Avoiding tipping in the U.S. -altogether!
 

Hi,

planning another trip to the U.S. (California) and this time I would like to try not having to tip anyone during the entire trip.

Last time:
- used cab - had to tip
- stayed at Hiltons on breakfast inclusive rate, got coupons for breakfast, still had to tip
- tipped housekeeping
- stayed at Embassy Suites, tipped bartender during happy hour
- ate at restaurants, tipped waiter

Next time:
- will use airport shuttle / public transportation
- stay at HI Express, do I have to tip at breakfast?
- no need to tip housekeeping?
- eat only at fast food places (no table service) - no tip
- use minibar to take drinks down to the lounge - no tips
- fly an European airline, no need to tip for drinks in the lounge

How about that strategy :D ;) ?

But why? What's wrong with tipping if you get good service?

DMH

I don't like tipping, it feels bad to pay for service I should receive anyway.

Move to Asia.

The problem here is that you will probably pay more for the overpriced mini-bar drinks than you would pay at the bar plus tip. Kind of defeats the purpose.

Bad idea
 

I'm an American, and no, it's not cool not to tip here. Tips are sometimes part of wages earned in certain industries (bars and restaurants), bar tenders and waiters are actually taxed on tips, so unless you're some cheapskate, I would strongly recommend that you think twice about this as you might not get a great service the next time you visit the same restaurant or bar. I even tip in the UK which is generally not required, it a way to show your appreciation.

You know...that crap my fly if your just one-offing the place, but if you ever plan on returning, you'll be rememebered. Bad mojo IMO.

DMH

I already live in Europe and don't have to tip. ;)

Anyone care to comment on my proposed strategy? ;)

A friend told me long ago that he coudln't afford to take his family out and tip too. He had the perfect answer, just as yours above, to only use services that didn't require tips. Brilliant creativity, saving money too

Thanks! :D

I get it. Your not saying you going to be a cheap ... and not tip, your going to avoid the situation completely. Fine. No harm, no foul. But I enjoying tipping, especially to the people that barely make minimum wage. AND, when I am in Germany, which is a couple times a year, I like tipping even more. The gratefulness I recieve is incredible. While staying at the Hiedelburg Marriott a coupel summers ago I threw the lounge girl, who was a real doll, a 5 euro tip after a bunch of us were in there drinking free beer for a couple hours. You'd think I just gave her a car she was so happy. Needless to say, I recieved great service the rest of my trip and she rememeber me the next time I was there as well.

There is something to be said for tipping.

DMH

bad Idea as well
 

PLEASE ... When in Rome.... et cetera et cetera et cetera

When I visit your country I respect your customs and I tip what is IMO excessively for what I get in return. When you visit my country please respect our customs and don't tip where it isn't the norm ... the last thing I and probably many others want in the UK is a tipping culture to develop.

It's October 31st and gone is our tradition of Haloween now we have commercial Trick or Treat.... more flippin Tippin!:mad:

Oi! Guising is a Scottish tradition half-inched by America!

Just be grateful you're not in one of the areas of England celebrating it as 'Mischief Night'...

On this point, I believe the IRS taxes waitstaff on the amount the IRS deems they have received at a minimum, not what they actually received (if lower than the deemed amount). The tip slave has to prove that they did not receive the deemed amount.

yes, in Europe that something might be"usually completely unnecessary and perhaps disrespectful of local customs"

next time you are in that lounge you may well receive stellar service from "the doll" whilst those Europeans who don't tip and follow local custom will presumably have to do with somewhat lesser service now through no fault of their own

Fine, but if the shuttle driver assists you with luggage and/or drops you off at a non-customary location as a favor, a tip is appropriate.

Not necessary.

It's optional. Some do, some don't.

All sounds good, other than what has already been said about minibar costing more than lounge drink + tip. At lounges where drinks are sold, BYOB may be frowned upon.

Who said anything about starting a culture revolution...I love to show appreciation for good service, and tipping is one way, I certainly don't tip bad service. Maybe if more people tipped in the UK, the customer service would improve!

