It normally turns out to be in the $1 to $1.50 range anyway. Some online ordering sites (like Seamlessweb) force you to put in the tip before your place your order, I hate that. Naturally tip goes down in that case. And tip obviously goes up if the food is delivered piping hot in 10 minutes rather than stone cold in an hour and a half. The longest I waited was 2 hours. Needless to say, there was no tip. I was ready to file a chargeback.

New York delivery people are especially hostile about this, so I found it to be a good compromise (for my own safety of course). the next time I order delivery and they get mad about not tipping "enough" I'm sending the food back and filing a chargeback. Even if it's denied the place had to pay $25 or whatever to fight it.

For someone who lives there perhaps. Not for people visiting. There is not one state in the US that has VAT tax as high as 15%, much less 17.5%.

Cheers.

I'm not sure what point you're making. If you are a visitor why would you care about our taxation levels? The issue is simply whether or not you know what you are going to pay to get the product or service.

Is it just me, or is this excessive? Call me retarded, but I don't think there's anything wrong with a tipping culture. I understand that some people can't afford to go out with their family and tip, but the waiter/waitress that just served you has a family to feed also.

Think of it as a wage increase. I'm positive most of us get performance based raises, a job well done in service should be paid for accordingly.

Yes, but most of us have our performance based wages paid by our employers, not our employer's customers.

^^

This is all slightly off-topic but a Canadian federal government was defeated and the governing party wiped out in the 1990s by instituting the Goods and Services Tax, Canada's VAT. As some of their strategists said, their single biggest fatal mistake was in not hiding the tax, as had been the case with a previous excise tax at the manufacturing level.

If there's anybody who really believes governments mandate by law the inclusion of taxes within prices for the convenience of the taxpayer, please contact me for details about a magnificent American landmark, a bridge, that I can sell to non-residents for a special all-taxes-included price. :D

I don't mind not tipping in other countries and I don't mind tipping in the U.S. and Canada. YMMV.

Cheers,
Fredd

Pizza delivery people most certainly are tipped. Not universally, but it is very common.

If you're paying cash, the delivery driver, IME, is quite likely to look expectantly at you to leave him the change, depending on how much it is, but certainly if it is less than £1, they will often try and make you feel cheap if you want change.

I meant that £1 would always be ok in the sense that you certainly would not leave any more, and 'keep the 50p' change would also work.

The other kind of delivery person, the one that brings your parcel, your ridiculously heavy bed, fits your new washing machine, or whatever, gets nothing, no matter what he does.

I've heard that some people tip the food delivery drivers, but they are not supposed to take them and I don't think it's common (particularly as the supermarkets generally charge for delivery).

There's a thread here:

http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/forums/s...d.php?t=567517
giving the British perspective on tipping food delivery

"Speaking as a pizza deliver driver I feel I can be an authority on this subject. I get paid £5.15 an hour, plus 80p a delivery for petrol money, which really isn't that bad in my opinion. I'm under 22 so I don't get the full minimum wage. If you're going to tip, £1 is more than acceptable, £2 is brilliant, £5 and you're god. if the order comes to £9.99 don't say "keep the penny mate" it is an insult to assume that amount will make a difference to my quality of life. I never expect a tip for my job unless you have decided to order at 10:59 and you live on the very edge of the delivery area. on average I get £5 a night tips, my record is something like £12. The best tip Ive heard about is a guy I work with who got given a bottle of Jack Daniels on one delivery. Personally my best is £5 but that has only happened once or twice."

Blonde woman claims to have got £60 in a night OTOH.....

Hairdressers/barbers seem to expect/get a tip also IME.

Your story seems to bear out my thinking - very few people tip pizza delivery drivers and tips are not expected. I don't know how many orders a delivery man would make in an evening, but £5 a night suggests only £1 an hour. If that.

I have lived in six different towns/cities in the UK and never yet seen the barber get a tip.

Perhaps things are different in the South East, but it seems to be fairly customary in run-of-the-mill barbers here.

In restaurants, certain chains pay their staff zero and then make their salary up to minimum wage using the 'optional' service charge (which can save the employer fortunes in VAT), and if you are foolish enough to add any more, the staff will not receive any of the additional money either.

Those who are on a sales commission are basically paid by their employers' customers.

Works and motivates quite well, IME.

Reaally? The customers pay the salesperson extra because of pleasant sales? Come on...

I used to tip delivery folk in the US, but no longer since they have moved to a delivery fee of $2-$3.

It's a wage increase, but tipping is DISCRETIONARY. You don't like it, oh well, you just lost your entire tip. The tipping culture is out of control when waitstaff don't appreciate the tip.

While I wouldn't go that far as to immediately pull a tip, I'd agree that tipping is getting out of control. I have been given the stink eye more than once (even at the same establishment where I am a regular) when I would tip "only" 15% for poor service.

my last trip managed to not tip. Example arrived at kerbside check in at IND. The sign says fee $8, so I gave him my bag and he checked it in and then I gave him the money in change. He quickly reminded me it was $8 plus tip. I asked sorry but where does it say plus tip, he said it doesnt, "good then I paid the right amount" I said and walked off. It makes me sick how everyone expects a tip for doing what they are paid for and what you are often payting thorugh the nose for.