Traveling to US and I heard they have tips concept at most places.
Any idea at which places do they expect tips from customers and roughly how much is considered okish?
Tips in US
bluespider on 08/07/2022 - 11:37
Comments
Last time I went to the States, I didn't tip any of the services except in restaurants. I won't be coming back, so doesn't hurt me muhahahahahah
Consider a typical tourist visit to the USA. List is for critical review. Tipping is customary, not mandatory.
- Rental car shuttle bus driver = no tip (unless you allow them to assist with bags)
- Airport to hotel shuttle transfer = modest tip unless included in your pre-purchased voucher (drivers hate this)
- Courtesy shuttle to a tour or attraction = discretionary
- Car park valet = tip on retrieval
- Bags delivered to your room = tip
- Any type of counter service = no tip
- Table service, a la carte = in cities, 20% of the pre-tax amount
- Table service, buffet = $1 per head (min $5 per table)
- Mid range hotel included buffet breakfast = no tip
- Something delivered to your hotel room (iron, towel, hairdryer) = discretionary
- Room service = service charge will likely be added to your account
- Drink served at a bar or while seated in a lounge = $1 per drink
- Hotel room attendant = tip daily (giving due consideration to your room rate)
- Concierge, offering advice = no tip
- Concierge, making a booking = tip
- Doorman, calling a taxi = tip
- Taxi driver = tip
- Ride share driver = unsure
- Tour guide, ski instructor = tip (according to duration)
- Las Vegas helicopter pilot = no tip
- Las Vegas hotel/casino with rest room attendant = tip
- Hairdresser, masseuse, nail artist, tattooist, sex worker etc = tip
- Where a service charge has been added to your bill = no tip
- Where any employee has been super-hospitable (and they're permitted to receive tips) = tip
When in doubt, follow what the locals do - or ask them.
apart from tips, what got me was the friendly waitress-suggested 'sides' (extras) - they always sounded nice and easy, until we got the bill at the end, where suddenly that attractive $4.99 breakfast deal I thought I ordered became more like $20 thanks to the 'extras' the super-friendly waitress had 'kindly' suggested
so watch out for that - that can blow out the bill way beyond any 10-20% tips …
Tips is crazy there depending on the place and city. I stil remember a cab from the airport, , i was already given a set price (quite pricey) as you need to buy a ticket from the airport before you get a cab, and then at the end of the ride, the Cabbie automatically told us what the final bill was with his tip included and he had added on like 22.5% tip or something insane.
The bill shows the tax. If the tax rate is 8-10%, just double the tax amount if you feel like it's enough.
The whole tipping thing makes me hesitant to visit the US even though I'd really like to. For someone like me who has never really carried cash (hell I don't usually even take my wallet out now since my license and cards are all digital) and for whom going to restaurants with friends stresses me if the restaurant doesn't split bills, life in the US seems to stressful. How do people do it, do they all carry around a wad of small bills? What if they havnt had a chance to go to an ATM that day?
In my experience, yes you just carry around a wad of cash. Doesn't usually end up being an issue if you commit to spending some cash here and there because you end up with endless small bills. You just need to spend only $10 bills or higher. The ridiculous wad of $1 bills you end up with should work for tipping. Just remember that those $1 bills have very likely been in a stripper's butt crack and are covered in cocaine.
How about ordering ubereats? The delivery fee is usually a lot lower than the meal fee, so would tipping the delivery always make ubereats cheaper than eating in a restaurant?
Oh America the richest country in the world who makes its citizens beg for money. You'd think it's parody but oh no it's very real.
You don't get rich by paying people a living wage.
Don't get too worried about it. I have had many discussions with Americans in America about tipping and they ALL have admitted that they have little idea on how much they should tip in any given situation. In fact many have told me that some Americans never tip even in restaurants.
When I'm in the USA I tip at sit-down restaurants (20% [unless service fee has been added]) and in bars (PAYG $1 per beer or spirit [note most(?) bars in the USA have 'free pourings of spirits' (as opposed to measured pouring) and if you tip you may get more spirit in your drinks); more expected for cocktails ; or I pay 15% on the bill (if I run a tab; they take your credit card) or 20% if I also had food).
[typically your change will contain many $1s when drinking at the bar]
I tip taxi's 20% although I try to avoid them.
I give $2per bag to the bag person in hotels; I usually have no luggage so I try to avoid it.
I leave $2pp per night on the pillow in hotel rooms (except on the last morning). (I also do this in '3rd world' countries).I also tip tour guide and driver separately $5 each depending on the cost of the tour.
EDIT: This is what I do you need and do not claim it the the best or correct tipping etiquette.
fuk tipping, i wish employers in the USA would stop ripping off their workers and the public by expecting us to subsidise their wage with tips of 20%
It doesn't work that way, some employers tried that and the workers left. People working for tips make much more than minimum wage (more than double, at the least)
What happens if you don’t tip? Given you are only touring there and you have already eaten or had your services done. 🤔
You need to live with yourself. (Knowing that the min wage in some USA states is US$7.25/hr.)
(It is certainly very hard to tip when the exchange rate is at 50c; which it has been in the past)
But some things are cheaper in the US, right? Alcohol, video games etc. Just tell them what we pay for liquor here, I'm sure they'll feel better.
My holiday experience does change when I am in the USA (to avoid tipping; I can live with myself).
For examples: Take away alcohol is way cheaper, sure. Take away food (or supermarket) no tipping required, and I use public transport or hire cars.
That's me LOL, I don't tip anywhere except full service restaurants (which I do not go to very often partly because of the mandatory tipping culture).
Many years passed and I'm still alive.
