Tipping?

[aroberts42]

Hi everyone,

just a random question. Do people give/expect tips in China like we do in the states? What is a customary amount? I have heard that in Europe people don't tip so I was just wondering about China. I have seen it both ways here on the forums; some say yes, some say no. So what is the general concensus?

[Don_Horhe]

Generally - no, and it's not expected, either, although I sometimes tip taxi drivers a kuai or 5 mao, and they are almost always hesitant to take it. People in Europe do tip. ;)

[roddy]

Absolutely never, taxi drivers don't even get to keep the change (no matter how slowly they count it out). I've only once seen a Chinese person give a tip, and I suspect everyone present - his date, me at the next table, and the waitress - thought he was being a bit of show-off.

[gougou]

Generally not. I will however tell people to keep the change if it's just a few mao, or also a few kuai if I was particularly happy (e.g. a taxi driver that was fun to talk to or just got me where I was going very fast) under the illusion of doing something for increasing service levels. I will often also round up coming back from the airport, as most taxi drivers are a bit disappointed by the distance. Unless they make a big scene about it, of course, in which case they get nothing on top.

I'm always thinking that they need it more than I do, which is also the reason I abandoned haggling pretty much everywhere except Yaxiu.

[skylee]

I don't tip in Mainland China, but I do occasionally in Hong Kong. I almost always do when I pay bigger bills in restaurants in Hong Kong. (It is strange why I do it. My mom taught me to, I suppose, because she said that the 10% service charge did not go to the waiters at all. And because people say that tipping using credit cards is useless, I always tip in cash even if I pay the bill using credit cards).

I sometimes get tips from taxi drivers when they don't have the necessary change.

[renzhe]

I have heard that in Europe people don't tip

I don't know where you heard this, but it's extremely dependent on which country you're in. The tips will range from rounding the bill up to 10-15%, depending on where you are, how good the service was and what you're tipping for.

The reason why people tip so much in the US is because the waiters get less than minimum wage and can't cover their living without tips. In Europe, people generally tip less because the base salary is higher.

In China, I was advised never to tip. Not only is it generally not expected, it can also come across as insulting. A larger restaurant bill might be an exception, but not a coffee or taxi or something similar.

[roddy]

I think even a big restaurant bill doesn't call for tipping - I'd imagine nowhere even has a mechanism for splitting up the tips between front and back of house staff. Maybe international hotels and a few foreign-run places, but generally I think you'll leave your waiter or waitress with a bit of extra money they're not quite sure what to do with.

[SiMaKe]

Maybe it's more related to tourist spots or tourist related services but in my recent trip to southwestern China (Yunnan, Guizhou, Sichaun) everyone I tipped (mostly tour guides, drivers and hotel bellhops) graciously accepted it without hesitation except for one bellhop in Chengdu who steadfastly refused. No one else seemed the least bit insulted.

I agree that 10% or so in Europe (England, Scotland, France, Benelux, Italy, Switzerland) seems to be the accepted practice.

Here in the US, the expectation these days seems to be in the 18-25% range. Why the increase from the traditional 15%? Don't know.

@Gougou

Now I feel guilty. I always haggle because 1) I can practice my Chinese and 2) I was led to believe that it was expected. A solution for me may be to haggle, get the best price and then just pay the original asking price. That would still satisfy my objectives and free me from the guilt.

[skylee]

Here in the US, the expectation these days seems to be in the 18-25% range. Why the increase from the traditional 15%? Don't know.

That seems quite excessive IMHO. I don't think I have paid more than HKD50 (and that is on top of the 10% compulsory service charge). The employers are the ones who should be really responsible for the waiters' pay, after all.

[jbradfor]

I agree with SiMaKe. People that primarily deal with tourists, especially foreign tourists, often seem to expect (or at least anticipate) tips. I recall the last trip to took, at the end the tour guide was basically standing outside the bus as we got off with his hand out. [i exaggerate slightly.] Whether you chose to tip in these situations is up to you. I can certainly see wanting to act like the locals and not tip in these situations.

That seems quite excessive IMHO. I don't think I have paid more than HKD50 (and that is on top of the 10% compulsory service charge). The employers are the ones who should be really responsible for the waiters' pay, after all.

It's not excessive in the USA. As has been mentioned, the wage structure for servers in the USA is set-up assuming a 15% (ish) tip. If service is good, and you give less than 15%, you're pretty much cheating them (again, in the USA).

[BertR]

I agree that 10% or so in Europe (England, Scotland, France, Benelux (Belgium + the Netherlands + Luxembourg), Italy, Switzerland) seems to be the accepted practice.

I can't speak for all countries you mentioned, but in Belgium very few people tip since service is already included and it is certainly not expected that you tip.

See for example http://www.tripadvisor.com/Travel-g188634-s606/Belgium:Tipping.And.Etiquette.html or http://www.trabel.com/index2.htm

[SiMaKe]

I can't speak for all countries you mentioned, but in Belgium very few people tip since service is already included and it is certainly not expected that you tip.

See for example http://www.tripadvis....Etiquette.html or http://www.trabel.com/index2.htm

I stand corrected. Somewhere in Benelux we did run into that phenomena.

[gougou]

A solution for me may be to haggle, get the best price and then just pay the original asking price. That would still satisfy my objectives and free me from the guilt.

A friend of mine used to do that. In those instances I witnessed, people seemed quite amused - and nobody rejected the extra money.

[Brian US]

I was with a friend who tipped the waitress in Beijing and she ran after us to give it back. I did have a cab driver try to take the 11 kuai change as a tip from the airport. I argued with him for 10 minutes before he gave it back.

[jbradfor]

Anyone else find it very weird / awkward / hard to not tip? Especially at restaurants, where tipping here is practically required, it just feels wrong to pay the stated amount and not pay more....

[Guest realmayo]

I don't find it odd at all. I found the tipping situation in the US odd. I don't think I've ever got change of less than one RMB in a taxi, the bill gets rounded up to the nearest RMB unless it's 0.1 or 0.2, in which case I'll round it down. But I'm also confused about whether the add-a-RMB-for-high-fuel rule is in play or not.

[renzhe]

As BertR said, in some countries, a customary service charge is automatically added to your bill. If you receive such a bill, then you shouldn't tip.

In Prague, some touristy places will automatically add 10% for tourists. This is clearly marked on your bill, so it's not cheating. In less touristy places, we didn't get it. So you should check your bill in such places.

Like I said, the tipping practices will vary widely throughout Europe. In Germany, 5-10% is normal, depending on the service (which is generally not good ). Giving 20% will come across as strange, and will likely be understood as a mistake. In several countries in the south, rounding it to the next bigger number was common, so typically less than that.

It's a good idea to read up on tipping practices before travelling somewhere.

[gougou]

Anyone else find it very weird / awkward / hard to not tip? Especially at restaurants, where tipping here is practically required, it just feels wrong to pay the stated amount and not pay more....

Just like with everything else, you'll get used to it if you just go and do as the Romans do.

I now often forget to tip for the first few days after getting to Germany.

[aroberts42]

Thank you guys so much for the feedback. I know we are going to stand out like sore thumbs anyway, so just thinking of how to help us asimilate and blend in quicker since we are going to be there a while.

[roddy]

I don't think I've ever got change of less than one RMB in a taxi

That's more convenience than a tip though (try giving the driver three mao as a tip and see what kind of look you get). Similarly supermarkets will round off fen. Although why on earth they're not using round number prices in the first place I don't know . . .