind. I would have asked for the manager as well.

Actually more like Steve Martin in "My Blue Heaven." "It's not tipping I believe in. It's overtipping."

Like most other posters, I always make a point of adapting to local norms. Also like most other posters, I feel most comfortable when in a place where my own cultural norms are adhered to. For me, that means I am less comfortable in the super-tipping culture of the USA. It's certainly not the system I would design, but I get it, and go with it. For that reason, I find the OP's suggestions - which are apparently not based on economic necessity (in which case fine) - somewhat silly.

However, three things really annoy me:

1) Almost unchallenged in this thread is the assertion that a tipping culture breeds better service. To my mind, the opposite is true, it simply encourages ridiculous behaviour. I have had plenty of dinners in the States where every 2 minutes somebody has been asking if everything's okay (I know they have to do this once, so they can say that you had an opportunity to complain), filling water glasses, pouring wine, asking again if everything's okay, fiddling with something, asking again if everything's okay (answer: "yes, fine thank-you", real answer: it would be if you would just leave me in peace to eat!!!). Good service is certainly attentive, but should be more subtle than this.

2) Particularly in touristy-areas, bills coming with print on them explaining that x% is appropriate for good/excellent service. I find that incredibly insulting - it implies that I am either wilfully ignorant of (in-)famous local norms, or that I am aware of them, and would choose to 'stiff'.

3) Waitresses that draw smiley-faces, or write "thank-you" or something on the bill. Again, I know that it is just a different cultural attitude to the relationship, but this very explicit demand for money is one which jars, and I do have to fight the inner reaction not to reduce the tip as a result. As I said at the top, though, I do fight it, because it is the norm...

Still, if there is one positive in this thread, we have managed to go 14 pages without someone repeating the idiotic mangling of the English language that is "Tipping Insures Prompt Service" - proof if any, that ft-ers are a cut above!

I like giving e.g. to reputable charitable organizations like to the Red Cross to help earthquake victims in areas I know in Indonesia. I admit that I am unsure about giving a buck to someone in a bar pouring me a cup of coffee and looking like someone that has good connections with the mob. I may feel that he earns way more way easier than the woman sweeping the floor.

Regarding your question about restaurants where tips are auto-included: I feel this is like a service charge allegedly in use in some parts of Europe or like a fuel charge imposed by the airlines. I hate having to do the math myself and why it is called a tip / service charge while it just is part of the price. If it goes directly to the waiter/waitress then it should be called "wage" and in any case I'd like it to be included in the total price.

It is not only a European thing - no one of my many friends in the U.S. seems to like tipping either or at least they think that it has gotten completely out of hand.

It does, and cannot seriously be disputed. At midrange restaurants, the quality of service in UK, the continent, Australia and elsewhere is very low compared to the US. I don't do high end but I'd imagine it would have less effect there.

Funny I don't find it insulting at all as I know that many Euro and Asian tourist types will stiff the waiters as they pretend to be unfamiliar with our tipping customs. In fact I find it more insulting that they don't tip.

I could do without them, but I have other things to worry about.

That's a new one - I've never gotten that feeling. I certainly wouldn't advocate tipping at starbucks and other fast food type joints - however a hotel bar is different, even if it is coffee or a coke.

I agree 100% but unfortunately that isn't the way it work here. When in Rome...

Must be your friends. Nobody I know here complains about tipping. But then we all got started in service jobs, so we do have some appreciation for the working stiffs.

If tipping definitely leads to improved standards of service then why is service so bad in Egypt?

Because I don't think that the cultural imperatives that lead to good service are related to tipping at all. Plenty of countries in which tipping is not the norm offer good service as the norm. The prime example is New Zealand. Another example is Iceland, as in its way is Turkey. The reasons for "good service" on a national basis relate to issues such as professionalism, sense of hospitality, empathy, the cultural importance placed on service jobs, and so on. There is no simple answer, and certainly "tip them more" or even "tip with more discimination" is not the simple answer.

And let's not forget Japan, where I've had better restaurant service than anywhere in the world, and where if the bill was Y3,815, I paid Y3,815.

I'm not paticularly familiar with the countries you cite Christopher, but I do agree that wider culture is also important. For example, I spent some time living in France, and can say that one of the biggest cultural faux pas made by foreigners is very simple - not saying "bonjour" when entering a shop, restaurant, taxi, etc. The effect that this has is immediately to put the other person's hackles up.

I have the good fortune to speak French, but even if you don't making the effort to learn at least the basics (hello, please, thank-you, goodbye, one, two, three, beer, etc) is appreciated there. I always go out of my way to pick up these basics wherever I go, and the same applies in most other countries (interestingly IME it seems least appreciated in some of those countries where there should be a low expectation that a foreigner speaks the language - Sweden, Norway, Denmark, etc, and most appreciated where the language is a common one, such as Spanish, French or German).

Equally, in poorer countries you should not assume that the person doing what would in your country be regarded as a fairly menial job holds the equivalent social status in that country. Often, the impact of tipping distorts local economies to the extent that jobs that put people in contact with tourists are more attractive than many others. Cuba is an extreme example of this (and I use it to illustrate the point, please, rather than to open a debate on Cuban social policy). In Cuba, the brightest students go into medicine, technology, teaching, etc, and must serve at least 3 (I think) years in that profession. However, as everyone is employed by the state, and everyone is paid the same wage, regardless of job, a bellboy earns more than a doctor. Guess what people want to do for a living? Would knowing that your bellboy or barman could be a qualified doctor change how you interact with them? It might do for some... that in turn might affect the level of service you receive.

Why should it be any different?
So you disagree with my strategy and feel that it is mandatory for tourists to frequent places requiring tipping even if alternatives exist?
You know, this may be true. A lot of my American friends actually work in the public sector although I also know people in agriculture, construction, IT etc. But I don't know many in T&E related jobs. Don't get me wrong, I appreciate service jobs, but I'd prefer their employers to take care of their wages and reward them objectively. I don't feel I am in the position to do that nor do I want to.

Not in the EU huh