Haha good for you. If you tip someone on occasion if they do an exceptional job that's no problem but I won't tip someone for doing the minimum required by their job description…
So you don't tip 20% generally at restaurants when in the USA?
Double the tax
I will NEVER SET my foot in America because of 2 things:
Tips and Guns!
I know Israel doesn't have any tips, but may have guns. ;)
15% and if you feel like more then go up from there. You will know.
Geez ok, I tipped a fiver on an experience that cost $200… lucky I didn't get shot
With tips like that they wouldn't be able to afford ammo…
I don’t tip because society says I have to. All right, I mean I’ll tip if someone really deserves a tipping, if they really put forth the effort, I’ll give them something extra, but I mean this tipping automatically, it’s for the birds. I mean as far as I’m concerned they’re just doing their job.
Hey, our girl was nice.
She was ok. She’s wasn’t anything special.
What's special? Take you in the back and suck your…uh…iced mocha latte ?
So, you do not generally tip in restaurants in the USA?
Oh yuck, well that just put me off ever going to the US. If the guns weren't bad enough.
The food tips are easy because you know the percentage that is expected, and so just need to pay it. The service is generally amazing too..
All the other people you are supposed to tip is a bit more confusing… basically every worker you interact with expects a dollar or two.
It's a lot easier to just accept that this is the way things are it and consider it 'part of the cost'.
Keep a pocket full of one dollar notes and just give one or two to anyone who does anything for you.
Basically if you can specifically identify the individual who has provided you the service, a tip would be considered.
Tip examples:
Restaurant - the waiter/host
Taxi - the taxi driver
Car valet - the valet
Tour - the tour host
Food delivery - the delivery driver
Casino - dealerNo tip examples
Fast food
Public transport
Large department store shopping (except if assisted with trying on clothes)Right, remember to tip cops and dentists
No wonder cops keep shooting people…
Travelled to Los Angeles and Vegas in 2018 . My tips for tipping:
1. Restaurant gives you bill with recommended tipping percentage, so use that as a guide, or make your own judgement
2. Fastfood chains do not need to tip, so find some of them before travelling if you do not feel like to tip
3. Taxis also expect you to tip
4. Hotels, leave one or two dollars on the pillow for housekeeping ladies
5. People also tip the cook at the buffet for frying the eggs, so I did too
6. Get a stash of one dollar notes on handBudget for it, enjoy the trip.
Having those dirty notes in your hands so often even before you eat is the biggest pain.
Don't tip shit service, most people are great and earn their tip, don't let the shitty ones get away with it.
I just came back from the US last week, the food price in US is insanely expensive, a slice of pizza is 8.50 USD! I had dinner at a steak restaurant by myself it was $200+20% tip! Not sure I will be in a rush to get back
That sound absurdly high. Were you in a tourist trap?
Start with the Customs officer to avoid a three hour was it.
Some interesting comments from the server here.
https://www.demilked.com/tiktok-server-rant-low-tips/
While I get that it is a culture thing over in the US of A, he does seem quite entitled to me, seeing tips as an expectation.
The tipping in America is insane. Just about everyone you come across wants a tip.
I had somebody volunteer to give me directions because I was looking a little unsure at a tram stop - I didn't ask them - then when I said "thanks" and started to walk away he asked me for money because he helped me. Really sour experience, nobody doing something to be nice, just to get a few dollars.
I found the opposite, in that numerous people in New York kindly helped with directions, quite obviously without expecting a tip.
On the other hand, I was ripped off by someone on the street in a different country who was trying to 'help me'.It's all part of the adventure.
Yes I agree there are many very friendly everyday Americans. I just got really annoyed with the tipping and the sales taxes!
I was in a car with my husband on side of the road looking at maps (years ago) and saw a car pass us and turn around stop where we were and ask if he could help. That was in the countryside. My experience with people in new York in hospitality and service is that they are perhaps not rude but abrupt. But maybe they just have to work hard to make a living.
…perhaps not rude but abrupt…
Can't take the risk of being rude; you never know who is carrying a gun.
Yes, I love traveling in the US and have been several times but so many people in Australia do not realise how different from us they are. The impression we have from movies is shaped by New York and LA and largely does not reflect middle America.
Not sure how this turned into a discussion about if tipping is the way to do things or not. Op just wanted to know where to tip.
Ubers, taxi, barbers, cleaners, movers, bartenders, waiters, etc yes tip.
It’s about 20-25% now. Some places 18%.
If you go in as a group gratuity is added automatically (I think 6 ppl or more).Generally don’t tip cashiers, coffee shops (Starbucks) is a bit of meh. Some tip some don’t.
It used to be 10-15% maybe max 18%. Why is the percentage higher now? Fed minimum wage hasn’t caught up to inflation. People need money and it was set to demand/supply. Same reason here minimum wage was increased but also staff demanded higher pay. Over there some people like to work for tips because their take home pay can be a lot higher.
Here’s a small trick: no one in a crowded bar waits in line at a bar in august the US. There is no you were here first. So my suggestion, when you get the first round, tip big. Then they’ll remember you and keep coming back to you. You don’t need to tip as high after that. Eg. i give about 5 bucks for a $12 round. This generally applies across the board to some other industries too. If you tip shit you never getting served
I lived in multiple cities across the US for a decade between 2008-18. 10% is absolute minimum, 15% is standard, 20% is for excellent service.
You should expect to tip wherever a service is provided, although there are exceptions (e.g. chain fast food, mass transport, retail checkout). Keep plenty of $1 notes handy.
Also worth noting, the advertised price for goods in the US excludes sales tax, and those tax rates vary by state. This means your transaction totals will be greater than the ticket price or menu price for the items.