Tipping the boat crew - conventions around the world?

[Quero]

And I am certain some would be critical of you for being exceptionally cheap and by others for being exceptionally generous. In the end, it is what you feel is appropriate.

In a sense. What I feel is appropriate is what is customary, not comparing with what is done in my home country nor applying an arbitrary "philosophical" reason for/against tipping. Here it is customary not to tip in restaurants and at hotels, or at most THB 20 for the waiter, the bellhop, etc. Taxi tips are simply rounded up to the next zero-ending amount according to what paper notes the passenger has (e.g., a fare of 283 THB would round up to 300 with 20-baht or 100-baht notes), so again, we typically give no more than THB 20 for a taxi tip. Tour workers customarily get a total tip of around 300-500 THB per person per day. Similarly, golf caddies are tipped 300-500 per round here (they are all women and they carry or trundle the bags, as motorized carts are not the norm). There are more than likely other activities in which it's customary to tip. Most Thailand guidebooks paint with too broad a brush and say simply that there is no tipping culture in Thailand, which is quite frankly false for being overly generalized from symbolic restaurant tipping and do not take into account, for example, tipping those who work on tours and at golf courses. Dive trips are considered tours.

 

[koozemani]

Discussion underway

---------- Post added January 9th, 2013 at 10:37 AM ----------



That reference is about an owner with employees, an owner who isn't performing the services the employees are doing them. Your reference would be great if we were talking about "Do you go find the owner of a dive shop who is in his office doing paperwork, meeting with his accountant and give him a tip at the end of your dive trip even though he did nothing for you?"

In your reference it does even refer to the owner performing a service for a customer and tipping them.

They use a common reference to a small hair salon which typically has the owner working in it and performing the same services as the employees.

This is still the simplest question to answer in reference to the original discussion "Would you not leave a tip to the waiter in a small restaurant until you verified the owner wasn't waiting on you?"

I frequent a small wine bar here where the owner works behind the bar, I tip him. I've hired fishing guides who are one man operations, I tip him. I have dived with small dive operations where the owner dives with you - Squalor Divers on Isla Mujeres, I tip him.

Youre hung up on this verification of ownership. If you're unsure, err on the side of caution. If I read the same link as you did,

"If you are the owner of a business as well as an employee, it is best not to expect a tip. Accept the tip if the customer insists, so as not to be insulting. If you run a small business and are the only employee, make sure that customers do not feel as though they have to leave a tip. Some people now tip business owners if the owner"

you are the "some" people. On that particular day, I was not. It does not give an absolute answer on the subject, merely states that it will happen with some people. I think this falls into the not expected but appreciated catagory.

I have dived with just such an operation in the Bahamas. The husband and wife most definitely owned the business and acted as divemasters, captain and crew--at least on the trips I took with them. If I recall, I did the same as you. If I also recall, they charged a bit more than other shops, the premise being that they offered a premium service. So I felt good about paying what they charged, and I even tried to spend some extra money in the shop. But I would have felt awkward handing the owner of the shop a "tip" per se. This was a few years ago, though, and many SB threads on tipping ago. It's probably apparent from my comments that I have given the issue of tipping a lot of thought. The owners were American, and the Bahamas, being pretty much an extension of Florida (oooh, did I really say that?) receive a steady stream of American visitors. I think that if I were to return, I might just ask him to add a line on the final bill for a gratuity or service charge.

I don't recall how their pricing lined up with the other ops, but whenever their island is asked about, I'll jump right in to recommend them.

 

[theduckguru]

Reread the link.
.

Accepting a Tip
If you are the owner of a business as well as an employee, it is best not to expect a tip. Accept the tip if the customer insists, so as not to be insulting. If you run a small business and are the only employee, make sure that customers do not feel as though they have to leave a tip. Some people now tip business owners if the owner performed a service for them, such as a hair style or manicure. If you do receive a tip from a customer, it's a nice gesture to share the tip with the employees who helped you to perform the service for the client, such as the individual
who washed the client's hair if you are a hairstylist.

