What do you think of the tipping system in restaurants, taxis, etc?

Tuesday 25th August, 04:20 AM JST

› Login to comment

Latest 15 of 70 Total Comments Show All

barkeep at 06:51 PM JST - 26th August

i can agree w/ most of you that the tipping in the US is a bit out of hand .. i am american , i also spent 15yr behind the bar and in the restaurant buisness so i depended on my tips to make a living being my paycheck was 0.00 every week after taxes are taken out and healthcare is paid.but there was a comment above about what is good service?? good service to me is(was) that when you come dine w/ me (or drink) you have everything you need at any moment during your meal ...if your a regular guest you definately get preferential treatment(the best table, never wait for anything, and i also would know what u drink so by the time you sat down your drinks would be on the table waiting for you!!) now if you can name a restaurant in japan or anywhere else for that matter that does that .. please let me know and i will be sure to go... i feel that now when i travel back to the US ,the service is mostly poor , and they expect 20-25% ti[p no matter what ....ridiculous... and i recently went to atlantic city (new jersey) and shelled out tip after tip .. to the vallet,coat chk, concierge,etc.. just silly.. everyone has there hand out and they really dont do anything to deserve tips.. my point is here that yes i agree its gone overboard and the restaurant industry needs to address, my suggestion is add it to the bill!! as long as i dont get a bill for my dinner , then have to tip 20% ill be happy!!!! but i have a soft spot for tipping only because i depended on it for so long , but i did feel i went over and beyond my call of duty!!
OssanAmerica at 08:06 PM JST - 26th August

well the service charge added to all bills is the same as a tip, and its >mandatory...thats worse than tipping for excellent service or witholding >one for shite service.

I disagree. I's rather pay a fixed service charge and get the service which is almost always very good (Japan) than be "forced" into paying an underserved tip for crappy service (USA).
OssanAmerica at 08:07 PM JST - 26th August

i can agree w/ most of you that the tipping in the US is a bit out of >hand

My mailman expects a tip from me every Christmas. He's a fraking Federal employee FFS. If my house caught fire do I have to tip the firemen who put it out?
Azrael at 08:15 PM JST - 26th August

Tipping system is highway robbery! u____u!

It's a microversion of that Japanese landlords do >.>;.
UnagiDon at 08:22 PM JST - 26th August

I don't have a problem with tipping per se, but I do have a problem with the expectation that tipping is standard, no matter how crappy or indifferent the service. Tipping should only be given when the service is beyond the norm. When I moved back to Canada from Japan, I suffered serious culture shock at just how awful and downright surly bank tellers and restaurant staff were - a 7-11 clerk in Japan gives better customer service.
Badge213 at 10:30 PM JST - 26th August

In Japan I don't tip taxi drivers or restaurants.

In the USA I think its out of hand.
Cicada at 10:47 PM JST - 26th August

People dumb enough to take a job with low pay that depends on tips do not deserve to be tipped. The best way to protest the system is to never tip.
seeker1 at 11:01 PM JST - 26th August

Cicada, that is really an inane statement. Some people don't have a choice in the matter, and take any job they can get. Having worked in a restaurant, I know that tips really help make ends meet sometimes. Tipping in the US does seem high, but I do tip for good service. There was one time that I almost left a penny tip. At a TR rib restaurant in SF, after the meal the waiter handed me the bill and stated that no service charge or tip was included on the bill. He was practically begging me to tip him.
combinibento at 02:35 AM JST - 27th August

The tips are not "included;" tips are gratuities which are by definition optional. In places where tips are customary, they are expected even when a "service charge" is included in the bill. A service charge may be split among employees but tips are specifically for whomever served you and thus should not be split or shared among others.
escape_artist at 03:52 AM JST - 27th August

The "tipping" system in the States, at least, has long been what the bonus system in Japanese corporations has become (for those who get them, anyway)... rarely based on merit anymore but rather an expected part of one's wages. Being forced to pay a "tip" under such a system, then, is ridiculous; it's not a tip anymore at all but a tax or extra charge that customers can't escape from if they want to eat there or use the service. "Bonuses" in Japan for the most part aren't really bonuses anymore either, but rather just portions of eligible workers' paychecks withheld and then paid out in ritual fashion twice a year.

In Japan, where there is no tipping expected (and long may it be that way!), there are other ways to "tip", or show appreciation for a job well done, satisfaction after a delicious meal, etc., such as simply being a return customer, or telling others about it so the place gets even more business. In the end this will help the business much more than a set percentage of "tips" being extracted from customers' wallets on each visit. Similarly, the best way to let a business know their service is poor is simply not to patronize it anymore, and to let others know the same. In my experience, businesses that force customers to pay such "tips" generally have the poorer service, quite simply because the workers have no incentive anymore -- for all sorts of reasons, not all monetary -- to please the customers and strive to make sure they return.

Tipping as it's entrenched in most businesses in the US is a farce. The fact that workers' livelihoods depend on receiving a fixed amount of "tips"(and in Japan, "bonuses") proves this. The tip jar on the counters of more and more places is a lot more honest and true to the real essence of tipping: letting customers have the freedom to give more, give less, or give nothing at all, but leaving that choice entirely up to them.
morikun at 10:29 PM JST - 27th August

Ossan -- good point about the mailman. What would happen if you didn't tip? Would you get worse service from the post office? Is that possible?
Cicada at 05:46 PM JST - 28th August

seeker1

that is really an inane statement. Some people don't have a choice in the matter, and take any job they can get.

I may have exaggerated, but rarely is anyone forced to take a job in which the pay is based largely on tipping. They do it because they think they can make money, and the whole system is unfair. Ugly women are tipped less as waitresses, for example.

Tipping in the US does seem high, but I do tip for good service.

I never tip, whatever the service is like. I am not the manager, judging and deciding how much they will be paid. If I am to do that, I myself should be paid. The managers and owners should decide what wages are appropriate and pay the workers themselves. Leave me out of it.
junkface at 12:33 AM JST - 29th August

flight attendants get tips ?

They aren't as aggressive when asking for it. For domestic flights where in flight snacks are served. They usually have a styrofoam cup where you can tip them when they serve you. Additionally, when you leave the airplane after touching down, I've noticed on several occasions them holding out a cup for tip or leaving the cup somewhere where you notice it.
DenDon at 04:24 PM JST - 30th August

there isn't a tipping system
KnowBetter at 09:12 AM JST - 31st August

Tipping is like giving a 'treat' to a dog that does a trick or a banana to chimp that gets the answer right. In Canada and the U.S. the farking 'tards' behind the counter at any Starbucks expect some kind of tip and place their VERY noticeable "TIP" jar in front of you on the counter. Why must we tip at Starbucks and not at Mc Donalds when they bring your meal to your table because it was a 'special grill' order (i.e. 1/4 with cheese but no pickles, mustard or ketchup)?

Tipping turns me off and when I'm in countries where tipping is EXPECTED I just try to avoid the whole mess but either not using those services or only picking those that are so good that it's worth the hassle of judging what to pay the little 'preformer'.