What if I just started walking around in a park in Germany and decided to pick up all the litter I saw and throw it in the proper place? Would that be disrespectful of local tradition? It wouldnt hurt anyone, but by your logic it could be bad because then others may have to do it too or possibly face looking bad.

Its not disrespectful to tip, its just not done by Europeans, thats all.

For me to tip in EU hurts no one, gets me better services, and upholds out gernerous American nature. ;)

DMH

Correct, well I didn't want to get into the specifics, but yes, generally services like barbers, waiters, bar tenders etc are taxed based on minimum. ^

Yes, of course, throwing litter on the ground is local tradition :rolleyes:

In many places, it is (and 'Europe' certainly doesn't have a single culture). You are paid to do your job, and to do it well, taking pride in the fact that you do. Not everybody is motivated by extra money. I've had more than one public-facing job where accepting a tip will get you fired.

It gets you better service at the expense of those locals who, if it's commonplace enough in areas with a strong tourist industry, find they now have to tip, on top of higher basic charges (that already include a living wage) to get decent service.

It smacks of arrogance, and little else.

One last thing
 

If you don't enjoy tipping, consider this....Tipping is never about the receiver, it's about the giver! Over the years, I've been fortunate to give good tips and have developed this habit, and I've sometimes walked into a bar that I haven't been in ages, and the some bar tender that I barely remember puts my favorite larger on the table without even asking, and say's this is on the house or go to a night club, and you're ushered in through areas reserved for VIP's, while over 20 people are lined up waiting to get in. No one likes cheapskates, everyone loves a cheerful giver :)

In most "non-tipping" countries the price of the service is included in the price of the item. Generally, in the US at establishments where tipping is common, that cost is not included in the price and you pay the server separately. The server is being paid a sub minimum wage and is expected to make up the rest of there income from tips. Tipping is not really paying extra.

To start with, ignore the bashing that some posters seem to think is needed here, it doesn't appear that you are trying to stiff anyone who would normally expect a tip, but are looking for strategies to avoid situations where tipping would be expected. I use many of these myself to save money. One note, as previously mentioned, airport shuttle drivers are typically tipped if they help with luggage, otherwise there is nothing on your "next" list that would require tipping.

A couple of other comments:
1) For non table service, you are not limited to McDonalds and KFC level of fast food. Panera, Chipotle, Panda Express, Crispers, Baja Express, Atlanta Bread Company, Qdoba, and lots of other places provide tasty food at reasonable prices and don't require tipping. Take out pizza is another option.

2) I avoid the mini bar since prices are high and the selection is low. I typically find a local liquor store where I can get some good microbrews or a small bottle of whatever. I usually either drink in the room or by the pool, taking your own to the lounge could be against the rules, or at least considered tacky.

So when you travel, do you always purposely not adapt to the customs of service and treatment? And some say only Americans do that....imagine that! ;)

Hmmm....I live in Europe too, and there are situations on this continent where I have found tips to be the norm, while there are fewer of them than in the US, they do exist here. Or do you go out of your way to avoid these situations in Europe as well?

Unless by saying you don't 'have to tip' you mean you are not absolutely required to tip, then yes that is true....but that is true in the US as well. You are not absolutely required to tip there either....it's just the cultural norm in some situations.

As an American living in Europe, I generally round up to the nearest euro, and usually add a euro if the bill is more than ten euro. This is not over the top, and most Germans do this as well.

It is important to note and beware, some airport restaurants and bars in the USA (the int'l terminal in Atlanta, for one) will automatically add a gratuity to the bill since they are used to dealing with Europeans who may not follow American tipping norms. Do NOT feel compelled to tip in the USA if a gratuity has already been added to your bill, unless you really believe that the server has done something to earn something above and beyond the tip their workplace has already added to your bill. Look closely at your bill. @:-)

Hello, all -- I've been reading these boards for several months and have gotten great information from it - Thanks! However, I just had to ask this question:

Why would you be more inclined to tip someone who brings you a drink and yet not tip the person who cleans your bathroom and changes your sheets? Is it because you see the one as s/he does the service, but you don't see the other? It's a puzzle to me.