Moral of the story, owners should not expect tips and it is not improper to not leave one when the owner provides the service. Thanks to Oprah, owner/hairdressers now expect tips.

Discussion underway

---------- Post added January 9th, 2013 at 10:37 AM ----------



That reference is about an owner with employees, an owner who isn't performing the services the employees are doing them. Your reference would be great if we were talking about "Do you go find the owner of a dive shop who is in his office doing paperwork, meeting with his accountant and give him a tip at the end of your dive trip even though he did nothing for you?"

In your reference it does even refer to the owner performing a service for a customer and tipping them.

They use a common reference to a small hair salon which typically has the owner working in it and performing the same services as the employees.

This is still the simplest question to answer in reference to the original discussion "Would you not leave a tip to the waiter in a small restaurant until you verified the owner wasn't waiting on you?"

I frequent a small wine bar here where the owner works behind the bar, I tip him. I've hired fishing guides who are one man operations, I tip him. I have dived with small dive operations where the owner dives with you - Squalor Divers on Isla Mujeres, I tip him.

 

[Mike]

Thanks to Oprah? Let me in on the joke

 

[theduckguru]

The old school was you don't tip business owners until the question was posed to Oprah about hairdresser/owners on her show where she proclaimed it was proper to tip these folks. They now expect a tip.

The tip level for food servers used to be 10-15% pretax until the resturant associations proclaimed the level at 15-20%. Now as the economy recovers a little more, the same groups are now proclaiming 15-20% post taxes.

We are getting a lot of new tipping customs by proclaimation. Now I understand that Oprah has a lot of bucks and likes to throw it around, but it seems silly to tip those who set their own compensation, hours, and standards.

 

[Mike]

That dang Oprah, she really is the most powerful woman in America!

I'm betting you're a big fan of tip jars on the counter at starbucks or other counter service type places like a Subway.

 

[Lorenzoid]

. . .

Would you not leave a tip to the waiter in a small restaurant until you verified the owner wasn't waiting on you?

I would not leave a tip for the owner of a mom-and-pop restaurant who has no other staff UNLESS the restaurant is in the US. In the US, the practice of tipping in a restaurant (we're not talking take-out, etc.) is as inviolate as our right to own guns I am trying to picture all the mom-and-pop restaurants I've been to around the world where "mom" and/or "pop" were clearly the only people working. I can't imagine ever leaving a tip in one of those places, except maybe to round up the bill or to get rid of small change.

 

[RJP]

Let's kick it up a notch...

- Would you tip a waiter if you knew they used split fins or an Air-2?
- Should the tip jar at Starbucks be attached to the counter with shock cord or surgical tubing?
- Does the owner of a restaurant deserve a tip if dives with a SpareAir?

 

[theduckguru]

That dang Oprah, she really is the most powerful woman in America!

I'm betting you're a big fan of tip jars on the counter at starbucks or other counter service type places like a Subway.

In America, if you put out a tip jar some fool will put money in it. Its amazing. I just can't figure out what constitutes exceptional service in pouring a cup of coffee and when to leave a larger or smaller tip.

 

[Mike]

I would not leave a tip for the owner of a mom-and-pop restaurant who has no other staff UNLESS the restaurant is in the US. In the US, the practice of tipping in a restaurant (we're not talking take-out, etc.) is as inviolate as our right to own guns I am trying to picture all the mom-and-pop restaurants I've been to around the world where "mom" and/or "pop" were clearly the only people working. I can't imagine ever leaving a tip in one of those places, except maybe to round up the bill or to get rid of small change.

Did so both in Italy and in Mexico in Puerto Vallarta. Can't imagine insulting either one by not tipping them. The owner in Mexico pulled out his private stash of his home made moonshine for us. The owner in Italy had his mother come over to take our bags to the room we were renting from him. 80 steps up to the room and his mother was at least 80 years old. (we didn't allow her to carry the bags). Neither was insulted nor refused the tips.