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Q: Tipping Etiquette: Should other countries embrace China’s ‘No Tipping Culture’ or Vice Versa ?
In China, it is not customary to tip at local restaurants, bars, taxi drivers and most other places. It is entirely at the discretion of customer to leave a tip if he's happy with the service or none if he's not or doesn't want to. It is neither expected nor an established practice.
This is different from many countries where tipping is expected, necessary and in some places even mandatory where 10-20% amount (gratuity/tip/service charge or give whatever name) is automatically added on to the bill to be shared by the employees.
Which of the two is better and worthy to be embraced by the other ?
In China, they replaced tipping with overcharging, not only for waiguoren, but for Chinese too. Overcharging clearly shows cultural treat/direction.
Tipping in USA is unique American thing, and it would require cultural change in other countries to embrace the same custom. Wait staff in restaurants, hotels, and other service industry aren't paid for their work as the other workers are (managers, cooks and similar).
I always show my satisfaction with service received anywhere in the world by adding extra money to the total charge.
I don't mind required 20% tip added to the total charge, if info about it is clearly displayed on the menu. Workers salary isn't included in the price of steak or scotch, in other words menu price is lower than if it would be, if workers would receive salary from the establishment....I'll always add some more money to the mandatory tip.
IMO, it shows the size of the balls one posses, while not paying voluntary fee/tip. = '... tiny, little, mincy faggot balls...' = movie quote.
Most required tip complainers (guests) don't know, wait staff's salary of the establishment is almost non-existent. Tip is their salary.
silverbutton1:
I agree, and would like to add that for me I like to tip b/c I dont give to charities or religions, as I really dont know where that money is going. For all I know, it could be going to a corrupt organization. Just b/c an organization is "non-profit" doesnt mean there arent people at the top making ridiculous salaries. Tip people who actually work for a living, and shrug the non-profits, and religious scamsters is my motto.
icnif77:
I've never bought burger, and for coffee I always leave more than 20%, i.e. round no., without doing math or taking coins. However, coffee must be Italian quality.
You're not going to count 20% of 1.5 UK Pounds? It is an American cultural treat, and not too many Americans doing math on low prices, and when I am doing math, I just want to be fair, i.e. not leaving less.
When Brits are in USA, they give 10% tip as per UK custom. However, in UK wait staff have salary for difference of USA, where bar tender receives salary just enough for the taxman, in other words 'no salary from establishment' for service staff. Gratuity as tip is called in USA is wait staff's salary. I bet, if you would offer choice of 'fixed salary' or 'tip' to the bartender, most of them would go for 'tip'. US Cruise lines, Las Vegas or Atlantic City couldn't operate without tipping system, what is the same at the most restaurants, wallet parking and more.
Why should one have to embrace the other? Is there such a thing as a superior culture? Different countries speak different languages, so which one is the language that should be used in every country?
In China, they replaced tipping with overcharging, not only for waiguoren, but for Chinese too. Overcharging clearly shows cultural treat/direction.
Tipping in USA is unique American thing, and it would require cultural change in other countries to embrace the same custom. Wait staff in restaurants, hotels, and other service industry aren't paid for their work as the other workers are (managers, cooks and similar).
I always show my satisfaction with service received anywhere in the world by adding extra money to the total charge.
I don't mind required 20% tip added to the total charge, if info about it is clearly displayed on the menu. Workers salary isn't included in the price of steak or scotch, in other words menu price is lower than if it would be, if workers would receive salary from the establishment....I'll always add some more money to the mandatory tip.
IMO, it shows the size of the balls one posses, while not paying voluntary fee/tip. = '... tiny, little, mincy faggot balls...' = movie quote.
Most required tip complainers (guests) don't know, wait staff's salary of the establishment is almost non-existent. Tip is their salary.
silverbutton1:
I agree, and would like to add that for me I like to tip b/c I dont give to charities or religions, as I really dont know where that money is going. For all I know, it could be going to a corrupt organization. Just b/c an organization is "non-profit" doesnt mean there arent people at the top making ridiculous salaries. Tip people who actually work for a living, and shrug the non-profits, and religious scamsters is my motto.
icnif77:
I've never bought burger, and for coffee I always leave more than 20%, i.e. round no., without doing math or taking coins. However, coffee must be Italian quality.
