Thread: Tipping -- who, how much, how often?

Well, I'm in Bkk now. We are enjoying it, aside from the initial culture shock my son is going through. He's coming through it, but only with large doses of American DVDs bought at The Mall. In between, he is able to hit the pavement with me and see some of the sites and actually enjoy them.

Anyway, my big question right now is the tipping thing. In the US, I am a generous tipper...but hey, there we really only have to tip when we go to a restaurant or the hairdresser.

So, I thought I should tip the housekeeper that comes everyday as I did last time I was here and stayed in a hotel. Only this time, I am in a serviced apartment and will be here a lot longer, so I can't afford the type of tipping I did last time. I left the tip on the counter -- just 40 baht -- which I figured I would do a couple times per week, but she didn't take it. Instead, she neatly displayed the money and left it on the counter. Then, a repair man came to fix our TV which wasn't working and he sort of stood there waiting for a tip. I only had 100 baht notes on me, so that's what I gave him. We will probably eat breakfast here at the apartment restaurant most mornings, and of course I want to tip for that. The bill is usually around 190 baht...what would I tip for that? I've been giving 20-40 baht depending on the service.

Now I am starting to think I am going to go broke for all the tipping.

So -- what's the general rule? Who, how much and how often in a situation such as mine.

And yes, I searched the forum, but really the ones I found concentrated on tipping in restaurants...

I'm known as "10 Baht Joe" - 'cause that's all you're getting out of me

Massages, Haircuts and meals you should tip cash. I leave anything from nothing to 50 baht+. If the service is bad then I'd don't tip.

If you eat in the same place everyday then they will be getting a good amount of business from you so why should you tip anyway?

As for your cleaning lady maybe you could give her something nice, like American candy or a bottle of something. If you leave out money on the counter there is no way she would take it as a tip, she probably just thought you had left it there by accident.

Tipping in LOS?? What the hell is going on over there??

Hi LG. That's a good question to ask. Here, it's pretty limited who you tip. I've stopped being generous and only tip when I feel I've had good service.

I always tip in restaurants, around 10%. The % is lower than at home. :smile: The only time I won't tip is if the serveice was really bad or it's a buffet, like Sizzler.

I tip the massage people and the manicure / pedicure people around 10% too.

I also tip my hairdresser.

I'll tip taxi drivers a small amount, like 10 or 20 baht if they've been really good. Example would be helping me with my bags from grocery shopping.

Don't bother tipping the maid unless she did something really outstanding. Here's a caveat - if she's used to getting a tip from you and she doesn't any more, then her service might go down the toilet.

QUOTE:

Then, a repair man came to fix our TV which wasn't working and he sort of stood there waiting for a tip. I only had 100 baht notes on me, so that's what I gave him

He stood ther waiting becasue he probably got alot of tips from westerners and he thinks it's our "duty" to tip. He probably overcharged you for the service too.

The breakfast at this place sounds really expensive. Don't bother to tip there if you're going to go every day.

I can't think of anything else of hand right now.

Originally Posted by Chang

Tips are a Bangkok phenomenon.

Sounds like tips are becoming all too real and more common...especially if foreigners keep tipping when it's not expected...in no time it WILL be expected. Tipping is a Western concept.
Outside of the posh Western Hotels,....Say no to Thai tips.

I have my hair cut in a small friendly barber in Suan Phlu, basic cost 60b so I give 80.

With taxis, I round up, so I will give a 50b note for a 43b trip. I tend to keep the 50b note in my pocket for the normal ride home, as I don't want to mess about in the dark...and I am paranoid about dropping things in cabs....I have already left 1 mobile in a cab (which is another reason why i buy cheap phones). One trick that some cabbies use is 'dont have change', so if u give 50 for a 35 fare, they try to keep the 50. One bad-mood day I made the guy wait while I went to a shop to get change, altho' a friend reminds me that it's only a dollar, so why worry? The cabs
are such good value compared to, say, Phuket, where the cabs and the bikes are a racket.

When I have a good drink in, say, Barbican Thaniya, my bill will be 600-1500b, altho' the staff are nice so I leave a 20 in the leather bill folder thing> Thai friends suggest that it's enuf.

Don't tip regular staff in your condo block, they may come to expect it. One time I did give the in-house maintenance guy a 20 when he sorted out my TV channels.

The thing to do is to give gifts and stuff when you check out, or maybe give some money or gifts at Xmas if you don't move. The security guys and other hangers-around like to get booze, maybe Thai whisky or beers. I move next week and just bought a case of Chang beers for 430b for them to share out.

My Thai BF helped me to buy all of this stuff, and told me to get small packs of coffee mix for the junior maids (about 35b). When i argued, he told me that they will be happy with this. for the senior receptionists etc i got ferrero rocher chocs, small plastic box...altho the BF says that a large jar of coffee or something else functional (no glamour) is probably a good bet.

I would never tip in shoe-shops or similar. In Tops or Lotus I have never seen cart-boys who help you to move yr big shop out to the car or taxi, so I don't think they exist.

I don't have a car so i cant tell you about gas stations or window-wipe boys.

One time, i felt desperately sorry for a kid selling garlands at traffic lights. i gave him 30b for a small one, but when I arrived home it had wilted; i suspect that they sell old ones, or maybe they wilt in the traffic (the garlands, not the boys...altho' i would wilt after 10 minutes in the smog.)

Cheers :chug:

Tip however much you feel comfortable with and can afford. Outside the tourist hotels and such, there's no real expectation of it, so if you don't or can't, most people won't think twice about it. Nice employers give service staff (housekeepers and security guards and such) a New Year's gift or bonus; you can give something on Boxing Day if you want to feel traditional.

As for me, if a restaurant has no service charge, I'll tip around 10% or B20 if it's between B100 and B200. I round the meter up for taxis--most people I know do this. I'll tip the fellow who hauls my luggage up to the hotel room B20/case. I don't tip my barber--I always think one should be nice to a man who holds a naked blade to one's throat, but he looked at me like I was a bit peculiar so now I don't. And I don't get massages, manicures, pedicures, or other-random-bit-of-me-cures.

Also note that the repairman probably wasn't waiting for a tip in the warm and appreciative sense that you think of it, but for "tea money" in the sense of "I can move you to the bottom of my worklist if I want, so you'd better give me something for my generous doing of my job."
- Reg

Thanks so much for the thorough replies! As I thought, I was overtipping for everything. It wouldn't be a big deal if I were just going to be here for a week or two, but I don't want to flush a load of money down the toilet. Luckily, we've been riding the bus, so there hasn't (yet) been a need for taxis.

And you're right Natalie8 about breakfast being expensive, but I have my 11-year-old son with me and he is a much more pleasant child for the rest of the day if he simply gets that one "American" meal of bacon, eggs, pancakes, etc. and I am a much happier mom if I can get my four or five cups of coffee! LOL! That little splurge is worth it to me.