:) me, too.
Maybe that's what those $ coins are for?:D

"Sorry, I've nothing smaller. Could you give me $10 (or $15 or whatever) back?"

Never a problem.

I've never had problem. I always have a small wad of dollar bills left over from previous trips.

I worked my way through college as a bellman in a Hyatt in the city I went to school. There is absolutely nothing wrong in asking for change to tip, believe me. Any bellman/doorman/valet worth his salt is used to this, and will have a wad in his pocket from which to make change. They'd much rather that than walk away with nothing. You will not offend anyone by doing this.

N.B., and just FYI, calling him a bellboy is roughly the equivalent of calling a Flight attendant a stewardess nowadays. Bellman is the preferred terminology.

Here is my tipping scheme:

Taxis: 0%
Bellman: 0%, except in exceptional cases such as carrying 12 pieces of luggage for my entire family, I may tip $3.00
Front Desk: 0%
Waiter/Waitress: 0%
Anybody else: 0%

I used to tip on a sliding scale 5/10/15/20% for poor to excellent service. I realized that (1) the employer, not the customer, is responsible for the employee's paycheque, (2) tipping has gone from a reward for excellent service to an entitlement, (3) approximately 50% of people don't tip in North America and many more tip only 5% or so, the "standard 15% to 20% tip" is fiction invented by those in service industries, and (4) I serve people all day long and no one has ever tipped me.

I have not noticed any decline in service from the time when I tipped generously to recent times when I virtually never tip.

Do you have a citation for that figure? Given tipping out to people in other positions, and government imputation of tips for tax purposes, I find that figure implausible (at least as 50% of restaurant customers: if you include those too poor to eat out and those too young or not working who only eat out on someone else's dime, perhaps...)

In general: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_rider_problem
If that includes places where you're a regular, well, I guess either they're too professional to take it out on you or have too high turnover for you to get a reputation.

That may be fine if you only ever go to that bar or restaurant but I wouldn't expect to get good service the next time you went back. Waiting staff have very long memories.

About 50% of men don't wash their hands after going to the toilet. That's no reason to go along with the majority. :)

A quote from The Simpsons - and if anyone knows who Mr Burns and Luigi are, then you'll understand this reference:

+1. Absolutely correct. If you don't tip (unless the service was simply horrible), I would not plan to go back to the same place again. You never know what hidden surprise you might find in your food. :eek:

So is the tip supposed to be a reward for good service or insurance against menaces?

Sounds a bit like the kid who offers to "look after your car" for 50p.

I regard it first as a reward, and secondly as insurance for superior future services.

However, being nice and polite to the human beings who are serving you, and generally facilitating your passage through life, is surely the primary consideration?

FYI, we have found that significantly more beneficial than simply tipping the accustomed $$/%ge.

:) T8191, I like your attitude; I really do.:-:
However, I am not a "people person"; and I slice things a little differently.
For me the tip comes first(and its based on how important the service rendered was to me) and the pleasantries come maybe later.;)

Whoops ... that's the difference between a resident of GA and two Brits spending a lot of time in VA, I guess :D

We find starting with pleasantries oils the wheels beautifully, but then as we get endless "Oh, gosh, I just love your accent" the "people person" bit just kicks in naturally. But I readily accept that Brits in suburban VA aren't an everyday occurrence, more of an oddity! :)

Looking forward to saying "Hi" to Bernie on the Deli counter at Harris Teeter in a few weeks. And, no, I don't give her a tip for serving us!

Apologies if this has already been dealt with - this thread is getting quite long now.

What would be an appropriate tip for a shuttle bus (shared ride bus) from JFK with an advertised fare of $55 per head? There are two of us and the ride will take 2 1/2 to 3 hours.

Many thanks.