You're not going to count 20% of 1.5 UK Pounds? It is an American cultural treat, and not too many Americans doing math on low prices, and when I am doing math, I just want to be fair, i.e. not leaving less.
When Brits are in USA, they give 10% tip as per UK custom. However, in UK wait staff have salary for difference of USA, where bar tender receives salary just enough for the taxman, in other words 'no salary from establishment' for service staff. Gratuity as tip is called in USA is wait staff's salary. I bet, if you would offer choice of 'fixed salary' or 'tip' to the bartender, most of them would go for 'tip'. US Cruise lines, Las Vegas or Atlantic City couldn't operate without tipping system, what is the same at the most restaurants, wallet parking and more.
I come from a civilised country where service staff are paid at a reasonable rate (remembering that it's an unskilled job), and where more experienced staff can expect to get a higher pay (that's a Labour government for you!) Therefore, while tipping is not mandatory in any way, it is expected where the service was good enough. It is usually only coins (but our $1 & $2 are coins - and so anything less than $5 in change will be coin!) I regularly notice tip jars that are half full (or half empty 
).
Would I tip staff here in China? Not often. They need to actually be good enough at their job for that.
I tipped a taxi driver 12RMB last night for asking me which route I preferred to go by to get home (Road X or Road Y). I told him this when I gave it to him, in the (naive) hope that the story will spread.
I always drop a tip on a particular senior waitress at a really cheap and excellent dongbie restaurant near my house. At 'rice time' is is chocka block and a 30 min + wait is to be expected. My tip puts us immediately at the front of the line. Ethical, maybe not but it works.
I also tip taxi drivers the few rambos that add up to the 20 for my regular journey. Drivers will often be reluctant to stop for foreigners because they believe none of us can speak chinese. Word spreads quickly about the guy who can tell them where to go and tips. There are very few foreigners in my area and I am a desirable fare. And who wants a few grubby 1rmb notes and wumao coins anyway?
icnif77:
I want 'grubby', because in the most cities in China you need 1 'grubby' for local bus fare.
iWolf:
We have a card - Zhongshan Tong - for buses and green bikes. Also I collect the grubbies in an old shopping bag hanging next to the door. The little woman like to use them at the veg market down the road
icnif77:
I had my moments few months ago, and start using only cash for any payments bellow 200 Rambos in Supers or elsewhere. So suddenly, I had bag full of coins at my moving to Guizhou.
Yesterday, I handed my bag to the BOC counter in my city, and he exchanged coins to some 70 paper rambos. I got also some paper monny, which is change for 1 rambo. Beat me, if I understand how I deserved that.
I consider myself to be a asshole but sometimes I find real assholes much worse than me, but I only screw over rich folks and intellectual elite snobs, not working men and women.
icnif77:
Excercising of authority over some poor slob cleaning the tables and bringing up the water ... 
Stiggs:
That wanker thought he was really clever until everyone on facebook called him out on it.
Karma fothermucker, it can be poetic.
tipping is a bad idea. it stems from the greed and selfishness of employers who didnt want to pay their employers so much, so they would pay them a small salary, and expect the employee to earn the rest through good service, but tipping has evolved in the us has evoled into something that people just expect. many cab drivers, or barbers will expect to be tipped despite the bad service they give
ambivalentmace:
Tipping was good in high end hotels and restaurants if you wanted to show a low salary and get social welfare and keep cash for the finer things in life.
BUT, BIG BUTT HERE, The people bragged a little too much, so the IRS came in and told the fancy places that tips on credit cards are a paper trail and you have to add that to the pay and tax it, rather than tip out cash at the end of each shift. Since 80 percent of business travelers leave tips on credit cards a decade ago and it only gets worse with cashless society incentives, a tipped worker in America is basically a low income live paycheck to paycheck financial slave to banks, government and debt.
Nobody wants the job anymore. It is slightly humorous to watch leftist bitch for higher minimum wage and then people don't qualify for their freebies anymore and ask the manager to cut the hours because they are making too much money. Unintended Consequences again. Perhaps the left and right don't realize that inflating wages is a good way to pay for a bankrupt government retirement system when you rigged the "cost of living adjustment" so you don't have to pay the old farts any increases.
edgy:
in addition to the employers at restraunts being cheap skates, tipping is a scam. you go into a barber shop claiming to charge $10 for a hair cut that ends up costing you $15 because of the tip. it's a psychological game to make you think you are paying less, and to squeeze you for more money.
