Comments on: How Much Do You Tip?

By: Lady Parts

Lady Parts — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 04:02:51 +0000

Hi. I’m a Finn temporarily living in Vancouver.

FEIGN ignorance? Ha. Ha. A-ha-ha. If only I were that brazen.
In numerous, numerous countries, you can go your whole life without leaving or receiving a tip once. Where I’m from everyone gets paid “grown-up wages”, so the concept of tipping hasn’t caught on. Wherever else I travel in the world, if tipping is the norm I use the 10% rule, because that’s the easiest percentage to calculate. At a self-service place or a McBucks I never tip. That might make me stingy (not to mention lazy about using math), but fortunately, you’re usually rid of my stingy ass soon, because I move around a lot. Move to Scandinavia, whiners ;)

By: Kim

Kim — Sat, 27 Sep 2008 06:39:23 +0000

I’m from Richmond, VA and I tend to tip around 20%. I usually eat out about 2-3 times per month. My friend who eats out almost daily tips in the 10-15%…mainly because it saves her money since she eats out so often.

By: Jenny

Jenny — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 02:41:27 +0000

Hi, I’m in Vancouver, I totally agree with you, wife. Tipping is a courtesy for a good service. And to appreciate how good the service is different to each individual.

By: Wife

Wife — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 17:44:14 +0000

Personally I hate it when I’m told how much I’m suppose to tip. Tipping should be based on how the service went. Not about compensating the employer’s negligent in paying their staff poorly. Seriously, it’s not my responsibility to ensure you have enough income. It doesn’t make sense if I have to pay 15-25% (example) to a non existing service at a high end restaurant just because the decor is pretty. I’d rather tip a hard working diner staff because they’re running around all day and people seem to think it’s okay to give them less tip because it’s a casual family run restaurant.

It’s plain rude when wait staff ask for more tip. It’s up to the discretion of the customer. Don’t even get me started on automatic service charge or gratuity.

Don’t get me wrong, I have been a generous tipper numerous times, I just don’t want the “I’m entitled to it attitude” with my meal.

By: sdf

sdf — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 05:48:50 +0000

o yeah, and having said that, i find tipping really annoying. I don’t tip in my favourite shoe store no matter how happy i am with the shoes. Why do i tip in a restaurant - where they usually make better wages than in the shoe store?! In Australia, they don’t typically tip and the patrons expect the restaurant owners to pay decent enough wages to ensure proper service!

By: sdf

sdf — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 05:46:14 +0000

Well, now I know why I’m so well cherished at places I frequent. I pay 20% for good service, 15% for marginal and 10% if I want to make a point that I was dissatisfied. Guess the point never got made on the dissatisfied! I lived in Vancouver for 20 years and that’s where i picked up the tipping habit.

By: Peter D

Peter D — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 16:11:54 +0000

Couldn’t agree more on the last comment of tips being idiotic. ie… an optional yet mandatory component of the bill. In my experience it’s just the USA that persists in this kind of madness… elsewhere in the world, if you have a good time, good service and feel so inclined… leave a tip… else just pay the price on the menu !!!

By: Chrystal

Chrystal — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 10:11:18 +0000

The whole idea of mandatory tipping is idiotic.
Just include the service charge and the tax price on the menu, instead leaving customers calculating how much tip they should leave. The restaurant manager should be the person to give his employee’s bonusses on how well they work. It does not make any sense to me.

If a waiter provides bad service, it is the problem of the restaurant, and their business will drop. Therefor, it is their responsibility to hire good waiters.

It is just not professional that a waiter would give you an amount of service as they stereotype the customer..

By: ddog

ddog — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 20:53:28 +0000

I am a waiter in calgary and they actually take 12% per bill off of my pay for tips. So if a person leaves less than 12% I still have to give the 12 percent from my earnings to the tip pool.

By: Joanna

Joanna — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 17:39:44 +0000

I’m from BC, Canada… generally I tip 15% if I enjoyed the food the service was great. 10% if the service was only so-so… and if I was really cheesed-off by some grumpy+rude waitress and given poor quality food (which has happened to me before) I would give maybe 8%.