Of course she was happy – she was giving you something that cost HER nothing and you were giving her money for it. From your point of view it was ok for her to give away free beer because she got a tip. Would you have been quite as thrilled if you had been the owner, and it your beer she was giving to a ‘bunch’ of people for a ‘couple of hours’?

As you say tipping is ‘about the giver’ – in this case it’s the owner of the establishment who is the ‘giver’ – whilst you and the bartender are the receivers (he of your tip and you of the ‘free’ lager.)

I don't think anyone is bashing, just pointing out that what not paying a tip means in the US and that the op understands that people generally feel, at least in the US, skipping a tip is almost the same thing as skipping the bill for reasons already pointed out by others.

i don't tip cabbies...i don't tip for breakfast. i don't tip housekeeping. i don't tip the bartender. And I ONLY tip if the restaurant did an excellent job - ie better than the ones in Japan - which in most cases, doesn't happen, so I don't normally tip the customary 15% or whatever. Waiters have to know that tips are like bonuses... They are not guaranteed.

I see no problem with this strategy. The OP isn't, by and large, shafting EE's that work on tips. So this 'crap' really isn't crap to me...it is changing one's lifestyle to save some money and the servers aren't coming out on the short end of the stick.

Its the Marriott concierege lounge, the beer is always free. The owner is not affected.

DMH

When I travel I do purposely avoid situations that are uncomfortable to me even after having tried them a couple of times. :o
In my part of Europe it is not customary to tip. I usually pay by debit/credit card and here there isn't even a line for a tip. Elsewhere in Europe, tipping is not very common but if I don't know the customs, I always try to remember to find out. After that, the same applies for me in Europe as in the U.S., i.e. tip when it is required but avoid those places when you can. :cool:

My understanding is that dheese was at a hotel lounge with complementary drinks, so nobody was getting cheated.

I agree that not tipping where it is expected is not good form, but I don't see the OP suggesting that. The OP is looking for strategies to avoid tipping situations. Are you suggesting that by going to Burger King, the OP is somehow cheating someone out of a tip they deserve?

The srategy is fine except for the minibar thing. As others have mentioned, you will pay more this way than if you just order the drink at the bar and tip. Also, most bars not only frown on outside drinks, they will likely not allow it.

The larger question, however, is why you would want to do this? You are coming to California and foregoing much there is to do here simply because you want things to be more like they are where you live. Why not just stay home?

When I have been in Japan, the prices paid for equivalent quality and amounts of food are considerably higher than in the U.S. I would assume that those prices reflect higher wages paid to employees, so tipping would be considered a "bonus" to those workers. Tips are not "bonuses" to service employees here in the U.S. In those situations where tipping is customary in the U.S., employees are paid minimum wages and rely on tips to ensure reasonable compensation for their work. Whether you feel it is right or wrong, it is the custom and practice. And, having been in Japan several times over the past 20 years, I can say that I appreciate good service when received, but I have not always received better service than here in the U.S.

It's interesting that no matter how often Europeans (and for that matter Asians etc) try to explain why we don't want the tipping culture of USA importing to our countries it seems to be waved off with a merry "what's the problem...."

When I visit USA I tip to the cultural norm (which in my opinion is excessive) so please do the same when you visit other countries. When I visit Asia it is so comfortable; no tips whatsoever, good service

Unfortunately when I hear that "surely it isn't a problem etc etc" it just smacks of a lack of sensitivity to local culture and perhaps a bit of arrogance too thrown in for good measure. Just because it is the norm in USA doesn't necessarily mean that it is superior to how things work elsewhere

nickyboy

Agreed that there's nothing "wrong" with what the OP suggests, but why do it?

Do you really want to eat at Burger King and Panera Bread all the time? Especially when I'm travelling, I like to have at least one nice meal a day. I mean when in the U.S., so just add the 15% or 18%. Just think -- if you're from a Euro-using country, meals in the U.S. must seem pretty cheap nowadays even after you add on the tip.

I was afraid that someone would say this. Thanks for the ultimate suggestion. :rolleyes: Since I now got the definite answer I suppose that we can close this thread. :(

Because the person that brings you a drink is paid a much lower hourly wage than the one cleaning the bathroom, as allowed by US law, since the assumption is that bartenders and wait staff will be additionally compensated with tips.